The horse customer is willing to pay the highest prices for consistently high-quality hay, and dairy customers are the second-best market. Beef cows provide an outlet for lower quality hay and are often the only market for overly mature or weather-damaged hay.
Outlets for hay vary, depending largely on the volume available for sale, quality of hay, regularity of supply, density of bales, and type of package (small square or large round bales).
For example, producers who sell small volumes usually sell to local buyers; producers who have an average volume and continuous supply can sell either through a hay dealer or develop direct sales to local and regional horse and dairy farms; and producers with large volumes of quality hay will probably establish a system through both hay dealers and direct marketing on a state-wide or multistate basis.
Truckers will haul from 300 to 600 bales, depending on the size of their
trucks. However, dealers typically want a little more hay than will fill
their trucks, in case they have to sort out weedy, moldy, or off-color bales
during loading.