# Hay cost per ton in Kansas

> Kansas hay prices in 2024-2025 run roughly $150-$280 per ton depending on quality and cutting, with premium and supreme alfalfa at the high end and grass/mixed hay filling the lower tier. Drought years push the top of the range higher.

**Headline:** $150-$280 per ton, delivered large round bales (premium alfalfa trending to the top of the range)

## Key Figures

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Premium alfalfa (large square/round) | $220-$260/ton |
| Supreme alfalfa (dairy-quality) | $250-$300/ton |
| Grass hay (brome, prairie) | $120-$170/ton |
| Mixed grass/alfalfa | $160-$200/ton |
| Large round bale (1,200 lb, grass) | $75-$110 per bale ($125-$180/ton equiv.) |

## Detail

Kansas hay production is dominated by two systems: irrigated alfalfa in the western high plains (Finney, Ford, Gray counties) yielding 4-5 cuttings a year, and dryland brome/prairie hay across the Flint Hills and eastern third of the state yielding 1-2 cuttings. The USDA AMS Dodge City Hay Report is the benchmark price discovery tool, publishing weekly FOB-stack quotes by quality grade, and in 2024 it showed premium alfalfa clearing $220-$260/ton with supreme dairy-quality hay touching $300/ton.

Rainfall is the single biggest swing factor. Western Kansas averages 18-22 inches annually versus 35-40 inches in the east, so a dry summer compresses grass hay supply fast. The 2022-2023 drought documented by K-State Extension pushed alfalfa auction prices above $300/ton and forced Kansas buyers to truck hay from Nebraska and eastern Colorado, adding $30-$50/ton in freight. Normal-rainfall years like 2024 bring prices back toward the long-run $150-$200/ton midpoint for grass hay.

Translating this to a real feed bill: a 1,200 lb mature cow eating roughly 25 lb of hay per day over a 120-day Kansas winter feeding window consumes about 3,000 lb, or 1.5 tons per cow per season. At a mid-2024 Kansas grass hay price of $160/ton (per USDA AMS Dodge City reporting), that is roughly $240 per cow in winter hay alone; a 200-head herd runs about $48,000 for the winter, and the same herd in a drought year at $260/ton runs closer to $78,000. That $30,000 swing is why Kansas cow-calf operators watch the Dodge City report as closely as the cattle futures board.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Where can I buy hay in bulk in Kansas?

The USDA AMS Dodge City Hay Report tracks weekly direct-from-producer sales across western and central Kansas, and K-State Research and Extension maintains a Kansas Hay and Forage Directory listing producers by county.

### When are hay prices lowest in Kansas?

Prices typically soften June through August right after first and second cutting, when supply peaks. Winter and early spring (December-March) see the highest per-ton prices as carryover stocks tighten.

### Does drought affect Kansas hay prices?

Yes. The 2022-2023 drought pushed Kansas alfalfa above $300/ton at auction as pasture conditions collapsed and producers hauled hay in from Nebraska and Colorado, per USDA AMS reports.

## Sources

1. USDA AMS Dodge City, KS Weekly Hay Report (2024) — https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/ams_2260.pdf
2. K-State Research and Extension — Hay Market Report and Forage Economics (2024) — https://www.agmanager.info/livestock-meat/marketing-extension-bulletins/hay-market
3. USDA NASS Kansas Crop Production — Hay (2024) — https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Kansas/

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