The Strange Reason My Hay Is So Cheap
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Finding cheap hay for our cattle is a balancing act. See how we source affordable feed for our herd in this look at farm costs.
Managing a farm requires keeping operational expenses low, and feed is often the biggest line item. In our community, we have a high percentage of second homes, which creates unique opportunities for sourcing supplies. This video explains how we leverage those local dynamics to secure affordable feed while continuing our cattle farming operation.
Understanding proper livestock management means knowing exactly what your inputs cost. We break down the math behind our purchasing, specifically how we calculate that one heifer is equivalent to 75 hay bales. If you are interested in the economics of small-scale agriculture or want to see how we handle our winter supply, this footage shows the process.
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@BranWantheBarbarian
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Leaf peepers.
@jp12x
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
btw: Capitalism is about who owns Capital – land, businesses, resources. Markets are a different thing. Recall stories of USSR food lines; They used grocery vouchers which are a form of currency and chose what they did and did not want. A similar system was used in Britain during rationing in WWII.
Markets can exist in all sorts of economies. They may be a trait but do not define the economic type. Also, personal property is not unique to Capitalism (those are the 2 biggest myths that people who yell pro-capitalism are wrong about)
@Garybob-e9q
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Y'all need a Southerner with Commercial Beef Cattle Experience. And, Yes, it gets Cold and Snows in Arkansas, so Winter Chores wouldn't be Traumatic. Plus, I know how to Drive in Hills and Mountains on Iced-over Roads. I will leave the offer to Consideration.
@jeffreyhall5679
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
As a life time vermonter you don't live in the northeast kingdom. The kingdom is only on the eastern side of interstate 91 .
@Vectures
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
One of the biggest key things I have been learning about for farming and agriculture is that it is a community activity. Farming is not supposed to be done by one person or family only it is a community effort where their are different roles to be filled and used as a way for trading services and needs. A ecosystem of people in a community taking on roles and tasks instead of one person trying to do everything on their own. 2nd homes and the owning of multiple real estates comes with the cost of maintenance and the amount of use it actually is providing. It is wasteful when multiple homes are owned by an individual or organization and nothing is done with it because it is mainly being used as a money holder aka financial asset that depreciates slower then a vehicle depending on the economic situation.
@zaug1561
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Another big reason buying hay is better is because it adds nutrients to your land. Everytime someone sells hay from their land, they are removing nutrients from their land and over time that degrades their soil. You are improving the quality of your soil through importing hay instead of using your own when your cows poop it out.
@Dave-Shearer
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
I'm at a zoo in Japan. We import hay from Vermont. I can tell you we pay a lot more than 1 heifer for 75 wrapped bales…
Further on in the video, Japan has farmland that can only be sold to registered buyers who have submitted a business plan to keep the farm running. This translates to an active farm being a lot cheaper to buy for people who want to farm for a living compared to hobby farms being owned as holiday locations. Obviously, this is against the American free market ideals, but it's always interesting to see how different places try to keep farms farming.
@bobhart677
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
What happened to the square baler you bought?
@dougross8789
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Excellent
@joebarnas6329
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
I look at the quality of the grasses and more importantly the tall weeds that the cattle do not bother with and wonder why you do not invest the time to plow or under and resow parts of yhour fields each year???
@livesofthefreemasons
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Maybe if the farms weren't $2.1 million, they'd be owned by farmers instead of lawyers 😂
@ttopero
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
At what point does it make sense to make more sense to put herds on the fields, move them like you do on your own property, then sell them before they need hay rather than grass? Labor, diesel/fuel cost, storage, aesthetics, , machinery, etc
@ThorHavenFarm
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
We lack the land, so we always buying hay, cheaper would be nicer! LOL But buying and running that equipment like you said, to do our own if we hand the land, is crazy for our size homestead.
@GoldenMinotaur
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
9:34 all of the land he sees is his
@jonofalltrades1
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Laissez-faire.
@tsl7881
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Isn't it nice rich people can own farm land ; at least until they decide to sell it for houses.
But 20-30 cows on 160 acres sounds like a hobby farm , unless you have a lot of woods.
Do you have a brush hog to cut down those weeds?
@jonofalltrades1
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
So let's put an extra tax a select group of people who have zero representation and use less local resources…sounds fair for the folks who increase real estate value (not always a bad thing), infuse money into the local economy, and create jobs. You all have hundreds of acres to yourselves and can't build more housing? The tax money is just going to line Bernie's pockets so that he can buy more second homes of his own. You guys are cooked.
@ImusNoxa
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
This was a great explanation, but it could have been better discussed over brushing Macho Man, just saying 😛
@superman9772
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
not telling someone to farm a certain way… but if i had your pasture then i'd at least top it and edge it at the end of the season and save my pasture mix from invasive weeds and trees…
@tunahelpa5433
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
The heifers cancel out, so haying yourself costs $6k more. Doesnt matter how much the heifers are worth.
@Habeebea
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
You can hire out someone to cut and bale your pastures. You don’t have to wrap hay you feed out that same season. Hell, most bales would go 2 or 3 and still be able to be fed.
@PennRynn
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
My husband refused to show me how to back up with a trailer. He’s drives a truck and told me to watch YouTube videos to learn. Solution? I sold the trailer and now he has to pay $50-$79 for every delivery. I moved from Bucks Co PA to the Myrtle Beach area. There are a lot of second homes. Their property taxes are essentially double what the year round people pay. I’m in an unincorporated area with a population of 110 and about 40 miles from the beach. We bought a bank owned, 3500sf brick home on an acre and a half for $45K, 11 years ago. Our total property taxes are $360/yr. We had thought about selling and moving to New England, where my family is originally from, until I started looking at home prices. Absolutely ridiculous! With hindsight being 20/20, we would have never moved to a “red” state.
@borchen0
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
Near the town of Ermelo in The Netherlands two big white Italian 'farm'dogs where recently introduced to protect a herd of sheep, grazing on a heath, against wolves.
@mayosa666
October 7, 2026 at 9:11 pm
I can almost smell the marker lol 😂