I will survive! Drought, heat, low-lifes, etc.

[vickie gee]

I have not been on the forum for a while due to the fact that the computer is officially a dinosaur being held together with duct tape (well, not actually) but it is on it's last leg. I see there are lots of new people and some of the ole faithfuls. Hi to all! It is hot a hades in NE Tx! Triple digit temps for more than a month. Hay is scarce and what would be cattle rustlers have now become hay thieves. And then there is the price gouging! Ouch! We are not on city water and we are just praying the well does not run dry. We have a water miser on our shower and believe me if we did not get a couple of showers a day it would be disgusting! Jump in jump out! Dishwasher gets ran no more than twice a week. One load of clothes (at the most) gets washed per day. Yard is extra crispy and so is the herb garden with the exception of rosemary! But I WILL SURVIVE AND SO WILL MY HORSES! Lots of people and animals have it worse. We have jobs and one day it will be autumn. Smile. I got really worried about hay. Last month I bought what lasted three weeks. When I purchased it was $6 a bale in the field. My hay guy was supposed to call me when he ran low. But then he had hopes of some rain. I called him a week and a half ago and he told me that he sold 2700 bales to a lady from "somewhere else" for $10 a bale. She offered that. I asked him if I could pic

k up some more in a few days and he said yes, to call. For more than a week I called him and left msgs which did not get returned. I got down to 2 bales and purchased a few from TSC for $8.75 a bale not knowing if the horses would even eat it. They liked it! I bought beet pulp which I incorporated a little bit at a time into their diet. I added a small portion of steamed crimped oats to the pelletized food. My neighbor keeps my LOADED with carrots from a church ministry. I talked to the right person apparently about my hay man not returning my calls. And I prayed alot about it. He called this weekend. He was down in the dumps because thieves had been stealing right out of his barn! I managed to buy 58 bales for $6.50 a bale...I am still worried but am keeping the faith. Maybe we will get some rain and the hay people can bale more. Last year my fall planting of rye grass was not too successful...the soil here is not so good. Maybe I will find a pasture for lease. But my spirits have been lifted at least for a while. Meanwhile, all my horses have some shady breezy areas to get in and fresh water, hay, food, and lots of love. I would ask that you all keep us in your prayers though.

 

[KGminiaturehorses]

We're also suffering here in N Texas... Not very fun! Fall can't get here and sooner!!

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Crispy and dry just NW of Fort Worth. We're using our winter hay now. Supplementing it by letting the mares graze the driveway. We will probably turn the gelding loose out back. We don't use it because it's fenced with barbed and there are several trash dumps back there. There's also about 10+ acres of grass and trees... we can hope the boys are sensible and stay out of the wood piles.

 

[a mini dream come true]

$6.50 a bale!!!!

I haven't seen that ever. What kind? I'm used to paying a lot more than that when we can find it. We're hurting all over the state and every one is praying for rain. Hoping to get something in the ground for winter grazing.

 

[eagles ring farm]

Sending Prayers for rain for all you people in Texas

Its been a hot summer here but at least we've had rain the past few weeks and the grass is green again.

 

[Songcatcher]

I understand the feeling Vickie. I'm not far from you. Surely SOMEONE is doing great. On the radar, I see frequent rain to the east of me, between DeQueen and Hot Springs Arkansas. Also several rains across Kansas, Northeast Oklahoma, and Missouri, but nothing here.

God blessed me with a friend and neihbor who sold me 15 round rolls of bermuda, even before he got his own store of hay in for his cows. I'm praying God will bless him, and everyone with rain.

 

[Katiean]

I am in Nevada and the weather isn't bad. We have not had one day that has hit 100. Knock on wood. However, it was so wet this year that it took longer than normal to get the hay cut and in. As last years hay was getting low some morons hit my hay guy and took several ton. He almost closed his lot for good. He has the best hay in the area. He is staying open for now. But, he has a guard dog in the lot. I got Orchard grass/alfalfa and it is so sweet smelling. I am paying $13.50 a bale. His bales seem just a bit larger than I get other places. around 130#. I got a bale of meadow grass/alfalfa from a feed store that was supposed to be 60% alfalfa. NOT!!! I asked the kid that loaded the hay where it came from and he said "Oh, I think it comes from my uncle Larry's fields". Well, remind me to not get any more hay from uncle Larry's fields. It has way too many weeds, too much clover and it is not what I really want my horses eating. I feel so bad for you guys in the south. It has been so hot for you all. The east is no picnic either. I guess we actually are blessed here in Northern Nevada.

 

[K Sera]

vickie gee ... Boy do I feel your pain here in the Shreveport area! No rain here for at least a month with the same triple digit temps every day ...pond out front almost dried up and the fish have already died from the water temp! I have half inch wide cracks in the ground around here ... what a sad sight as everything is dying. The hay I get is $8.95 a bale and they tell me they may have to bring it in from California soon at $20.00 for heavy 3 strand bales.

 

[vickie gee]

I LOVE YOU GUYS! WE ARE GOING TO MAKE IT! Gotta go pass out

out the carrots and kisses!

 

[cretahillsgal]

Vickie, please know you are not alone. I am in the exact same situation here. However I am on rural water, but they are even saying that the lakes where the rural water gets its supply is going dry. I heard an estimate today of 45-60 days supply in the lake left.

It is so dry here that there is not even anything for the wildlife to eat. Its so sad and depressing that I hate going outside anymore and seeing it. Just want to go back inside and crawl back under the covers.

