Soon we’ll be seeing trailer-loads of horses coming back here for the summer. They have to eat and the costs for feed have risen substantially from last year.
At HOOSIC VALLEY FARMER’S EXCHANGE the cost of a 50 lb. bag of feed was $10.65 last year, now it’s $12.65. Bill at THORO-BRED FEED SALES here on East Avenue says everything is going up, “a pretty good jump from last year.” He’s charging a dollar to a dollar-and-a-half more than last year for a 50 lb. bag. KIP ELSER at KIRKWOOD STABLES in Camden, S.C. explained it to me: basic oats, corn and barley crops cost more this year because the fuel costs for harvesting and transportation have gone up. He says the costs of raw materials has been steadily increasing; a 50 lb. bag of feed has risen by 50 cents three to four times this winter.
As for hay and straw, transportation costs will raise the prices on them and Bill said there’s not a lot of straw grown in New York State, so just count on spending more this year to feed your horses