EPISODE · Apr 27, 2026 · 45 MIN
Stop Haying to Improve Your Bottom Line
from Casual Cattle Conversations · host casualcattleconversations
Have you ever considered that haying might not fit your operation anymore? This week on the podcast, Carson Roberts, a University of Missouri state forage specialist with a background in alfalfa production and cattle, discusses why producers must treat haying as a separate business enterprise and know the true cost of production to evaluate profitability. He outlines using regional hay budget sheets and accounting for income, seed, fertilizer, herbicides, custom hire, labor (including the producer’s time), fuel, repairs, overhead, land charge, and especially machinery ownership and opportunity interest. Carson argues hay often becomes unprofitable due to rising and excess equipment costs, over-equipped farms, and mismatched cattle-to-equipment inflation, suggesting some operations may profit more by selling hay equipment, converting hay acres to pasture, and buying tested hay while building reliable supplier relationships. He highlights cheaper feed alternatives such as grazing/stockpiled fescue, corn stalks, and grazing milo, and notes that aligning calving date with spring forage can reduce winter hay needs and costs. Links and Resources Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations Learn more about CattleScales Here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 02:56 From Agronomy to Forages 05:00 Why Know Hay Costs 06:52 Building a Hay Budget 11:31 Equipment Overload Trap 15:50 When Hay Doesn’t Pencil 19:45 Scale and Reality Check 22:10 Buying Hay Strategically 26:43 Grazing Beats Haying 29:32 Hay Testing and Sourcing 33:11 Winter Grazing Options 36:35 Calving Date and Profit 39:40 Weaning Weights Myth
What this episode covers
Have you ever considered that haying might not fit your operation anymore? This week on the podcast, Carson Roberts, a University of Missouri state forage specialist with a background in alfalfa production and cattle, discusses why producers must treat haying as a separate business enterprise and know the true cost of production to evaluate profitability. He outlines using regional hay budget sheets and accounting for income, seed, fertilizer, herbicides, custom hire, labor (including the producer’s time), fuel, repairs, overhead, land charge, and especially machinery ownership and opportunity interest. Carson argues hay often becomes unprofitable due to rising and excess equipment costs, over-equipped farms, and mismatched cattle-to-equipment inflation, suggesting some operations may profit more by selling hay equipment, converting hay acres to pasture, and buying tested hay while building reliable supplier relationships. He highlights cheaper feed alternatives such as grazing/stockpiled fescue, corn stalks, and grazing milo, and notes that aligning calving date with spring forage can reduce winter hay needs and costs. Links and Resources Learn more about Cargill here: https://bit.ly/4e1qygS Learn more about Corteva here: RangeAndPasture.com/CattleConversations Learn more about CattleScales Here: https://bit.ly/4dqqTtr Catch more conversations like this one and learn more at https://www.casualcattleconversations.com/ 02:56 From Agronomy to Forages 05:00 Why Know Hay Costs 06:52 Building a Hay Budget 11:31 Equipment Overload Trap 15:50 When Hay Doesn’t Pencil 19:45 Scale and Reality Check 22:10 Buying Hay Strategically 26:43 Grazing Beats Haying 29:32 Hay Testing and Sourcing 33:11 Winter Grazing Options 36:35 Calving Date and Profit 39:40 Weaning Weights Myth
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Stop Haying to Improve Your Bottom Line
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