Hay cost per ton in North Carolina

North Carolina hay production is dominated by cool-season grasses like tall fescue and orchardgrass, with most operations taking two to three cuttings per year between May and September. According to NC State Extension, first cutting typically yields the highest tonnage but the lowest relative feed value, while second and third cuttings bring higher protein but lower volume. Local grass hay in 2024 averaged roughly $180-$220 per ton for large round bales per USDA AMS Southeast regional reporting.

Rainfall patterns are the biggest wildcard in NC hay pricing. The state averages 45-50 inches of annual rainfall concentrated in summer thunderstorms, which makes curing hay in the field a constant gamble. Wet springs routinely push first cutting into June, reducing quality and tightening supply by late winter. USDA AMS hay reports from 2024 showed supreme alfalfa trucked into the Southeast running $300-$380 per ton because humid conditions make local alfalfa production uneconomical for most growers.

For a 1,200 lb beef cow eating roughly 25 lbs of hay per day during a typical 120-day NC winter feeding window (December through March), that works out to 3,000 lbs - about 1.5 tons - of hay per cow per winter. At the 2024 grass hay midpoint of around $190 per ton reported by USDA AMS, that's a hay bill of roughly $285 per cow before waste. Factoring in the 15-25% feeding waste that NC State Extension documents for unrolled round bales pushes the real cost closer to $330-$355 per cow, which is why ring feeders and hay rings pay for themselves within a single winter.