Florida Crops and Products
Hay Suppliers
The most important factor to consider when purchasing hay is the kind of animal that you will be feeding. Generally, horses need better quality hay than cattle, since horses cannot tolerate as much dust or mold. However, all species require good nutrition. Gestation, lactation, conception, and performance are all influenced by the quality of hay and feed provided for them.
Many kinds of grasses and legumes are grown in Florida as hay for livestock. Among those are Coastal Bermudagrass, Callie Bermudagrass, Pensacola and Argentine Bahiagrass, Pangola, Alicia, Alyce Clover, Stargrass, Peanut, Perennial Peanut, Oat Hay and Rye Straw, and others. These can be sold as straight grass, or as a mixture of grasses or legumes. Wheat straw is used by many horse owners for bedding.Oats cut when the grain is starting to enter the milk stage make excellent hay. It is also very palatable, medium in protein content, and higher in energy than many other types of hay.
Many horse owners like to feed their horses alfalfa hay or a timothy and alfalfa mixture. Alfalfa hay buyers should be aware that alfalfa will generally run from 15 percent to 22 percent protein. Alfalfa that has been cut early will be more palatable to horses. Young, tender plants have a very high leaf to stem ratio; also, more food value is contained in the leaves than in the stems. Perennial Peanut Hay is becoming popular with horse owners for use as a replacement or as an alternative to alfalfa.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services maintains a list of hay suppliers throughout Florida, but, because hay suppliers are not required to register with the Department, the list is not a complete one. Being listed does not imply that a hay supplier is endorsed, approved or otherwise sanctioned by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Hay Locator
The grid below lists farming operations throughout Florida that supply various types of livestock hay and forage. Call the farming operation directly to confirm availability, days and hours of operation, prices, types and sizes of bales, and transportation requirements.
| Hay Suppliers in Florida | |||
| County | Supplier Name | Location | Telephone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alachua | Bristow Farms | Hawthorne | (352) 481-0018 |
| H&S Dugger Farms | Hawthorne | (352) 481-3169 | |
| Dale Hayes | Gainesville | (352) 373-4922 | |
| JAFO Farm | Micanopy | (352) 591-1796 | |
| Midwest Farm and Feed | High Springs | (386) 454-1271 | |
| Rock'n J Ranch | Newberry | (352) 284-3257 | |
| Sullivan Farms | Alachua | (352) 215-1018 | |
| Larry Turner | Newberry | (352) 258-6723 | |
| Baker | Wyman Griffis | Glen St. Mary | (904) 275-2122 |
| Lamell Harvey | Glen St. Mary | (904) 259-2533 | |
| Bradford | Oden Farms | Brooker | (352) 485-2575 |
| Brevard | Richard Flamm | Palm Bay | (321) 412-0534 |
| Citrus | Curtis Peters or Jody Woodard | Crystal River | (352) 563-2580 |
| Shamrock Farm | Crystal River | (352) 795-1906 | |
| Columbia | Allison Brothers, LLC. | Lake City | (386) 303-1393 |
| Haystack Farms, Inc. | Lake City | (386) 963-5438 | |
| Desoto | Rick White | Arcadia | (863) 990-1049 |
| Escambia | Ted and Victoria Dennis | Pensacola | (850) 554-9019 |
| Mike Johnson | Pensacola | (850) 393-4040 | |
| Flagler | Strickland Sod Farm, Inc. | Bunnell | (386) 437-0062 |
| Gilchrist | J&S Farms | Bell | (386) 623-6116 |
| Glades | Keith Pearce | Okeechobee | (863) 634-7007 |
| Hamilton | Billy Blair | Jennings | (386) 938 3271 |
| Nathan Griffin | Jennings | (386) 938-3873 | |
| Hendry | Frazier Hay Farms | Palmdale | (863) 233-1459 |
| Sweet Cypress Ranch | La Belle | (863) 673-6751 | |
| Hernando | J.C. III Ranch | Brooksville | (352) 796-5000 |
| Jim Cheze | Brooksville | (352) 799-5310 | |
| William Davis | Brooksville | (352) 799-0620 | |
| Hillsborough | Collins | Plant City | (813) 752-2489 |
| Jackson | Beauchamp Farms | Marianna | (850) 762-8216 |
