For many years, the annual hay price trend was predictable. Such has not been the case for the past couple of years. Prices either headed up or down for the entirety of the year, regardless of the month. Perhaps the times are changing.
After an $8 month-over-month boost in March, the average alfalfa price increased another $13 in April to $180 per ton, according to data from USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. The April average alfalfa price still stands at $15 below a year ago. Generally, the highest average price in a given year is posted in April or May.
In contrast, the average price for grass hay dropped by $1 per ton to $138 in April. That value was the lowest monthly average price since January 2021.
The price paid for Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay during April rose by $10 per ton to $252.
Only two states had a double-digit month-over-month alfalfa price gain during April. Pennsylvania was $11 per ton higher and was followed by New York, which was up by $10 per ton.
Nine states had a double-digit decline in average alfalfa price. Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming were each down by $15 per ton. Oklahoma was down $13 per ton while Texas alfalfa dropped $12 per ton. Arizona, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin were all down by $10 per ton.
The highest average April alfalfa hay price was reported in Pennsylvania at $250 per ton. It was followed by California, posting a price of $245, while New York followed at $240.
North Dakota had the lowest average alfalfa price at $90 per ton. It was followed by South Dakota at $93 and Iowa at $102.
Keep in mind that USDA average prices account for all qualities and bale types of hay sold. Also, the final U.S. estimate is a volume-weighted average rather than a simple average of state values. Those states with the most volume sales will impact the final U.S. dollar value more than those states with fewer sales.
Supreme and Premium
The USDA also tracks the prices of Supreme and Premium quality alfalfa in the major dairy states and determines an average price from the five top milk-producing states (California, Idaho, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin). This data is used to determine feed prices in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program.
For April, the average price of Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay rose by $10 per ton to $252, which was still $8 per ton lower than a year ago.
Other hay
The April average price of other hay dropped by $1 per ton to $138. This was $18 per ton lower than the previous year.
The highest April price for hay other than alfalfa was reported in Washington at $215 per ton. Oregon followed at $210 per ton while California posted a $200 per ton price.
North Dakota had the lowest reported other hay average price at $70 per ton. It was followed by Minnesota at $83 per ton.
