BaleWiseWe re-checked 1,448 listings this week. Sellers changed a price on 20 of them — 10 raised, 10 cut — and everyone else held. Across the 266 small-square listings priced in both mid-June and this week, the median true cost sits at $311 a ton — exactly where it started.
The boards turned over underneath: 356 sellers arrived this week and 109 went quiet — sold out, delisted, or done until the next cutting. Since mid-June that’s 714 arrivals against 583 departures.
- New EnglandHolding. Board median $353/ton; the 37-listing panel held at $333/ton. 5 raises, 7 cuts since mid-June — this week 27 sellers arrived, 11 went quiet.
- Mid-AtlanticHolding. Board median $267/ton; the 20-listing panel held at $222/ton. 3 raises, 2 cuts since mid-June — this week 26 sellers arrived, 9 went quiet.
- Upper SouthHolding. Board median $267/ton; the 13-listing panel held at $311/ton. 1 raise, 2 cuts since mid-June — this week 5 sellers arrived, 5 went quiet.
- CarolinasQuiet. Board median $436/ton; the 11-listing panel held at $444/ton. 1 raise, 0 cuts since mid-June — this week 90 sellers arrived, 9 went quiet.
- GulfHolding. Board median $320/ton; the 16-listing panel held at $356/ton. 4 raises, 7 cuts since mid-June — this week 118 sellers arrived, 12 went quiet.
- MidwestEasing. Board median $261/ton; the 28-listing panel moved $261 → $248/ton (−5.0%). 3 raises, 9 cuts since mid-June — this week 23 sellers arrived, 23 went quiet.
- PlainsHolding. Board median $290/ton; the 35-listing panel held at $289/ton. 9 raises, 10 cuts since mid-June — this week 42 sellers arrived, 19 went quiet.
- South CentralHolding. Board median $364/ton; the 23-listing panel held at $364/ton. 3 raises, 9 cuts since mid-June — this week 6 sellers arrived, 6 went quiet.
- Mountain WestFirmer. Board median $333/ton; the 50-listing panel moved $351 → $364/ton (+3.7%). 14 raises, 12 cuts since mid-June — this week 10 sellers arrived, 10 went quiet.
- PacificEasing. Board median $343/ton; the 33-listing panel moved $360 → $343/ton (−4.7%). 5 raises, 8 cuts since mid-June — this week 9 sellers arrived, 5 went quiet.
Reading this sheet: the median is today’s board median for priced small squares, in true $/ton. The spread bands share one $89–$1,200/ton scale so regions compare at a glance. Since mid-June compares only listings priced at both ends of the window (the panel) — never this week’s median against last week’s, because each sweep re-checks a different mix of listings. Moves are sellers changing their own number. This week +/− is sellers arriving / going quiet. Tap any region for its full board.
- Greg Walters (Boonville, MO) · rounds$20 → $55 ≈ $44 → $81/ton — bale weight restatedPlains · Jul 27
- Private seller (New Plymouth, ID) · 2nd cut$10 → $13 ≈ $267 → $347/tonMountain West · Jul 21
- Adam — Murray/Des Moines area, IA (Murray, IA) · rounds$95 → $120 ≈ $136 → $171/tonPlains · Jul 27
- Private seller (Cisco, IL) · 2nd cut$8 → $6 ≈ $356 → $267/tonMidwest · Jul 22
- Private seller (Harrisonville, MO) · rounds$20 → $15 ≈ $44 → $33/tonPlains · Jul 27
- Jim and Matt G — Tri-Cities, WA (Eltopia, WA) · 2nd cut$16 → $17 ≈ $492 → $378/ton — bale weight restatedPacific · Jul 25
Show the other 14 moves · day by day
- Levi (Dickinson, ND)$7 → $8 ≈ $280 → $320/tonPlains
- Private seller (Fort Ripley, MN) · rounds$45 → $35 ≈ $100 → $78/tonPlains
- Private seller (The Rock, GA) · rounds$75 → $85 ≈ $167 → $189/tonGulf
- Central Oregon Ranch Supply (Redmond, OR)$17.99 → $18.99 ≈ $360 → $380/tonPacific
- Bales Hay Sales (1891 Homestead) (Buckeye, AZ) · large squares$140 → $160Mountain West
- Private seller (Merced, CA)$5 → $4 ≈ $143 → $114/tonPacific
- Private seller (Hempstead, TX) · rounds$40 → $35 ≈ $73 → $64/tonSouth Central
- Private seller (Williamsville, VA) · rounds$85 → $80 ≈ $189 → $178/tonUpper South
- Private seller (Kalkaska, MI) · 2nd cut · rounds$75 → $85 ≈ $167 → $189/tonMidwest
- Private seller (Louisville, IL) · rounds$45 → $40 ≈ $113 → $100/tonMidwest
- Private seller (Deerfield, WI) · rounds$75 → $60 ≈ $167 → $133/tonMidwest
- Esh Ranch Hay (Nunn, CO) · 2nd cut · large squares$175 → $185 ≈ $583 → $561/ton — bale weight restatedMountain West
- Private seller (Murtaugh, ID)$12 → $11 ≈ $333 → $367/ton — bale weight restatedMountain West
- Private seller (Las Cruces, NM) · large squares$175 → $165 ≈ $350 → $330/tonMountain West
Every move above is one seller changing their own posted price between our checks — small squares unless noted. The 6 moves shown first are picked by rule — largest percentage change in true $/ton (posted price when no weight is stated) — never by hand. Since mid-June: 114 moves across all boards, 48 up and 66 down.
Where the season is
First cut is wrapping up across the northern boards — several listings this week were baled within days of posting. Second cut starts arriving in volume through August, usually at a premium over first.
Prices on these boards typically firm up once the fields stop producing, so if you have storage, early is rarely wrong. We’ll flag it here when second-cut listings start moving the medians.
How we count
Method note for the July 27, 2026 edition · window June 12 – July 27, 2026
A price counts as a move only when the same listing’s own price changes between our checks. We never compare one week’s board median to the next — each sweep re-checks a different mix of listings, and that difference would look like market movement when it isn’t.
The like-for-like median compares only listings priced at both ends of the window: 266 small-square listings, mid-June (June 17, 2026) vs. this edition. Arrived / went quiet excludes the 1,974 listings our tracker simply started watching on June 12–17, 2026 — they already existed on the boards. Re-checked means the listing was verified within the last 7 days.