Freshly mowed hay is one of the most iconic and pleasant smells in all of farming. But negotiating the sale of standing hay isn’t nearly as pleasant. A new mobile app from University of Wisconsin Extension hopes to change that.
The app, simply called Hay Pricing, helps farmers review current and historic hay prices, and estimate the value of standing hay. Although the app was developed by UW Extension, users can pull hay prices from 20 states. They can also input projected hay yield, cutting schedule and harvest costs to better predict their hay value.
Greg Blonde, Waupaca County Extension ag agent, says because there is not an established commodity market for hay as there is for corn or soybeans, finding reliable market information can be a challenge.
“This new mobile tool will help farmers and rural landowners access the latest hay market information on the go, plus give them a simple tool to help estimate field value when considering buying or selling standing hay.”
Blonde says others who may find the Pricing Hay app useful include Extension educators, feed and crop consultants, lenders, rural appraisers and real estate professionals.
The Hay Pricing app was developed by Smart mAAPS Consulting, which also created an app last fall called Pricing Wet Corn to help buyers and sellers better manage an immature corn crop. Both apps are free to download for Android devices at the Google Play store.
