In this area, common for custom balers (big rounds) to come in, cut, rake and bale for 22.00 - 24.00/bale including net wrap, left in the field.
As I am small enough running 20 - 30 head currently on 125 acres (25 owned and 100 leased), I have no need to buy/maintain equipment. Just a gooseneck and plenty of old A-C's for brush cutting pastures, light tillage while getting the home place in shape and a bale spear/loaders for handling decent hay that is abundant for 45.00 - 55.00/bale.
When I look at hay, dead give-a-way that it was made loose is flat bottomed, even at just a few weeks after baling. When I can walk up to a 900 - 1000# bale and can shove my hand into it vertically, negotiations start on price.
Flat bottom means more contact area to absorb moisture plus a "loose" bale does not shed water when stored outside. We do not get much for rains compared to many parts of the country but I store whatever I buy (typically 5 - 20 bales at a time) on timbers or wooden power poles so they are off the ground and also kept under roof.
"Marshmallow bales" left out in the weather can have an easy 15 - 20% of non-usable forage within 90 days and you already lose 5 - 15% during feeding, subject to how it is fed.
The game is to make bales loose so both the landowner and custom baler make more money. Have a friend who custom baled for 10 years and advised he just got tired of landowners calling while he was baling, telling him to back off the tension so they had more to sell. Advised his reputation was worth more than hearing bales he made were bad and he finally got out and sold his equipment. I tend to buy hay within 15 minutes of the place, from folks I know that have decent fertilized hay that is under weed control so I don't "bring weeds home" that I have to manage on my own place.
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