# Hay cost per ton in Maine

> Maine hay runs roughly $195-$260 per ton for large round bales of grass or mixed hay, with premium alfalfa (scarce in-state and often trucked from NY or Quebec) pushing $280-$340 per ton delivered.

**Headline:** $195-$260 per ton for large round bales of grass/mixed hay in Maine

## Key Figures

| Metric | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Premium alfalfa (small square, delivered) | $300-$340/ton |
| Supreme alfalfa (dairy quality, trucked in) | $320-$380/ton |
| Grass hay (timothy/orchardgrass, good) | $210-$260/ton |
| Mixed grass-legume hay | $200-$245/ton |
| Large round bale, grass (4x5, ~800 lb) | $80-$105/bale ($200-$260/ton) |

## Detail

Maine's hay economy is shaped by a compressed growing season that typically permits only two cuttings per year, occasionally a light third in southern counties, compared to four or five cuttings common in Pennsylvania or New York. First cutting usually happens in mid-to-late June and yields the bulk of the crop; second cutting in August is leafier but smaller. This low-cutting cadence, combined with frequent summer rainfall that can rain-damage windrows, keeps supreme dairy-quality alfalfa scarce and pushes supreme-grade prices to roughly $320-$380 per ton, per USDA AMS hay market reporting for the Northeast region in 2025.

Weather volatility is the single biggest price driver. Maine averages 42-46 inches of annual precipitation with a meaningful share falling in June and July, exactly when producers are trying to dry hay to the 18% moisture needed for safe baling. Wet years compress the usable cutting windows and shift more acreage into silage or baleage, tightening dry-hay supply and lifting grass hay prices into the $210-$260 per ton band reported by UMaine Cooperative Extension's 2024 forage market updates. Dry years, by contrast, can drop large round bale prices to $180 per ton at the farm gate.

For a rancher budgeting winter feed, the math is concrete. A 1,200 lb beef cow consuming roughly 25 lb of hay per day over a 180-day Maine feeding season eats about 4,500 lb, or 2.25 tons, per head. At a midpoint grass hay price of $230 per ton (USDA AMS 2025), that works out to roughly $518 per cow per winter before waste; factoring in a realistic 15% feeding loss from round-bale unrolling brings the true cost closer to $595 per cow. A 50-head cow-calf operation is therefore looking at a $26,000-$30,000 winter hay bill, which is why many Maine producers invest in bale rings, covered storage, and early-summer forward contracts with neighbors to lock in first-cutting prices before the August market tightens.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### Why is Maine hay more expensive than Midwest hay?

Maine's short growing season typically yields only two cuttings, wetter summers increase spoilage risk, and limited local alfalfa acreage means dairy-quality hay is often trucked from New York or Quebec, adding $40-$70/ton in freight.

### When are hay prices lowest in Maine?

Prices bottom out in July-August right after first cutting when supply peaks, and climb 15-25% through late winter (February-March) as barns empty and buyers compete for remaining inventory.

### Where can I buy hay directly from Maine farmers?

UMaine Cooperative Extension maintains a Maine Hay Directory listing producers by county, and auctions at Cambridge and Buxton move regional loads weekly during the feeding season.

## Sources

1. USDA AMS National Hay, Feed & Seed Weekly Summary (2025) — https://www.ams.usda.gov/mnreports/lsbnhay.pdf
2. UMaine Cooperative Extension - Maine Forage and Hay Market Report (2024) — https://extension.umaine.edu/livestock/forage-hay/
3. USDA NASS New England Agricultural Statistics - Hay Production (2024) — https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/New_England_includes/Publications/

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