Alfalfa price drops third month in a row

By Hay and Forage Grower

Hay price movement for August was mixed, based on USDA’s most recent Agricultural Prices report released last week. The All Hay price rose by $2 per ton to $161, which is $24 higher than August 2017. Other Hay (hay other than alfalfa) was up $4 per ton from July to $130 per ton. That’s $13 higher than July 2017. The average August Alfalfa Hay price dropped by $2 per ton for the second month in a row, after dipping $8 per ton in June. The average price in August settled at $177 per ton; this is still $30 higher than one year ago and $28 per ton above last December. To date, the highest average alfalfa price in 2018 occurred in May at $189 per ton.

The USDA price averages account for all qualities of hay sold, and 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.

The largest Alfalfa Hay price gainers in July were Pennsylvania (up $20 per ton), Nebraska (up $13), and Oklahoma (up $13).

Price decliners were led by Minnesota (down $12 per ton) and Montana (down $10). The highest average Alfalfa Hay prices were reported from New Mexico ($240 per ton), Kentucky ($220), Arizona ($220), Colorado ($215), Oregon ($200), Texas ($198), and California ($195).The lowest prices were found in North Dakota ($91 per ton), South Dakota ($94), and Minnesota ($95).