Feed prices skyrocketing again

[mydaddysjag]

Along with the hay shortage this year, there is a corn shortage too, and apperantly our feed prices are sky rocketing because of it. Even on pasture and alfalfa hay, every horse here requires grain. Even the bottom of the barrel cheap sweetfeed has jumped $3 in the past two weeks, first $2, then it just went up another $1. We have a local feed mill who makes a good mix for horses that I considered using. We used it years ago with really good results, I just switched to pelleted feeds back around 2005 and moved away from sweetfeed. Normally its $14 per 80lbs there, now its up to $17 per 80lbs, and they said they expect it to keep climbing. Strategy is almost $18 a bag here, and the senior active I love is over $22 now.

Guess I should stock up on feed, but we dont have a ton of space inside to store it, and I worry about it going bad. Ugh, this is a bad year for hay and feed.

 

[Marty]

I LOVE the Purina rewards program which provides me with coupons! Coupons, glorious wonderous coupons! They don't come out often but when they do, I put out the word to my friends and they all send me coupons which enables me to stock pile heavilyl The stuff stays really good in my tack room with no problems. Say YES to Coupons!

 

[happy appy]

The senior feeds here are around $32/bag and the local mix sweet feed is $21. that is the cheapest I can find anywhere. My hay is pretty good this year so I am only feeding a mineral/ vit supplement at $45/bag.

 

[Shari]

Super spendy in VA, compared with Oregon. Not liking the prices here at all. And they Don't, give a Ton price discount either.

 

[muffntuf]

Yes its going to climb if you can I would stock up some. If you are paying $17 for 80 lbs, that is good because its around $17 for 50 lbs. here.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Thats for the mills sweet feed mix, our omolene is $19.99 per 50lbs, strategy is $17.99 per 50lbs. Gonna try to get a few bags to stock up a little. I just bought my hay for the year this week, so not a lot of $$ left over to stock up on grain too. I think I can get about two months worth though.

 

[Leeana]

I feed ADM Ultra Fiber Horse Feed, and it usually is anywhere from $14-$15 a bag in 50 lb bags. Over the last weeks its jumped to $17/bag. But to be honest, i would spend that extra $2-$3 on something else anyway, i'd rather see it go toward agr. I guess I just look at it as, we have to pay it.

I thought about going to a cheaper sweet feed, lots of folks around here feed that Nutrena 12% horse sweet feed and get nice results, I fed it and got okay results (I feed extra protein and fat to those who need it anyway already). But that is $13 / bag and every 12 bags you get 2 free. But to get the results that I want, I would feed at the very least twice what I feed of my ultra fiber. So it would cost me $26 to feed what would cost me $17/bag of what is actually a better feed. Even with the 2 free. My dad does feed this feed to his horses and ponies, but I don't think he has done the math like I have.... LOL. He is a strong believer in sweet feeds anyhow and that will never change.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Paying almost $23 a bag here for PrimeGLO and JuniorGLO by ADM, wish it was $17 lol. Won't change, horses look great and plus don't have to feed a whole lot of it.

I know pretty much everyone around here all of their corn crops were destroyed by this drought.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Went and got 10 bags today, would have got more but it was raining so I took hubbys station wagon and had to fit me, my son in the carseat, and the feed lol. Planning to go get more a day next week. I go through about 8 bags a month, thank goodness I only have three horses now.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I am ok with the feed prices now, just nervous because a good friend of mine is the manager at tsc and told me that they expect the feed prices to climb drastically all winter, she told me to expect to pay over $30 for equine senior this winter, its over $20 now. Its just nuts, thats double the price it was a month ago. I figure Ill stock up as much as I can now. I do know of one big trainer who feeds the nutrena 12% and all their horses look awesome, they do very well at nationals and congress, so I may try that. I feed a lot of alfalfa too. My horses are all idle right now as I wasnt able to show this year, and If I show next year I wont start showing until may or june, so everyone will be idle for a while. I was feeding adm for a while, but had to drive an hour and a half to a dealer to get it, and the last two trips I made, over half my feed had bugs in it, I guess from how they store it maybe. It was $16 a bag when I was feeding it last winter.

 

[wingnut]

Sorry posted where it didn't belong.

 

[stormy]

and why? Because here in the US we prefer to use food for fuel then eat ourselves or feed our livestock!

 

[Shaladar]

and why? Because here in the US we prefer to use food for fuel then eat ourselves or feed our livestock!

That must be why some of the feed that I buy which doesn't have any corn in it went up almost $3.00 a bag.

Wellsolve W/C up to $27.95

WellSolve L/S up to $31.50 (!!!!!!)

3 bags of feed , plus tax, cost close to $100.00

At least the Alfalfa pellets didn't go up.......yet.

Sue

 

[mydaddysjag]

The alfalfa pellets I usually buy are the producers pride brand, because the pellet is smaller than the standlee brand. Normally they are $13 a bag, I just looked at tsc this week when I was getting shavings, $19.99 funny thing was the standlee ones were $14.99, cant figure why the generic store brand costs more than the widely known brand name

 

[chandab]

The alfalfa pellets I usually buy are the producers pride brand, because the pellet is smaller than the standlee brand. Normally they are $13 a bag, I just looked at tsc this week when I was getting shavings, $19.99 funny thing was the standlee ones were $14.99, cant figure why the generic store brand costs more than the widely known brand name

The price difference might be the age of the stock, the current supply of the STandlee could be old stock and the price will go up when new stock is in. And, don't forget, the Standlee pellets are only in 40# bags, so even more expensive.

 

[Marty]

The day will never come when I will rationalize paying $30.00 for a bag of feed. Nope. Wouldn't even consider it.

 

[Bess Kelly]

I have 37 minis to feed

12 are "oldies" and require Sr feeds no hay. Still eat a little grass right now.

I save $1-$1.50 PER bag on my Purina feeds by using one feed store over TSC. But, TSC is closer for me. Since I just bought today, I'm taking my receipt in to TSC tomorrow and asking for that "price match" the say they give....and, if I buy 20 bags I believe I get a discount on top.

All in all --- I am SOOOOOOOOOOO thankful that I have had rain at my farm and the grass is green and plentiful, so many get the Enrich 32 once a day, not other grains for now. Winter will be costly

 

[disneyhorse]

Just bought ProAdvantage Grass 50#... A couple months ago it was $39.99 and now it's $45.99. That's pretty steep!

 

[mydaddysjag]

I had some purina coupons to use, but we have two local places that carry it. One place only keeps 5 bags on hand at a time, I needed 15 bags lol. That place was $3 a bag cheaper than tsc for the feed. my TSC refuses to price match unless you have a printed advertisement from the other place, and what small family owned place puts out a sale flyer, heck it wasnt even on sale, it was their regular price. Im driving 40 mins to get it at a good price and the place to have enough, need to get another 15 bags tomorrow and Ill be set for a while.

 

[chandab]

At the moment: the extruded feed I use is $17.45/40# bag, the low sugar/starch pellet is $13.50/50# bag, tim/alf cubes are $9.00/50#, and shredded beet pulp is $16/40# bag. Those are my regular, year round feeds; in addition to those, I currently have TC Growth for the lactating mares and babies at $23/50# and rice bran pellets for two thin horses at $30/50# bag.

I go through 4 bags of the extruded feed per month, 2 bags of the low sugar/starch pellet, 1 bag of T/A cubes, and in winter I go through 2-3 bags of beet pulp per month.

I might be making more adjustments to keep the horses healthy, yet stay within my budget.