# Hay cost per ton in Arizona

> In Arizona, premium alfalfa hay typically runs $240-$320 per ton, while grass and mixed hay sell for roughly $180-$230 per ton. Large round bales trade around $150-$210 per ton depending on cutting and region.

**Headline:** $240-$320 per ton for premium alfalfa; $180-$230 per ton for grass and mixed hay

## Key Figures

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Premium alfalfa (small square) | $240-$320 per ton |
| Supreme alfalfa (dairy quality) | $280-$345 per ton |
| Grass hay | $180-$230 per ton |
| Mixed alfalfa/grass hay | $190-$245 per ton |
| Large round bale (alfalfa) | $150-$210 per ton |

## Detail

Arizona is structurally different from almost every other US hay market because the low desert around Yuma, Buckeye, and the Gila River Valley supports 8 to 10 alfalfa cuttings per year under flood and pivot irrigation, compared with 3 to 4 cuttings in the Midwest. That intensive production, documented in the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension 2024 alfalfa budgets, is why premium alfalfa in AZ usually lands in the $240-$320 per ton range rather than the $300+ common in rain-fed states, and why supreme dairy-quality hay tops out around $345 per ton when California demand is strong.

Rainfall patterns reinforce the pricing picture. Most of Arizona receives under 12 inches of precipitation annually, so hay quality is almost entirely a function of irrigation management and cutting timing rather than weather luck. The USDA AMS National Hay Weekly Summary consistently reports Arizona grass hay and mixed hay trading $50-$90 per ton below premium alfalfa, typically $180-$245 per ton in 2025, because grass hay acreage is concentrated on higher-elevation ranches in Navajo, Apache, and Yavapai counties where the growing window is shorter and yields are lower.

For a rancher budgeting winter feed, the math is concrete. A 1,200 lb dry cow eating roughly 25 lb of hay per day (about 2% of bodyweight) consumes 0.0125 tons daily. At a midpoint Arizona alfalfa price of $280 per ton from the 2025 USDA AMS reports, that works out to about $3.50 per cow per day, or roughly $315 for a 90-day winter feeding window. Switching that same cow to grass hay at $205 per ton drops the daily cost to about $2.56 and the 90-day bill to around $230, which is why many AZ cow-calf operators blend lower-cost grass hay with a smaller ration of alfalfa rather than feeding straight premium alfalfa through winter.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why is Arizona alfalfa often cheaper than hay in northern states?

Arizona's low desert (Yuma, Buckeye, Maricopa) produces 8-10 cuttings per year under irrigation, giving the state one of the highest per-acre yields in the country and steady year-round supply that keeps local prices competitive.

### When are Arizona hay prices typically lowest?

Prices tend to soften from May through September during peak cutting season in the low desert, and firm up in late winter (January-March) when export demand to California dairies and Asian markets tightens inventories.

### Is it cheaper to buy hay direct from a grower in Arizona?

Yes. Buying field-run from a Yuma or Pinal County grower can save $30-$60 per ton versus feed-store retail, but you need your own trailer and typically have to take a full semi-load (about 24 tons) to get grower pricing.

## Sources

1. USDA AMS National Hay, Feed & Seed Weekly Summary (Arizona section) (2025) — https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_3020.pdf
2. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension - Arizona Field Crop Budgets: Alfalfa (2024) — https://extension.arizona.edu/sites/extension.arizona.edu/files/pubs/az2087-2024.pdf
3. USDA NASS Arizona Crop Production Annual Summary (2024) — https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Arizona/Publications/Annual_Statistical_Bulletin/

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Source: Vellum — https://vellum.app/hay-cost-per-ton/arizona