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Wednesday, January 28, 2009
“Hoof ‘n Holler”
by Jim Fritsche
The rains have finally begun, and thousands horse owners can finally
breathe a sigh of relief. Feed costs are already
high enough, and you don’t need a drought to raise the price of hay anymore than last year. Thousands of acres of Oats,
and Forage are dry farmed throughout California, supplementing the acreage that is irrigated, and harvested many times a year.
All in all, prices should stay stable this year, but there are a few ways horse owners can get great savings
that will last throughout the year. Steve Rossi of Rossi Transport Services in Templeton,
California tells livestock owners of the benefits in buying any baled type of feed in bulk. He points out the cost savings are anywhere from $1.50 to $3 a bale when
buying a half truck load (about 250 bales, or 4 squeeze loads), from his company, but there are also many other advantages, such as having a consistent feed supply all year long, free transportation to your barn, stacking the blocks of hay for you, and most importantly- picking the best time of year to buy
your year’s supply, so that you can maximize your savings due to seasonal price changes. Due to the Dairy Industry not
buying much hay right now, winter prices are quite reasonable. Call Steve at (805) 434-2884, and he can explain how your operation
could benefit. Proper
storage of bulk purchased Hay is important.
Tarps are the worst way to cover your supply.
Not only do they tear, and leak water,
they promote the growth of mildew and bacteria that can harm your horse’s health. The optimum storage method is using a sturdy hay barn, built with your needs
in mind. Hay barns are available in many sizes and layouts, and they will pay for themselves in reduced losses of feed, increased year long quality, and ease of use. Imagine
no more fighting wet, blue tarps to get your horses’ daily feed rations out! Using these ideas, you should be able to stretch your feed budget
much further during these tough times,
and keep your horses healthy.
Jim Fritsche owns EQ-Wine Covers Co.
in Paso Robles, CA, and can be reached
at (805) 610-5566
• eq-winecovers.com
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This is a real barn in Russia! Located in
Odes'ka Oblast, Ukraine, it appears on Google Earth, and Panaramio websites. Below is a different angle of this structure.
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