[Jacob-list] prices!

[Linda]

Four years of drought in the southeast have had a tremendous effect on hay prices 
and livestock prices.  Hay is up, sheep sales and prices are down.

I find that paying $3.50 for hay that has no waste is more economical than spending 
money for poor hay.  This particular grower also keeps his barn full until spring 
which allows us to depend on him throughout the winter.  That's worth something to 
us.

We don't buy alfalfa hay - too expensive, not necessary and too much waste.

What profit?  We do pretty much break even and did make a small profit during the 
first years of the drought.  We don't expect to be able to make a profit with these 
drought conditions, but will keep the Jacobs anyway.  They are more than a business 
venture.  We got sheep because we wanted lamb for the freezer and wool to spin.  
After seeing Jacob Sheep, I just had to have them.  I still expect them to fill the 
freezer and provide wool and in doing that they pay their way.  Handspun yarns pay a 
major part of the feed bill.  Sheep sales are down, but there are enough to help 
out.  We like lamb and consider our lamb dinners as income.  When I have more sheep 
than I want and no buyers, we put more in the freezer and registered ewes end up 
there some years.

Linda

On Tue, 27 Nov 2001 21:43:41 -0500, Betty Berlenbach wrote:
>Wow!  What prices...two years ago I ran out of  hay and bought some
>of a neighbor's extra alfalfa for $3.50 a bale (maybe 50  pounds?
>Maybe 40, not sure).  She said it was organic, but not that  great. 
>They left all the stems, and it was quite stemmy, ate the few
>leaves, and needed LOTS.  So, I bought some plain ol' mixed grass
>hay for  $2 a bale, which they ate a lot more of.  Decided they
>didn't seem any too  thrilled about the alfalfa, and it was very
>costly, so I'm not getting any  more.  The sheep seem very healthy
>on 2 pounds of first cut grass hay and  l/4 c. max of organic whole
>15% protein corn, oats or wheat, soybean mix  (increased to l/2 cup
>ea. last month of pregnancy and first month or so of  lactation,
>then tapered off.)  They are healthy, they have no lambing
>problems, (haven't lost a lamb in 5 years, or is it 6 now...) they
>are healthy,  I get good prices for my fleeces, so Ithink I'll stick
>with my cheap hay!   I don't know how those of you who pay such
>highprices stay in business.   How do you make a profit?  Do you
>sell lambs for $800 a piece, or fleeces  at $20 a pound or something?
>