How to Market Hay for Sale
As long as domesticated horses, cattle, and sheep continue to exist, hay will always be a vital crop. Due to severe drought conditions in certain areas of the United States, not all farmers are able to grow a sufficient amount of hay to feed their livestock. Because of great demand for hay, it is possible to make a pretty penny by selling substantial amounts of hay. If you have hay to sell, here are a few tips that will help you market your hay for sale.
Find Market Opportunities
Before you can market your hay, you need to find market opportunities. The location and the type of market are the two main factors you should consider when it comes to evaluating a market opportunity. The location of a market opportunity can be national, regional or local. You can expect the market for hay to be very different among horse owners, beef producers and dairy producers. For example, horse owners tend to be more willing to pay a premium price for high quality than beef producers.
Even within a certain market, you can expect to encounter differing needs. For example, in the dairy market, a farmer will want alfalfa hay for their milking cows and low potassium grass hay for their dry cows. The market opportunities you choose to capitalize on should match the type of hay you’re trying to sell.
Marketing Methods
You can use online resources to market your hay for sale effectively. Many southern states have hay directories where farmers can sell and purchase hay. For example, the state of Mississippi has the Mississippi Hay Directory where you can advertise and sell hay produced domestically. Most states only allow farmers to sell hay produced in state. However, the Texas Department of Agriculture does have a hotline that allows farmers to sell hay produced out of state. When marketing hay for sale, you should keep local quarantines, such as the Federal Imported Fire Ant Quarantine, in mind.
If you don’t want to rely on the Internet to market your hay, you can use word of mouth. Of course, your reputation will have an impact on the effectiveness of word of mouth. Putting up a roadside sign is another effective but overlooked way to market hay. The vast majority of hay is actually sold within 50 miles of the production site. Classified newspaper ads, magazine ads and bulletin boards also work.
If your farm produces a large quantity of hay, you should consider having a website developed just for your hay sales. Identify dry areas in the southern United States to determine which areas your website should target for its hay sales. You can use the U.S. Drought Monitor, which is updated frequently during the summer
As you can see, marketing your hay does not have to be difficult. There are many methods you can try to find the one that works best for you. Fortunately, you will likely have an easy time marketing and selling your hay bales if you have a solid marketing plan in place from the very beginning.
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