[McRennet]

Don't get me started on supermarkets......

Does anyone know the approximate weight for and hay for straw when we talk about 'a big bale'?

Are we talking the big rectangular 'heston' bales of straw? And the large round bales of hay that fall apart once you take the netting surround off?

McR

[ellisr]

Well we were paying £8.50 for small bales of hay over the winter I had to convert the horse at least onto haylage which was cheaper. As for straw we have been using wood shavings and shredded paper for the pigs as it is much cheaper and brought them into the stables for the winter for warmth. We had a really bad summer last year which rocketed prices in the south west so we have had to improvise. This year I am going to start and buy early and build a storage to accomodate.

[TheCaptain]

Jeeez Rach, you should have said - we had surplus that we could have sold you, and certainly not for £8.50 per small bale!!!  Ours is all going to small bale this year, I think we're selling it to one of our horsey friends this year but I could put some aside if you're interested?

[gillsta]

I have been selling the small rectangle bales for £2.50 to £3.00 per bale and the same size of hay for £3.00.

[Glentarki]

Were on the Perth/Fife borders in Scotland......Last weekend we managed to get some barley straw locally £2 a small bale and £20 per big bale. We collected ours but he was delivering for no extra charge if we wanted as were just 3 miles up the road......Happy at that price

Dave

[sabrina]

Every year I buy my straw from our local farmer David for £5 a round bale off the field and delivered. My usual number is 18/20 depending if I have pigs as well as the ponies. He takes my muck heap every year. 

[SallyintNorth]

Several years now I have travelled up the east side of Scotland and pondered on when it might become viable to hire a wagon & drag to bring straw back down over the border.  If you are paying £5 per large round bale, and we think £15 per is rip-your-arm-off pricing...

Anyone know anything about costings for transporting large quantities of straw?

[robert waddell]

it is funny your perception of where to get straw most of the straw from cambridge and other arable areas head north it is even reported in the farmers weekly this week of straw going to power stations           the straw and hay head all over the country            it is a bit like construction company's you will see Glasgow ones heading to Edinburgh and Edinburgh ones heading to Glasgow  along the M8
there are hay and straw merchants advertising in both the F W and the Scottish farmer

[SallyintNorth]

Aye, Robert, it's southern straw that gets brought up here and last winter was selling for £35 / big round bale and over.  (We generally mean Yorkshire when we say 'down south'.  You could be right about straw coming up this far from East Anglia.)

Sure I can buy the straw that others bring up, across or down, whatever - but I have been wondering whether the price difference is now so huge that it would be worth organising my own transport and buying a load direct from source, up near Aberdeen for instance.

We bought a load at £25 / big round bale at Carlisle mart in March and were well pleased.  Surely transport couldn't cost £20 / bale?

[robert waddell]

so what you are looking for is a return load down south         there are company's that do just that and don't have vehicles just take a cut
it is harder to get a return up north than one down south     goggle transport co around Aberdeen  sandy hay is one they take machinery north and possibly empty south      if they run full both ways the cost is cheaper

[SallyintNorth]

Thanks Robert.

So anyone out there east coast Scotland able to suggest a company that might be bringing agricultural machinery up from Carlisle way?

[Fowgill Farm]

I have to buy straw in for my pigs and i usually alternate between two neighbouring farms. I budget roughly £150 for a years worth of straw and this used to buy me 15 big roly poly bales or 12 big heston rectangle bales.
After last years harvest my neighbour told me he wanted £24 per roly poly bale (barley) and after much muttering(by me!) he accepted £20. I bought 7 and am fast getting to the end of them (i have 1 left). I dread to think what he'll want this year and am already starting to look around. I actually prefer the heston type as you can peel slices off them, find an awful lot of waste with roly poly's once the nettings off. It blows everywhere. We shall see what we can get.
Mandy 

[SallyintNorth]

Yes we prefer hestons too.  But mini-Hestons (about 8 to the tonne, I think), the 1/3T full-size hestons are really difficult to manage even with a 4wd tractor & loader.

When I have to use part of a round bale I make a pen out of lambing hurdles and open the bale inside the pen.  Helps to contain the blowabout.  (My hens just love scratching in straw and of course assume I opened the bale purely for their benefit...  )

[belgianblue]

with the drought of 2011 alot of smallholders should think about getting hay and straw now than later, the price of this years hay and straw is going to rocket through the roof.

[Antz]

Belgianblue has a point, we have been getting hay delivered by a local farmer for the last 3 years. Last year we paid £15 a large round bale, over the winter it went up to £25, and we've been told today that he can no longer supply us, needs it all for himself.