Sooo... I have been drastically selling down my herd so that I can afford to properly care for what is left when worse comes to worse. I am used to baling most of my own hay and only having to buy about 1/2. But now I am faced with having to buy 100% of my hay. Which would have been okay had the hay prices not tripled here. Round bales of medium quality grass hay has cost me $60/bale for years. Now that same hay will cost me $200/bale. I am very lucky that I have found 18 bales for only $73 each. When that is gone dont know what Ill do.

I know none of this helps you. But like I said you are not alone. One day God will have mercy on us and things will get better. Like you said "I will survive!"

HUGS!

 

[ohmt]

Hugs to you guys! We are opposite here-it has not stopped raining since spring. The farm is under water, the barn is under water, our normal hay sources are not baling this year because the fields are under water. I feel horrible for the farmers in the area. We are making do with ok quality hay and adding complete feed for a while. Wish there was some way we could send our rain to you guys that need it so bad.

 

[REO]

The bales here are $126 each. We are only able to buy one bale at a time. The stress & worry is horrid! Wish we had a load of hay coming too! We have 36 horses on dry lots eating tons of hay. Our old well is tired and getting low. All our bushes, plants and grass is dead and brown. The trees are dying.

It's been 102-115 here each day for several months. NO RAIN!

We have not had a drop of it. It all goes around us. When I see it missing us yet again, I start to cry.

We are not able to feed this many at the inflated prices and I too am trying to sell down so we can buy hay & feed. No luck so far. I take pride in my horses being fat but this drought is killing us.

My daily prayers are not being answered

 

[Minimor]

I hope you guys get some rain soon. We're needing rain here, but not as desperately as you--we had so much rain in spring & early summer our water table is still very high so even though July was very dry we do still have plenty of water in our wells....and the hay crop did grow.

Robin, I can't imagine paying $126/bale! I'm feeding 4 per week & thinking it gets awfully expensive when I have to pay $40 each!!

 

[frostedpineminis]

Praying for growing grass and full clouds

 

[Marty]

I feel awful about this for you guys. There is all kinds of hay close to me different kinds for about $3.50-and up. I'd be happy to give any of you guys some phone numbers I would track down for you to call if you had any trailers and wanted to come this far I'd hook you up. I do know where there is fescue free also off of 140 too if that helps. Mary made it here in I think ten hours.

 

[REO]

The hay guy says it's going to double in price soon

We had been being given ditch crap hay that was just trash for the same money. My mares and yearlings started getting poor (OH BLEEP NO!) and I told hubby to tell the guy that was Not acceptable for MY horses!! He told the guy "My wife says 3 strikes & you're out!" And now we're getting gorgeous hay that I wouldn't mind eating!

But WHOOO the cost! I hear this hay comes from Montana.

I pray for rain for us ALL!!!

 

[rubyviewminis]

I do feel for you guys, and as we were complaining about the heat and hay scarcity, we said a prayer of thanks knowing how so many out there have it worse. I live on the eastern part of Nevada, and it is unbelievably hot and dry here. We looked for hay a couple months ago in all the towns west and south of us, no hay. Idaho, no hay, Salt Lake only cow or old hay. Desperately I bought small compressed bales that equaled a regular small square bale of $20 a bale. It is so filthy, my DH made me a screen and twice a day I had to wash the dirt and silt off, oh and then parts of the bales were moldy. The feed store got in last years Orchard hay at $23 a bale! so I got some of those. Then we went to pellets and cubes, my Safechoice went up to $19.99 a bag, my balancer went up another $5.65 a bag to $37 a bag, then finally last month a hay grower 62 miles from us put out an ad of mixed grass hay for $8 a bale! We drove three trips to buy as much as we could afford, so add in another $150 bucks or more for gas, and it does have Fescue, but I am not breeding. Anyway I was so grateful to find decent hay with no rose bushes, dead cows, half the bales full of cow patties and/or dirt ground up in it.

I think there is a place in heck for the price gouging, dirty rotten people who take advantage of others in need, like when disasters hit. I hope all of you get cooler weather and rain soon.

 

[Lizzie]

I feel for everyone suffering so much right now. We in S. California however, can only envy anyone who has been paying $6 a bale in recent years. We haven't seen those prices for at least twenty five years. Close to $20 for a three-string bale now for a long time. For several years, it's been over $15. This is one of the reasons my daughter had to sell most of her Gypsy Horses. From eight, she's now down to just two and the Minis. So sad to see treasured horses leave, purely because of the price of feed. We don't see the huge round bales around here either. And of course, all pretty much sand and desert here. No pasture ever. We haven't bred the Gypsies for three years now. It costs more to breed and raise a baby, than one can expect from the sale. It's all too sad. We are used to months with over 100 degree temps each summer and little or no rain, but the hay prices have hit all of us hard. Friends whom I have known since the '70's when we all kept several horses and bred and showed, now are down to one and sometimes none. It's all very depressing.

Lizzie

 

[Michelle@wescofarms]

Being in NorCal in the heart of alfalfa/grass hay growing region we still pay $15 for alfalfa, $13 for grass. Fortunately they have a long growing season and told me they were getting seven cuttings this year, so we should be good through Spring '12. I do hope you in the Midwest get some relief from the heat and drought. I've been very thankful our summer has been relatively cool in comparison.

Horrible hay thieves, people do crazy things when times get desperate.

 

[Songcatcher]

I ... can only envy anyone who has been paying $6 a bale in recent years. We haven't seen those prices for at least twenty five years. Close to $20 for a three-string bale now for a long time. For several years, it's been over $15.

Lizzie

Something to keep in mind is that this $6 - $8 hay most people are talking about is 2 wire bales of 50-60 pounds each. Not the 120 pound bales with 3 wires or strings you see in California.