Hay cost per ton in Oregon

Oregon's hay market splits sharply along the Cascade crest. East of the mountains, the Columbia Basin and Klamath, Harney, and Malheur counties produce the bulk of the state's irrigated alfalfa, often pulling 3 to 4 cuttings a year thanks to dry summer curing weather. USDA AMS Pacific Northwest hay reports in 2025 showed premium alfalfa trading in the $240-$290 per ton range out of the stack, with supreme dairy-quality lots pushing toward $310.

West of the Cascades, Willamette Valley growers contend with wet springs and early fall rains that compress the curing window, so most operations get only 2 cuttings of orchardgrass or fescue per year. OSU Extension forage guidance notes that this rainfall pattern pushes valley grass hay to a quality and price premium over eastern grass hay, typically landing at $200-$250 per ton for good feeder hay and $155-$210 per ton for large round bales bought off the field.

For a rancher budgeting a 1200 lb cow, a common winter intake rule of thumb is roughly 25 lb of hay per day. Across a 120-day Oregon winter feeding window, that is about 3000 lb, or 1.5 tons per cow. At a mid-range $215 per ton for large round grass bales, that works out to about $322 per cow per winter; at $280 per ton for tested premium alfalfa the bill jumps to roughly $420 per cow, before counting waste, which OSU Extension estimates at 15-25% for unrolled bales fed on the ground.