Hay cost per ton in Oklahoma

Oklahoma hay pricing tracks two distinct markets. Bermudagrass and native grass hay dominate the eastern two-thirds of the state and trade in the $160-$240 per ton range for good-quality large rounds FOB the stack, while premium and supreme alfalfa - much of it trucked in from the Panhandle, western Kansas, and the Texas High Plains - runs $220-$320 per ton depending on test and bale package, according to the USDA AMS Oklahoma Hay Report through 2025.

Cutting schedules shape availability and price. Bermudagrass producers typically take three to four cuttings between late May and early October, and first-cutting grass hay volumes hinge on April-May rainfall: wet springs push first cutting into June and tighten early-summer supply, while drought years like 2022-2023 cut total tonnage and pushed grass hay to the top of the quoted range, per OSU Extension hay market reporting.

For a rancher feeding a 1,200 lb beef cow roughly 25 lb of hay per day through a 120-day Oklahoma winter, that works out to about 3,000 lb - 1.5 tons - per cow per winter. At a mid-range grass hay price of $200 per ton from the USDA AMS Oklahoma Hay Report, the raw hay bill lands near $300 per cow, before waste. Typical round-bale feeding waste of 15-25% pushes the real delivered cost closer to $345-$375 per cow, which is why ring or cone feeders pay for themselves inside a single winter on most Oklahoma operations.