Hay theft (purchasing, live, prices)

[tallrick]

If things were not bad enough, I have been getting reports that hay is being stolen even in the agricultural areas of south Florida. So far, nobody has gone after mine, but is this a trend that should be on my radar? Prices have more than doubled, which has been good for my investment, but is hay going to be like scrap metal, something you have to watch like a hawk?

[popcorn247]

Do you own livestock or horses, Tallrick? Just asking. I did hear of some hay that contained a certain kind of plant that causes floundering in horses. Evidently the shipment came from a place up north.....

[boxus]

I know hay theft has been occurring in other parts for a few years now. It use to be people left it out after bailing, now it gets picked up right away. The ongoing drought in the southeast in the last couple of years, and now out in Texas has really put the pressure on the hay business.

I think it is just an opportunistic venture for one person, probably some firm operating under some name is purchasing 20% of the hay for distributing and being slow on distributing, thus creating a choke in the market and driving prices up, they been doing this with aluminum (amongst other commodities) for years.

[tallrick]

i do not own any livestock or horses, but have started growing and harvesting bermuda grass hay this year. Round bales have gone from 20-30 dollars a bale to 40-50 dollars a round bale. As for contamination, I have had issues with weeds entering the field. Most have oxalic acid but some have worse toxins. Cutting leguminous plants can bring mold in the hay if it is not properly dried. Most of my customers prefer square bales. The fussiest horses get hay from northern states which are supposed to be more nutritious. My irrigation systems give year round harvests.

[doggiebus]

Who knew you could harvest Bermuda Grass Hay.