Contributed by Carl Stafford, Senior Extension Agent, Animal Science, Culpeper County
Wintering cost is one of the biggest expenses in producing beef cattle. John Howe, Spotsylvania Extension Agent, explained the difference in the cost of a pound of dry matter from pasture vs. that from harvested feed. He found that the equipment harvested feed can run 3 to 4 times the cost of that harvested by cattle. Gordon Groover supports Howe in his article, “What I Know about Forage Economics,” Virginia Forager, Fall 2016, page 7. He finds that each ton of hay could have more than $200 per ton equipment depreciation before “out-of-pocket” expenses are added.
n begins with the phrase, “I just baled xx acres of nice green hay.” The initial phrase is followed by the following comment , “How much do you think the horse owners will pay for it?”