A Network of Stored Grass
Status: Proven (haying, stockpiling, bale grazing) · Early commercial (online hay directories and market reports) · Speculative (an agent that runs the network) · My own build (my inventory tracker)
I lean grass-fed. That means the cattle eat grass all year, and in Missouri, winter grass is either standing in the field or rolled up in a bale. Hay families around here have known for generations that hay saved is hay you don't buy. This page is how I'll buy it, test it, store it, and build a network of grass that holds up in a drought year.
Where to find hay around Kansas City
- Missouri Department of Agriculture Hay Directory: sellers list type, bale size, weight, price, and county, and can list a lab analysis (MDA Hay Directory). When I checked in late October 2026 it showed listings in nearby counties, for example grass mix large rounds in Clay County at $30–$100 per bale, and alfalfa in Bates County at $95 per large round. Asking prices, one day's snapshot.
- USDA Missouri Direct Hay Report (weekly): for the week ending Oct 16, 2026, mixed grass large rounds ran $125–$175/ton (good/premium) and $75–$125/ton (fair/good), asking, F.O.B. The report notes conditions are good north of the Missouri River and in serious drought in the south (USDA AMS 2929). My place is south of Kansas City, which puts it south of the river, so I'll watch that line.
- USDA/KDA Kansas Direct Hay Report (weekly, Tuesdays): for the week ending Oct 23, 2026, good bluestem large rounds traded at a weighted $136.03/ton and good brome large rounds at $138.27/ton, F.O.B. (USDA AMS 2885; KDA).
- MU's Feedstuff Finder is listed in the Missouri report as another place to look (feedstufffinder.org).
Test before I feed (or buy)
- MU's Soil and Plant Testing Lab charges $25 for a forage package (crude protein, ADF, NDF, moisture), or $10 per test, $4 for moisture alone, and $10 for nitrate (MU SPL fees).
- Many MU Extension county offices lend hay probes. Sample 20+ bales per lot, core from the round side at waist height, mix, and seal it airtight (MU Ag Connection, Oct 2023). I'll find my local office with the MU Extension county-office finder.
- Drought hay and some weeds can carry high nitrates, so test before feeding (same source).
Storage: how much grass disappears
| Storage method | Dry-matter loss range |
|---|---|
| Under roof | 2–10% |
| Plastic wrap, on ground | 4–7% |
| Bale sleeve, on ground | 4–8% |
| Covered, rock pad or elevated | 2–17% |
| Uncovered, rock pad or elevated | 3–46% |
| Uncovered, on ground, net wrap | 6–25% |
| Uncovered, on ground | 5–61% |
Source: forages.org, "Big Bale Storage Losses" (summarizes U. of Minnesota and other studies).
- MU's guide puts outside large-bale losses at 6–15% of dry matter, usually closer to 15%. Counting lost digestibility, total feed loss "will usually approach 25 percent" (MU G4575).
- MU's tips: dense bales, net wrap, a 4–6 inch rock base or pallets, rows end-to-end running northwest–southeast, at least 10 feet apart, and don't stack uncovered bales (MU Extension).
- Baleage is wrapped at 40–60% moisture (best at 50–60%) with at least 6 mil plastic. A quarter-sized hole can spoil a basketball-sized area, so check the wrap weekly and feed within a year (MU Ag Connection, Apr 2026).
Grass stored in the field
- Stockpiled fescue. Take cattle off in mid-August, topdress 40–60 lb N/acre, and graze from December. Aim for about 1 acre per cow for 60+ days. MU's specialist puts feeding costs at $1.56 vs. $0.50 per cow per day (MU Extension, 2024). On toxic Kentucky 31, keep N under 60 lb and graze the stockpile late, when toxins are lowest (MU Extension). Those are cow figures; I'll adjust for stockers.
- Bale grazing. A ton of fescue hay carries about 32 lb N, 12 lb P and 18 lb K. Move the feeding spot with each bale and keep total hay under about 2 tons per acre in one area (MU Extension). That's the same idea as my mobile water: spread the cattle, spread the manure, build the soil.
- Strip grazing with collars. MU's recipe moves a polywire every 1–3 days (same 2024 source). Nofence could draw those strips from my phone (virtual fencing).
A drought reserve and a neighbor hay bank
- Drought reserve (Proven idea, my numbers TBD). Carry over hay past one winter, stored under cover or wrapped so it holds its value.
- Neighbor hay bank (Speculative). Several small places around the Kansas City area pool a reserve, rotate the oldest bales out first, and share test results, so one dry summer south of the river doesn't force anyone to sell cattle at the bottom.
An agent that watches the grass (Speculative · My own build)
My own build is the first step: a simple inventory of every bale, with lot, date, storage method, test results, and estimated loss using the table above. The Speculative step is an agent that:
- reads the weekly Missouri and Kansas hay reports and the MDA directory,
- watches the U.S. Drought Monitor and the forecast,
- estimates grazing days left in the stockpile from collar data and my forage measurements,
- and tells me early when to buy, when to sell cattle, or when a neighbor in the hay bank needs help.
The robots move the water and the fence. The agent watches the pantry. Hay itself stays the oldest technology on the place, and I'll learn it from the people who put it up.
Sources
Full links are on the research page.