It’s been a long time coming, but the U.S. average price for alfalfa hay settled at $203 per ton during July, which was the first time it eclipsed $200 since May 2024. July marked the fifth consecutive month of positive price movement for alfalfa hay, according to USDA’s Agricultural Prices report. The July price level was $5 per ton above the previous month and $28 more than a year ago.
The price paid for Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay during July rebounded by $3 per ton to $242 after declining the previous month.
The average July grass hay price also showed a slight improvement and rose by $2 per ton from the previous month, finishing at $143. This value was $7 above a year ago.
Seven states posted a double-digit alfalfa price improvement from June to July. That group was led by Colorado, which was up by $15 per ton. Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming were each up by $10 per ton.
Wisconsin was only state that posted a double-digit decline in average monthly alfalfa price; it was down by $10 per ton. Iowa came close with a $9 price reduction.
The highest average July alfalfa hay price was reported in Pennsylvania at $290 per ton. New Mexico followed at $280, while New York posted a $270 per ton average price.
North Dakota had the lowest average alfalfa price at $97 per ton. It was followed by South Dakota at $100 and Nebraska at $103 per ton.
Keep in mind that USDA average prices account for all qualities and bale types of hay sold. Also, the final U.S. estimate is a volume-weighted average rather than a simple average of state values. Those states with the most volume sales will impact the final U.S. dollar value more than those states with fewer sales.
Supreme and Premium
The USDA also tracks the prices of Supreme and Premium quality alfalfa in the major dairy states and determines an average price from the five top milk-producing states (California, Idaho, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin). This data is used to determine feed prices in the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program.
During July, the average price of Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay rose by $3 per ton, posting at $242. That value was $3 per ton lower than a year ago.
Other hay
The July average price of other hay was reported at $143 per ton, which was up $2 from the previous month and $7 above July 2025.
The highest July price for hay other than alfalfa was reported in Pennsylvania, New Mexico, and Washington, each at $220 per ton. Oregon followed the leaders at $210 per ton.
North Dakota had the lowest reported other hay average price at $68 per ton. It was followed by Minnesota at $83 per ton.
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