The Garrett family is using their background and knowledge to provide quality hay to livestock producers
GOLDEN CITY, MO. – No matter how modernized farms and ranches become, there is one job that never seems to disappear. Baling hay has been standard practice from the very beginning.
Jordan Garrett is one of those who grew up baling hay. His father, Bill, was the same way.
“I got started at a really young age to follow him, running the equipment, just learning the old school way and going through the school of hard knocks,” Jordan Garrett said. “And we’ve been baling hay all my life. Just a natural gift for it, loved it, enjoyed it.”
After baling so much hay throughout his life, the Garretts knew what was good stock and what was unusable. That was especially the case in dealing with the hay in Missouri.
“I got to see what quality hay would do in our area, I guess is the right way to say it,” Jordan Garrett said. “Missouri is known for cattle steak raising fescue. This year is a prime example. There’s 12 percent early cut fescue that accounted for maybe 5 to 10 percent of the hay produced. These guys that are out here combining fescue right now are looking at having, you know, 7 percent to 8 percent protein hay. And seeing just what that 3 percent or 4 percent would do on a live cow, raising a calf, they want to continue trying to provide quality hay in Southwest Missouri.”
The Garretts decided to use their background and knowledge to create Garrett Hay Sales and Auctions in 2023 just outside Golden City, MO. Now named Southwest Hay Auctions (1104 SE. 30th RD, Golden City), the business has been going strong for the past two years.
The Garretts had been to other hay auctions before in Illinois and Iowa. While they took a little from how they were set up, they wanted to do things their way.
“We kind of come up with our own kind of twist to kind of help cater to the smaller farmers here at the hay auction by running an option bid where the first bidder can take choice in that lot,” Jordan Garrett explained. “If a horse customer comes in and only wants to buy three or four bales to get them through a month, they can come to the sale and take choice on whichever lot they want if they’re the high bidder and get the quantity and the quality they want without having to take a full semi load. We’re kind of in that area where a good percentage of it has to get trucked in at a stake. It’s hard to get a semi-load of hay in here to supply one person just a couple bales because the cost of it when you start talking 25 ton to a semi-load, and they’re only wanting to buy one or two tons. You’ve got to inventory that, and the cost is just prohibitive to do that.”
According to Garrett, the smaller farms were always at the forefront of their thinking when they first opened the auction.
“When we thought of this auction, that was the way we started it, and it has worked so good that we’ve decided to keep that auction there for the smaller customers,” Garrett said. “We’ve never had a negative comment come back to the sales, so we just think that’s the way that we do it.”
The hay auction is held on the first Saturday of every month throughout the year. During the summer, Garrett says sales are moderate with around 20 to 25 buyers. That rises to 100 buyers during the winter months.
“Summer months, we’re selling probably close to 500 to 750 tons,” Jordan Garrett said. “Winter sales, we had one sale that was close to 2,000 tons of hay. We had a little over 3,500 round bales at our February sale this year. And it took about three and a half hours to sell it. I’d say we’re probably a 1,150 ton average on a 12-month schedule.”
It didn’t take long for the Garretts’ side business to turn into a full-blown enterprise. Jordan said that by the third sale it was a full-time job. The Garretts partnered up with Smith Midwest and changed the name to Southwest Missouri Hay Auctions.
“Julie and Kip (Smith), they take care of the advertisement, the auction day selling the hay and all the computer work,” Garrett said. “Myself and my dad, we take care of a lot of the on-site demands, unloading and loading out hay and visiting with people. Then all four of us kind of do a pitch-in on public relations, talking to people and keeping everything running.”
The Garrett family work with some of the best hay and forage producers across the Midwest and beyond to bring the very best quality with a large variety available. Follow their Facebook page for sale dates and updated listings of hay types and availability. https://www.facebook.com/swmohayauctions
