Hay prices during August continued to crawl out of the doldrums of the past several years, according to USDA’s most recent Agricultural Prices report. No hay category was left behind, and we still haven’t headed into the winter feeding period yet.
August marked the sixth consecutive month of positive price movement for alfalfa hay. The August price level of $206 per ton was $3 higher the previous month and $35 more than a year ago.
The price paid for Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay during August only improved by $1 per ton to finish at $243 after rising by $3 per ton the previous month.
Grass hay posted the biggest improvement in August. The average August grass hay price rose by $9 per ton from the previous month, finishing at $152. This value was $16 above a year ago.
Six states posted a double-digit alfalfa price improvement from July to August. That group was led by Minnesota, which was up by $12 per ton. Colorado, Iowa, Montana, Ohio, and Wyoming were each up by $10 per ton.
Pennsylvania and New York were the only states that posted a double-digit decline in average monthly alfalfa price; they were both down by $10 per ton.
The highest average August alfalfa hay price was reported in New Mexico at $285 per ton. Pennsylvania followed at $280, while Kentucky and New York posted a $260 per ton average price.
North Dakota had the lowest average alfalfa price at $96 per ton. It was followed by South Dakota at $101 and Nebraska at $104 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 August, the average price of Supreme and Premium alfalfa hay rose by $1 per ton, posting at $243. That value was $21 per ton higher than a year ago.
Other hay
The August average price of other hay was reported at $152 per ton, which was up $9 from the previous month and $16 above August 2025.
The highest August price for hay other than alfalfa was reported in Washington at $225 per ton. New Mexico followed at $220 per ton, while Pennsylvania and Oregon posted a final average price of $210.
North Dakota had the lowest reported other hay average price at $68 per ton. It was followed by Minnesota at $81 per ton.
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