Hay cost per ton in Maryland

Maryland's hay market is shaped by a humid Mid-Atlantic climate that delivers 40-45 inches of annual rainfall, which is generous for grass growth but punishing for curing. Producers across Frederick, Carroll, and Washington counties typically pull 2-3 cuttings of orchardgrass and timothy and up to 3 cuttings of alfalfa, with first cutting landing in late May and the final cut wrapped by early October according to University of Maryland Extension forage guidance.

Pricing tracks quality tightly. USDA AMS Mid-Atlantic hay reports show large round grass bales moving at roughly $185-$245 per ton in 2024-2025, while supreme dairy-quality alfalfa clears $300-$360 per ton delivered. Rain-damaged first cutting - a regular hazard in a wet June - discounts sharply into the $120-$160 per ton beef-cow range, while barn-stored second and third cuttings command the premium end.

For a 1,200 lb beef cow eating roughly 25 lb of hay per day over a 120-day Maryland winter feeding window, that works out to about 3,000 lb - or 1.5 tons - per cow. At a mid-market $215 per ton for round-baled grass hay from the USDA AMS weekly summary, a single cow's winter hay bill runs about $322, meaning a 50-head cow-calf operation should budget roughly $16,000 in hay for the winter before waste and transport.