The average hay price for alfalfa and grass held mostly steady in January, according to the USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. The average dry alfalfa hay price was $160 per ton, which was just $1 lower than January and even with one year ago.
The average price for grass hay in January rebounded by $3 to $131 per ton. This followed two months of price decline.
The price paid for Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay during January posted a healthy bump in value at $226 per ton, which was $15 per ton higher than the previous month.
Four states had a double-digit month-over-month alfalfa price gain during January. Arizona, Montana, Nevada, New York, and Pennsylvania were all up by $10 per ton.
Five states had a double-digit hay price decline. Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Wisconsin all had a $10 month-over-month price reduction.
The highest average January alfalfa hay price was reported in Pennsylvania at $280 per ton. It was followed by New York at $265, while New Mexico posted a $250 per ton average price.
North Dakota had the lowest average alfalfa price at $92 per ton. It was followed by South Dakota at $98 and Nebraska at $100 per ton.
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 January, the average price of Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay jumped by $15 per ton, posting at $226. The average alfalfa price was still $16 per ton lower than a year ago.
Other hay
The January average price of other hay was reported at $131 per ton, which was up $3 from the previous month but $13 lower than January 2025.
The highest January price for hay other than alfalfa was reported in California at $210 per ton. Pennsylvania followed at $208, while New Mexico, Oregon, and Washington posted a $200 per ton price.
North Dakota had the lowest reported other hay average price at $67 per ton. It was followed by Minnesota at $72 per ton.
