Hay prices by state
Sigurd Lindquist, Certified Crop Adviser (CCA), Chetek, Wisconsin
What farmers got for baled hay, in dollars a ton, state by state. The numbers are USDA’s monthly prices received for alfalfa, other hay and all hay, with the same month last year and three years of history.
In August 2026, farmers got $206 a ton for alfalfa hay on average across the US ($171 a year earlier) and $152 for other hay. USDA NASS released these Sep 29, 2026.
| State | August 2026 | August 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $206 | $171 |
| Arizona | $210 | $170 |
| California | $235 | $230 |
| Colorado | $235 | $155 |
| Idaho | $210 | $155 |
| Illinois | $175 | $160 |
| Iowa | $131 | $103 |
| Kansas | $127 | $121 |
| Kentucky | $260 | $235 |
| Michigan | $170 | $160 |
| Minnesota | $145 | $97 |
| Missouri | $180 | $170 |
| Montana | $220 | $150 |
| Nebraska | $104 | $101 |
| Nevada | $175 | $165 |
| New Mexico | $285 | $245 |
| New York | $260 | $240 |
| North Dakota | $96 | $92 |
| Ohio | $205 | $190 |
| Oklahoma | $193 | $163 |
| Oregon | $185 | $190 |
| Pennsylvania | $280 | $245 |
| South Dakota | $101 | $93 |
| Texas | $230 | $224 |
| Utah | $240 | $180 |
| Washington | $185 | $165 |
| Wisconsin | $151 | $120 |
| Wyoming | $230 | $160 |
What these prices are
Each number is USDA NASS’s estimate of the average price farmers received for baled hay sold in that month, every quality and bale type together. It comes from the monthly Agricultural Prices report, out near the end of each month. NASS revises the newest month in its next report, so the last month on this page can move a few dollars.
Because it is an average of everything sold, a load of top dairy alfalfa or small squares can bring well over it, and rained-on or weedy hay well under. Use it to see where your state sits and which way prices are going, not to price one load.
Blank cells. NASS does not publish hay prices for every state. A state is listed only for the months NASS put out a number. “Withheld by USDA” means NASS kept the number back so no single farm’s sales can be figured out from it. “Too few reports” means NASS did not get enough sales to publish. Neither is a zero.
Questions
What is a ton of hay worth right now?
The box at the top shows USDA’s newest US average for the hay you pick, the month it is for, and the same month last year. The table below it has every state NASS publishes. These are averages of all hay sold, so good hay brings more and poor hay less.
What is “other hay”?
All hay that is not alfalfa or an alfalfa mix: grass, clover, small grain and wild hay. “All hay” is alfalfa and other hay together.
Why is my state missing or blank?
NASS publishes hay prices only for the states and months where it has enough sales to report. Some months it withholds a state’s number so no single farm’s sales can be worked out from it. The page leaves those blank and says why. It never fills them in.
How do I turn a price per ton into a price per bale?
Multiply the price per ton by the bale weight in pounds and divide by 2,000. A 1,200 lb round bale at $180 a ton is 180 x 1,200 / 2,000 = $108 a bale. Weigh a few bales if you can; guessed weights are often off by a couple hundred pounds. Type a bale weight above the table and the page does the math for every state.
Why is the USDA price lower than what hay brings at the sale barn?
It averages every ton sold, every quality and bale type, across the state. Auctions often draw the hay people want to show off. Weekly USDA hay market reports split prices by grade and bale type if you need that detail.
When does this page update?
USDA NASS puts out Agricultural Prices near the end of each month. The page reads it in the last days of the month and again early the next month. Every number carries the month it is for and the day USDA released it.
Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Agricultural Prices, read through Quick Stats: prices received for hay, alfalfa hay and other hay (excluding alfalfa), $ per ton, monthly, by state and US. Data file: /data/hay/hay-prices.json.