If you’ve been thinking about moving away from loose hay, fall is the smart time to do it. Here’s why.
Hay quality gets less predictable in fall
As the growing season winds down, hay quality starts to vary more from load to load. Moisture content shifts, cuttings get mixed together, and later-season cuttings tend to run coarser and less consistent than what you were getting mid-summer. That makes it harder to count on the same nutrition bale to bale, right around the time your horses need steady feed the most. Alfalfa cubes solve that problem by design — every batch is processed to the same standard, so what you feed in October looks like what you feed in January. No guessing which part of the stack you’re pulling from, no surprises when a new load comes in.
Storage gets harder once the weather turns
Loose hay needs dry, ventilated storage to avoid mold and spoilage, and that gets tougher to manage once fall rain and humidity show up. A tarp that worked fine in August might not cut it once the weather turns, and once moisture gets into a stack, you’re not just losing quality — you’re losing the whole section to mold. Cubes are easier to stack, store, and protect from moisture, and they take up less space doing it. If your hay storage situation gets tight every winter, cubes are a simpler fix than building more barn space or re-tarping every few weeks.
Less waste, especially as feeding ramps up
Horses typically eat more as temperatures drop, which means more hay moving through your barn and more opportunity for waste — trampled flakes, moldy edges, picky eaters sorting through a flake for the good parts and leaving the rest. That waste adds up fast once feeding volume increases for the season. Cubes get eaten, not stepped on. That matters more in fall and winter when feed costs are already climbing and every wasted flake is money on the ground.
It’s a good time to lock in your winter supply
Switching in fall means you’re not scrambling mid-winter when hay supply tightens up and prices move. Making the change now also gives you a buffer to test it properly — see how your horses take to cubes, dial in your feeding rates, and work out any kinks — before you’re relying on it during the busiest, coldest stretch of the year. That’s a much better position than trying to switch feed programs in January, when everyone else is also scrambling and supply gets tighter.
Buying direct means no middleman markup
One more reason fall is a good time to make the switch: you’re buying straight from the manufacturer, not through a distributor. That means no markup layered on top of your feed costs — pricing that reflects what it actually costs to produce the cubes, not what it costs after two or three hands touch it first. On orders of two pallets or more, delivery throughout Southern California is also free, so there’s no added cost to get it to your barn, boarding facility, or stable.
No new equipment needed
Cubes ship in super sacks or 50lb bags on pallets, and you don’t need special equipment to unload or store them — no bunker, no loose-hay handling setup, nothing extra to buy before you can start feeding. If you’ve got a place to stack pallets, you’re ready to go.
Which cube is right for your herd?
Paramount Cubing offers two options:
- Premium Alfalfa Cubes — 100% alfalfa, for horses that need higher protein and energy
- Preferred Protein Cubes — 50% alfalfa, 50% wheat straw, a lower-protein option for easy keepers or horses that don’t need the extra punch
Not sure which fits your herd? Text Joe — he can help you figure out the right call based on what you’re feeding now and what your horses need going into winter.
Ready to make the switch this fall?
Reach out to Paramount Cubing directly. No distributor, no markup, just straightforward pricing and free delivery across Southern California on orders of two pallets or more.
Visit paramountcubing.com or text Joe to get started.
