Where to Buy Hay Bales and Straw: 25 Stores Listed

William Lipovsky headshot William Lipovsky
Verified & Updated Oct 7, 2018

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Short Answer: You can buy hay bales and straw from farm and feed supply stores like Tractor Supply, local plant nurseries and garden centers, craft stores like Michael’s or Hobby Lobby, and home improvement stores like Lowe’s or The Home Depot. You may also be able to find local farmers in your area who sell hay bales. Hay and straw can be used for rustic decor, outdoor seating, landscaping, animal feed and bedding, and construction projects. The cost will vary depending on how much hay you need and the type; you can expect to pay anywhere from a few dollars for a small bale to between $125-$160 for a ton. Below, we’ve detailed all the uses for hay (bales in particular), where to buy straw and hay bales, and what sizes are available.

What Sizes of Bales Can You Buy?

The two most common sizes of bales are large round ones and small rectangular ones. Large round bales weigh hundreds of pounds and have to be moved with large machines such as tractors and forklifts. In comparison, the rectangular hay bales are much smaller, weighing anywhere from five to 50 pounds.

How Much Do Hay Bales Cost?

The cost of hay bales will also vary widely depending on the size and type of hay you buy. For example, alfalfa hay bales, which are commonly used as horse feed, cost an average $140 to $165 per ton according to Agriculture.com. According to the same report, mid-quality bales sell for an average $125 to $150 per ton. Smaller, rectangular hay bales — commonly used for smaller animal feed, bedding, or decoration — typically sell for a few dollars to around $25-$30 a piece.

What Can You Use Hay Bales For?

Hay and straw bales can be used for activities ranging from gardening and home maintenance to crafting. Below, we’ve listed some potential ways you can use hay bales.

Animal Bedding and Food

Grassy-type bales, such as hay, alfalfa, and clover are used for both animal bedding and food. Straw bales can also be used for animal bedding.

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Decorating

You can use hay or straw bales for decoration during the holidays, especially for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Hay bales add a seasonal touch to a pumpkin patch tractor ride, or you can use straw bales to stuff scarecrows. If you’re having a fall wedding, hay bales are a great decoration option for your venue space, too.

Straw bales also add a beautiful golden color to displays and help keep other decorative items, such as flower pots, wooden crates, and corn stalks off the ground. If you have some leftover loose straw, you can bundle it to make crafts such as stuffing for dolls.

Event Seating

Because of their density, bales are very useful for outdoor event seating. The bales hold up well to the weight of people sitting and climbing on them and can later be reused for other purposes. They are quick and easy to arrange and easy to remove when you no longer need them. You can use bales for a range of events: outdoor/barn weddings, fairs, racing, circuses, and more. While straw bales are the most common type of bale used for event seating, any type of bale will work.

Gardening and Landscaping

Straw bales are commonly used in landscaping and gardening. Using other types of bales is not recommended for gardening because they may contain seeds, which can sprout in your garden. When buying straw for gardening, only use “weed-free” certified straw bales.

Straw bales are perfect for setting up in a garden for raised beds with the plants planted directly into the bales. Loose straw is also useful for spreading around on plants in the garden because it helps to keep moisture for the plants and control weeds. Straw bales and loose straw can also be used for soil erosion control, helping to hold the loose soil in place and keeping it from washing away when it rains.

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Home Construction

Using straw bales for building construction is an age-old sustainable tradition, especially in places where “normal” building materials are unavailable and tall grasses readily grow. If kept dry, straw makes wonderful building insulation, reducing efforts for both heating and cooling. Straw bales also make sturdy building construction for walls because of the shape and how solid the bales stay.

Safety Barriers

Many race tracks or construction sites use bales for safety. The solid mass of grasses and straws work well to “cushion” an accident, helping to reduce injuries, or by keeping potential accidents away from other people and buildings. Smart placement of hay bales can prevent injuries and even save lives.

The Best Place to Buy Straw and Hay Bales

The best place to buy hay bales will depend on where you’re located, what your local stores have in stock, and what you need the hay for.

If you only need a small bale to use for decor or small gardening projects, you can find what you need on Amazon, at craft retailers like Michaels or Hobby Lobby, or at hardware stores like Ace Hardware or True Value Hardware. Your local nurseries, garden centers, or The Home Depot or Lowe’s may also have small bales or straw matting you can use for landscaping.

The best place to find bedding or feed hay for small animals can also be found on Amazon, as well as some farm and feed supply stores like Agri-Supply, Tractor Supply, or Stanislaus Farm Supply.

