Hay cost per ton in North Dakota

North Dakota producers typically get two cuttings of alfalfa and one to two cuttings of grass or mixed hay, with first cutting in mid-June and second in late August. USDA AMS Bismarck reports for 2024 placed grass large round bales at $120-$180 per ton and premium alfalfa large squares at $200-$260 per ton, with supreme dairy-quality small squares reaching $240-$300 per ton when available.

Rainfall drives everything. The 2021 drought pushed ND grass hay above $200 per ton and forced emergency CRP haying, while normal-moisture years like 2023 and 2024 returned prices to the $120-$180 per ton band for round-baled grass, according to USDA AMS weekly summaries. Western counties on native range consistently price $20-$40 per ton below the Red River Valley, where hay ground competes with corn and soybeans.

For a 1,200 lb beef cow eating roughly 25 lb of hay per day across a 180-day ND winter, that is 4,500 lb (2.25 tons) per cow. At the midpoint grass hay price of $150 per ton from USDA AMS 2024 Bismarck reports, winter hay alone runs about $338 per cow, or roughly $34,000 to feed a 100-head herd before supplement, mineral, or waste (NDSU Extension estimates feeding waste at 15-25% for unrolled round bales, which can add another $50-$85 per cow).