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How much are you paying for alfalfa?

3K views 32 replies 23 participants last post by  fivemoremiles 
#1 ·
Just out of curiosity, how much is everybody paying for alfalfa? Alfalfa is not commonly grown here. We mainly feed coastal bermuda or bahiagrass hay because it's plentiful and cheap. In my area in central Texas a square bale of alfalfa is $20! My goats love it when I get some for them, but it's just not economical to use on a daily basis. Just wondering if this is a normal nationwide price or if it's just because of my location.
 
#6 ·
$21.50 for a 90lb bale of first cutting alfalfa, my goats won’t touch the stems.

19.50 for an 80 lb bale of orchard grass, alfalfa/orchard mic is $22

These are local feed store prices and the markup is minimal, prices a way higher at the big feed stores.

We feed a local hay we grow and cut free choice, varying degrees of quality (last years was beautiful, this years is terrible), alfalfa pellets ($11/50 lb, no stems left behind, 17% protein), beet pulp and dairy ration to the milkers, protein/fat lick tubs, free choice loose minerals.
 
#9 ·
I have a guy... for an 800ishlb bale it is $225 now and for a 100lb bale it is $35 i think. For our orchard timothy mix... we trade pig and chicken with a friend for my goats hay. Another friend has a good grass hay mix and for a big round bale it is $35 for cow hay and $65 for the good mix that the goats will eat too. Alfalfa does not grow here much so we have to buy it. The big bales are usually the cheapest i can find but i still have a little from a bale from last year and it still smells wonderful. Once in a blue moon you can find alfalfa bales but small 60-70lb ones for $15-$20 here.
 
#10 ·
I was lucky and caught my neighbor selling some. Only $6 per 80-90lb bale. Good quality stuff. Ranging between 40 and 90% alfalfa(the other % is orchard grass).

Pure alfalfa, for a 80-100lb bale is usually 10-14$ per bale, with $10 being the average. There is some certified weed free and tested, pure alfalfa, on CL right now running $120 per bale. Bales weighing 1,350lbs each.
 
#13 ·
Thanks everybody for your responses! So it sounds like me paying $20 a bale is about normal. I was worried I was behing robbed when I bought it, but y’all made me feel better. I would love to feed more of it, especially to my new moms while they are in the “maternity ward”, but I have always cringed at the cost and just given them extra grass hay and pellets. However with the recent rise in feed prices, pound for pound alfalfa might not be such a bad deal.
 
#19 ·
I pay $100 for a 1600lb bale. So that is about $6.25 for 100lbs. I get pretty good quality 3rd cutting. But we are surrounded by alfalfa circles.
Is there much difference in nutritional value of third cutting versus first or second? And how do you tell? I've noticed some of it at the store is very green and some is very brown/tanish.
 
#30 ·
I have been feeding my goats Chaffhaye for 15 years its $14.99 retail per 50# bag. Useing Chaffhaye I have NO wasted food or claen up of uneaten food and very little comes out the back end of the goats, it has probiotics to help with the digestion my packgoats are in the 280# weight range. and no dust. can last for years unopened in the weather. Chaffhaye.com come out of Dell TX.
 
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