If you have a big garden or agricultural project, have large animals to feed, or need hay for something like event seating or safety barriers, you may need to purchase it in larger quantities. Your best option may be to find a local farmer you can purchase bulk quantities from. Farm and feed supply stores may also have large hay bales in stock, but it’s best to call ahead and verify what’s available.

Where to Buy Straw and Hay Bales

Any store that sells landscape, nursery, garden, or farm supplies is also likely to sell bales. We’ve listed national and regional places where you can commonly find straw and hay bales. If none of these fit your needs, you can also search for local landscaping or gardening stores that will probably also have bales for sale.

Farm and Feed Supply Stores

This list includes large farm and feed supply stores. Your region may have other stores, so do not forget to check your local listings for the stores closest to you.

1. Agri-Supply

  • Bale Type: Large and small feed and straw bales
  • Location: North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia
  • Offers pick-up and delivery
  • Find your nearest Agri-Supply

2. Atwoods Ranch and Home

3. Farm Supply

4. Orscheln Farm & Home

5. Rural King

6. Southern States

7. Stanislaus Farm Supply

8. Tractor Supply Company

Hardware Stores

Hardware stores with lawn and gardening centers usually stock straw bales for landscaping, gardening, and decorating. Rarely you will find other types of bales at hardware stores, but this can depend on your location. For more information contact your local hardware store to find out what types of bales it carries.

9. Ace Hardware

10. True Value Hardware

Home Improvement Stores

Many of the large home improvement stores carry rectangular straw bales in the landscape and gardening departments. Locations in smaller towns may even offer silage bales.

11. The Home Depot

  • Bale Type: Straw bales
  • Location: Nationwide
  • The Home Depot often carries straw bales seasonally in September and October, depending on the location and demand
  • Find your nearest Home Depot

12. Lowe’s

Landscape, Gardening, and Nursery Stores

Landscape, gardening, and nursery stores usually stock straw bales or even straw matting. While most stores are regional and may only have a single location, we have included a few regional locations below.

13. Armstrong Garden Center

14. Calloway’s/Cornelius Nursery

15. Earl May

16. Houston Garden Centers

17. Meadows Farms Nurseries

18. Star Nursery

Local Farmers

Local farmers are a great way to find bales. To find a local farmer, you can watch for farms that have bales in the fields, contact your local Farm Bureau, or do an internet search for local farmers.

Retail Stores

Because of the demand for straw bales in the fall, mass craft stores or retailers with gardening centers generally stock rectangular straw bales beginning in September and October. A few to keep in mind are:

In Summary

Whether you’re purchasing hay bales for decoration, animal bedding, gardening, or some other purpose, there’s likely a store near you that sells the type and size of bale you need. Depending on the season, they may available at large chains like The Home Depot, Lowe’s, or Walmart. Otherwise, you will likely have the best luck at hardware stores like Ace Hardware and True Value Hardware, farm and feed supply stores like Tractor Supply, local plant nurseries, or even local farms. Call first to make sure that hay bales are currently available at your location of choice before you go.

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6 comments

  • ollie jefferson
    | 7 years ago

    can guinea pigs eat the hay that i found at walmart they say it is for decoration

    • Megan
      | 7 years ago

      Sounds like you are referring to straw. Guinea pigs eat hay found in the pet food section. Timothy hay is most ideal.

  • R,Danick
    | 7 years ago

    I am looking for a good quality hay for the winter months had a lot of trouble with hay I buy .I have throw so much hay away because it was such a bad quality.

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | Laura Bachmann
      | 7 years ago

      Hi,

      Most hay is baled in the fall or late summer, so it will be at its best quality this time of year. Ideally, you’d buy enough this time of year to last through the winter. If you’ve been buying from the stores on this list and the hay has been poor quality, I would recommend contacting a local farmer to find out the best sources that sell locally. You can try searching the Farm Bureau’s website for some contacts near you. It can be hard to buy good hay, it’s normal to have to test out a few sellers before you find good quality hay, so don’t be discouraged.

  • Maureen Mahaney
    | 8 years ago

    I need to buy 40 5×5 by 3″ high hay bales for my daughters wedding, I can’t find r
    Them anywhere!!!! Any suggestions please- running out of time, wedding is October 8th!!!!!
    Sincerely,
    Maureen Mahaney

    • First Quarter Finance logo
      First Quarter Finance | William Lipovsky
      | 8 years ago

      Hi Maureen,

      This list is meant to be as exhaustive as possible. If none of these stores are near you (or have the right size hay bales in stock) you’ll need to get in touch with big farmers who will either have the bales you need or be able to point you in the right direction. Contact a local ag group such as a cattlemen’s association to give yourself a head start.