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Buy Alfalfa Hay in Bulk: What to Know Before Ordering
Finding the right alfalfa hay for sale is an important decision for livestock producers, ranchers, horse owners, dairy operations and agricultural businesses. The quality and type of forage you purchase can affect feeding programs, animal nutrition, storage requirements and your overall cost of production.
If you’re planning to buy alfalfa hay in bulk, you need to look beyond the price of a single bale. Bale weight, forage quality, maturity, moisture, storage, transportation and the needs of your livestock all matter.
Mayford Hay supplies several forage options, including Alfalfa Hay, Alfalfa Sweet Hay and Alfalfa/Grass Mix Hay. The company’s catalog also includes other hay varieties, cattle, cattle feed and agricultural fertilizer.
Why Buy Alfalfa Hay in Bulk?
For farms and livestock operations with consistent forage requirements, purchasing hay in larger quantities can make feed planning easier.
A bulk hay order can help you:
- Maintain a more consistent forage supply
- Plan feeding requirements in advance
- Reduce the frequency of individual hay purchases
- Better estimate seasonal feed costs
- Coordinate hay delivery with your livestock operation
- Take advantage of larger bale formats where appropriate
Before ordering, however, make sure you have adequate storage and handling equipment.
If you’re comparing forage options, start with Mayford’s Alfalfa Hay and compare it with the company’s Alfalfa/Grass Mix Hay.
What Is Good Quality Alfalfa Hay?
Quality alfalfa hay isn’t determined by one characteristic.
When evaluating hay, buyers should consider several factors, including:
- Leaf retention
- Plant maturity
- Stem thickness
- Moisture content
- Color
- Aroma
- Presence of mold
- Foreign material
- Storage conditions
- Nutritional analysis
Leaf retention is particularly important because leaves contain a significant portion of the plant’s nutrients.
Maturity at harvest also affects forage characteristics. Generally, hay harvested at different stages of maturity can have different nutritional and fiber profiles.
For commercial livestock operations, a forage analysis can provide considerably more useful information than appearance alone.
Alfalfa Hay for Cattle
Alfalfa hay is widely used as a forage option in livestock feeding programs, including cattle operations where its nutritional profile fits the animals’ requirements.
The appropriate forage depends on the animal, production stage and overall ration.
For example, producers feeding growing cattle may have different requirements from someone maintaining mature animals.
Mayford also supplies cattle, including 10 Wagyu Young Virgin Bulls, 30 Angus – Open Replacement Heifers and 75 Purebred Red Angus, Red Baldy – Bred Heifers. These products are listed alongside the company’s hay and agricultural products.
That makes Mayford particularly relevant to producers who are sourcing both livestock and forage.
Alfalfa Hay vs. Alfalfa/Grass Mix Hay
Straight alfalfa isn’t necessarily the right choice for every operation.
Some livestock producers prefer a mixed forage that combines alfalfa with grass. The appropriate choice depends on the animal’s nutritional requirements, feeding program and the quality of the forage available.
Mayford offers Alfalfa/Grass Mix Hay as an alternative to straight alfalfa. The current catalog lists it as a selectable product with multiple purchasing options.
Comparing Alfalfa Hay and alfalfa/grass mix hay can therefore help producers determine which forage fits their operation.
What Is Alfalfa Sweet Hay?
Mayford also offers Alfalfa Sweet Hay.
When comparing different types of hay, don’t rely solely on the product name. Consider the actual forage characteristics, bale weight, storage conditions and nutritional information available for the hay you’re purchasing.
For larger orders, these details become even more important because a small difference in forage quality or bale weight can have a significant impact across an entire shipment.
How Much Alfalfa Hay Do You Need?
One of the most important questions to answer before placing a bulk hay order is:
How much hay will my livestock actually consume?
A basic planning calculation is:
Number of animals × estimated daily hay consumption × feeding days = estimated hay requirement
For example, if 25 cattle consume an estimated 30 pounds of hay per animal per day:
25 × 30 = 750 pounds per day
For 30 days:
750 × 30 = 22,500 pounds
That’s approximately 11.25 tons before accounting for waste.
Actual consumption varies according to animal size, forage quality, pasture availability, weather, feeding system and the rest of the ration, so this calculation should be used as a planning framework rather than a universal feeding recommendation.
Don’t Compare Hay Based Only on Bale Price
A common mistake when shopping for hay is comparing the price of one bale with another without considering bale weight.
A small bale and a large bale may have completely different weights.
Instead, ask the supplier:
How much does the bale weigh?
Then compare the price per pound or price per ton.
This is particularly important when you’re looking for bulk alfalfa hay because the apparent cheapest price may not actually represent the lowest cost per unit of forage.
Choosing the Right Bale Size
The best bale size depends on your farm’s equipment, storage facilities and labor.
Small bales may be easier to handle manually.
Large square or round bales may be more practical for commercial livestock operations equipped with tractors, loaders or other bale-handling equipment.
Mayford’s broader hay operation offers multiple bale formats, including small bales, large bales and compressed bales designed for different handling and transportation requirements.
Before placing a large order, confirm the exact bale dimensions, average weight and number of bales included.
Storing Alfalfa Hay After Delivery
Buying high-quality hay is only part of the equation.
You also need to protect it after delivery.
Where possible, store hay:
- Under suitable cover
- Away from standing water
- Off excessively wet ground
- In an area with adequate ventilation
- Away from unnecessary exposure to rain
Poor storage can result in increased waste and deterioration.
This becomes especially costly when you have purchased hay by the ton.
Buying Hay for Growing Cattle
Growing cattle require an appropriate feeding program that accounts for their stage of development, size, forage availability and nutritional requirements.
If you’re purchasing young livestock, your hay supply should be planned before the animals arrive.
Mayford offers 10 Wagyu Young Virgin Bulls and 30 Angus – Open Replacement Heifers, giving cattle producers an opportunity to source livestock and forage from the same agricultural supplier.
Hay and Supplemental Cattle Feed
Hay may be one part of a broader feeding program.
Mayford also lists Bulk Cattle Feed, #0314 in its catalog.
Whether your operation relies primarily on forage or combines hay with supplemental feed, your feeding program should be based on the needs of your animals and the nutritional characteristics of the available feed.
Questions to Ask Before Buying Alfalfa Hay
Before ordering a large quantity of hay, ask:
- What type of alfalfa hay is available?
- What is the average bale weight?
- What bale sizes are available?
- What quantity can be supplied?
- Is forage analysis available?
- How has the hay been stored?
- What is the minimum order?
- What is the delivery cost?
- What is the expected delivery timeframe?
- Are different forage types available?
Getting these answers upfront makes it easier to compare suppliers accurately.
Buy Alfalfa Hay From Mayford
Mayford Hay’s current catalog includes Alfalfa Hay, Alfalfa Sweet Hay and Alfalfa/Grass Mix Hay, alongside other hay varieties, cattle feed, cattle and fertilizer products.
If you’re looking to buy alfalfa hay in bulk, compare the available forage options, determine your required quantity and make sure your storage and handling arrangements are ready before delivery.