| Ted Bruner | Bascom | (850) 592-2690 | |
| Marvin Barrick | Bascom | (850) 592-9873 | |
| Steve Basford | Grand Ridge | (850) 526-8392 | |
| Baxter Farms | Malone | (850) 569-5240 | |
| Bill and Donna Conrad | Bascom | (850) 569-1137 | |
| Rex Douthit | Sneads | (850) 593-6857 | |
| Robert Douthit | Sneads | (850) 593-5300 | |
| Dennis Pete | Greenwood | (850) 723-3345 | |
| Lafayette | Marc Stucker | Mayo | (386) 294-3503 |
| Lake | Allen Applebee | Lady Lake | (352) 753-2009 |
| H. Scott | Howey-in-the-Hills | (352) 324-2534 | |
| Kent Keller | Tangerine | (352) 267-5662 | |
| Lee | David Meloy Hay Co. Inc. | Fort Myers | (239) 694-4611 |
| Triple B Farm | Fort Myers | (239) 543-8096 | |
| Leon | Harold D. Kinchen | Tallahassee | (850) 575-1629 |
| Levy | J Bar C Farms | Trenton | (352) 463-3824 |
| Madison | Bar 11 Ranch - Charles H. Bronson | Madison | (850) 668-2456 |
| Josh Boan | Pinetta | (850) 567-0451 | |
| Cone Family Farms, LLC | Greenville | (850) 973-2399 | |
| Curtis Farm | Madison | (850) 464-3948 | |
| Jim Dixon / Dixon Farms | Madison | (850) 973-8592 | |
| Hudson Farms | Greenville | (850) 948-3074 | |
| Charles Paarlberg | Lee | (850) 971-5707 | |
| Manatee | Robinson's Hay, Inc. | Myakka City | (941) 737-2581 |
| Marion | Midwest Feed and Farm | Ocala | (352) 351-8008 |
| Oak Lane Farm | Citra | (352) 591-0185 | |
| Twin Oaks Farm | Citra | (352) 812-6613 | |
| Okeechobee | Kenneth Dryden | Okeechobee | (863) 634-3279 |
| Palm Beach | The Hay String Farms | West Palm Beach | (561) 346-3119 |
| Pasco | Allie Cone | Land O Lakes | (813) 362-1405 |
| Rowland Farms | Dade City | (352) 521-1046 | |
| Polk | Casons Farm | Lakeland | (863) 858-7406 |
| John Hause | Winter Haven | (863) 412-2683 | |
| Barry Hall | Mulberry | (863) 425-5953 | |
| Toney Holton | Lakeland | (863) 640-9381 | |
| Robert E. King | Lakeland | (863) 859-1161 | |
| Putnam | T. Ray Allen and Kevin Allen | Palatka | (386) 325-2419 |
| Santa Rosa | Jerry Bloechle | Milton | (850) 983-3699 |
| Keith McGee | Jay | (850) 675-1068 | |
| Sumter | David Caruthers | Wildwood | (352) 303-4345 |
| Dan Dudeck | Bushnell | (352) 568-7231 | |
| Lake Sumter Hay LLC | Lake Panasoffkee | (352) 303-5948 | |
| Todd Ranch | Center Hill | (352) 793-9614 | |
| Suwannee | Jason and Laura Bashaw | Live Oak | (386) 208-0614 |
| Stanley Cribbs | Wellborn | (386) 362-9098 | |
| Curtis Farm | Live Oak | (386) 464-3948 | |
| Haas Farms | McAlpin | (386) 961-3258 | |
| Haystack Farms | Lake City | (386) 963-5438 | |
| Mark Randell | Wellborn | (386) 208-2758 | |
| Andy Snider | O'Brien | (386) 935-0301 | |
| Townsend Brothers Farm | Live Oak | (386) 364-4363 | |
| Taylor | Buckeye Hay Farm | Perry | (800) 838-2218 |
| Lawrence Rowell | Shady Grove | (850) 584-9818 | |
| Union | M&S Farms | Lake Butler | (386) 623-3810 |
| M&S Fertilizer and Farm, Inc. | Lake Butler | (386) 754-5407 | |
| Smith and Sons Sod Co., Inc. | Lake Butler | (904) 755-4328 | |
| C.L. Thomas | Lake Butler | (386) 755-0654 | |
| Triple D Farms | Union County | (904) 813-1370 | |
| Volusia | Markalee Blackwelder | DeLeon Springs | (386) 985-4560 |
| W. Hay LLC | Daytona Beach | (386) 274-2202 | |
| Bill Johnson | DeLeon Springs | (386) 985-4218 | |
| Kiel Farm and Forestry Operations | Port Orange | (386) 756-7974 | |
| Melvin Moore | Osteen | (407) 322-0368 | |
| Southeastern Hay and Nursery Inc. | Daytona Beach | (386) 423-1670 | |
| Wakulla | Mike Alvarez | Crawfordville | (850) 210-0129 |
| Walton | Ron Prokop | DeFuniak Springs | (850) 834-3333 |
| Chet and Marsha Winegarner | DeFuniak Springs | (850) 892-4888 | |
| Washington | Weber Dairy | Vernon | (850) 535-2613 |
Related Topics
Contact Us About Hay
Division of Marketing and Development
Bureau of Development and Information
The Mayo Building
407 South Calhoun Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0800
Christopher Denmark
(850) 617-7330
(850) 617-7331 Fax
Christopher.Denmark@FreshFromFlorida.com
