Cost To Make Hay in 2026
With the ridiculously high fertilizer and fuel prices, hay production will be an expensive endeavor this year. We are fortunate that most everyone got their hay lots filled up pretty well last year. We are even more fortunate that we have finally started catching some rainfall; this hopefully has allowed you to stop feeding so much of last year’s hay. I can assure you that hay you have in reserve will not cost nearly what it will cost to make hay this year. All too often, we do not really look at the numbers like we should when pricing or purchasing hay. This year it is going to be very important to spend just a little time figuring out what a bale of hay is worth.
So, what does it cost to make one ton of hay? We know that it takes 50 lbs. of Nitrogen (N), 14 lbs. of Phosphorus (P), and 42 units of Potassium (K) to make 1 ton of Bermudagrass forage that equates to 50-14-42. Keep in mind this is on soil that is not already deficient in P or K- if you have not been keeping up with these two nutrients then you may be in the hole and require even more nutrients. But let’s say you have been taking care of business, and you just need to add those nutrients that are required for this year’s hay production.
Two tons per acre per cutting is a good normal expectation given we get rainfall. To make 2 tons, you will need to apply 100 units of N, 28 units of P, and 84 units of K. What will those nutrients cost you? Last week Urea 46-0-0 was running $940.00 a ton, DAP 18-46-0 cost $900.00 a ton, and potash 0-0-60 is $560.00 per ton. Given this scenario your actual cost per unit of N will be $1.02, your DAP will be $1.02 per unit of P, and potash would be $.47 per unit. Remember you need 100 units of N, so $102.00, you need 28 units of P= $28.56 and you need 84 units of K(potash)= $39.48. Ok, all this stupid math to get our cost per acre for fertilizer to make 2 tons per acre is $170.04. I do realize you will be getting a small portion of N from your DAP 18-46-0, but it is not much and you probably need it anyway. Just remember $170.04 per acre for 4-1000 lb. round bales. That comes out to $42.50 per bale for fertilizer add another $10 per acre for application and you are looking at around $45.00/ bale total just for fertilizer and that is in an almost perfect situation where your soil is well-balanced to begin with and we get appropriate rainfall.
What other cost will you incur to make a roll of hay? Generally, you have a weed spray and a grasshopper or armyworm spray; this will be at least another $22.00 per acre. This spray may be divided into two or more cuttings if we get the rainfall and you can afford to make a second cutting, but today I am just going to figure it over the one cutting of 4 rolls per acre. Using that method, we would be looking at $5.50 per roll for pesticide and application. Looking at the custom rate survey for round bale baling last year, the average cost per roll weighing 1000 lbs. with net wrap in Texas was $35.00. If this is accurate, there is no way it can be that much this year with farm diesel over $4.00/ gallon and who knows what wrap may end up costing. However, we will just use the $35.00 rate for now.
So where are we: $45.00 for fertilizer and application, $5.50 for weed and grasshopper killer, $35.00 to get it rolled, that puts us at $85.50 per 1000 lb. roll. That does not include any lease cost, any transportation cost, or other variables. If you own your equipment, you can make a roll a little cheaper, but if you are honest with yourself, this is probably on the money.
If these prices hold true, we are looking at $171.00/ ton of hay or $85.50/roll just for the cost to make it, there is no profit figured into that number. There is a tremendous risk involved in applying fertilizer in hopes of good rainfall this year, that risk has to be worth a good bit as well. Yes, you can cut your fertilizer applications, but this is going to cut yield equally and put your soil in a deficit situation in the future. Irrigators will have much more than this in their hay.
Just keep this in mind as you make decisions going forward this year. You may plan on some winter pasture to cut your hay feeding cost this coming winter. You may also want to look for some good hay left over from last year. Due to the good yield and overabundance of hay last year, prices are still very low, but I would not expect them to stay low.