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gcreekrch

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Have not cut anything in a month. The swamps are floating and 1000 tons of hay won't be cut on them this year. Cows will get a bunch and matches will get the rest next spring.
We now have a four day window of sun to get the Oats, Peas, Barley and Weeds baled and wrapped. The snow yesterday added to the moisture and laid a bunch of it down. Anyway, the easy part is over.












 
I would gladly take the snow. Supposed to be in the 90s again this week. My hay yield is about 50% this year. I would swap windrows with you in a minute. May be a bear to get it up but you have some nice stuff to get at least. Hopefully you don't suffer the same fate we have and go from the wettest winter on record to 1.5" in 4 months.

Hope you get it done.
 
Stocker Steve said:
Where do you use the annual forages ?

How did you feed before you had a wrapper ?
Click to expand...

Grain crop is on some timber ground we cleared. We calve on these areas in spring and they get hammered and rutted pretty bad so we do a light disc and seed them. Have used commercial fertilizer 3 or 4 times in 25 years. This year was not one of them.
We put up less or uglier feed before the coming of bale wrappers. Had an individual one first, inline for 6 years now.
 
We need a month of dry weather here. About 15" of rain in the last month. High knolls are squishy when you step on them. Low land is floating. Thousands of acres of crops haven't been touched. I still have 70 acres of first cut, most have given up all together. Lots of people short of hay because they haven't been able to get it cut. Lots of hay wasted with flooding in fields saturating bales. It's a mess. This is why I hope for drought every single year. A wet year can ruin you much faster than a dry one.
 
Aaron said:
We need a month of dry weather here. About 15" of rain in the last month. High knolls are squishy when you step on them. Low land is floating. Thousands of acres of crops haven't been touched. I still have 70 acres of first cut, most have given up all together. Lots of people short of hay because they haven't been able to get it cut. Lots of hay wasted with flooding in fields saturating bales. It's a mess. This is why I hope for drought every single year. A wet year can ruin you much faster than a dry one.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear about your situation Aaron. Hang in there.
 
We would take any kind of moisture. We have not had anything in September. Already feeding hay still in mid 90s everyday
 
Finished up first cutting last week with duals on the tractor in an effort to float over the mud. Yields were down 30% so I had to scavenge and hunt for any ground I could find. With our climate and soils making hay or baleage past September is nearly impossible. Hopefully winter isn't too awful and next year is better.
 
Tried to grow some meadow fescue and OG stockpile in August & September, but I think alot of the N seeped away.

September hay is a challenge. Wrapped some, bale grazed some at about 30% moisture, and even dry baled a little. I think some will be cutting after freeze up. Unhooked the disc bine today, and shiners will be running soon. :nod:

Not sure what will happen to hay pricing this winter.Cow hay is currently U$S 100 to 130 per ton at auction. Last year any available hay got trucked south and east into monsoon country, and then the hand to mouth hobby ranchers panicked.

I think climate change gives balage makers an advantage.
 
Stocker Steve said:
Tried to grow some meadow fescue and OG stockpile in August & September, but I think alot of the N seeped away.

September hay is a challenge. Wrapped some, bale grazed some at about 30% moisture, and even dry baled a little. I think some will be cutting after freeze up. Unhooked the disc bine today, and shiners will be running soon. :nod:

Not sure what will happen to hay pricing this winter.Cow hay is currently U$S 100 to 130 per ton at auction. Last year any available hay got trucked south and east into monsoon country, and then the hand to mouth hobby ranchers panicked.

I think climate change gives balage makers an advantage.
Click to expand...


I bought 500 tons of cow hay two weeks ago. It will land here for $185 per ton. Heavy bales make a big difference in ton price when hauling very far. Another 150 tons of second cut alfalfa to bump the protein on our poorest hay. Lick tubs will do the rest.

Some neighbors paying up to $240 for hay from brokers. Never liked making those guys rich.
 
Aaron said:
We need a month of dry weather here. About 15" of rain in the last month. High knolls are squishy when you step on them. Low land is floating. Thousands of acres of crops haven't been touched. I still have 70 acres of first cut, most have given up all together. Lots of people short of hay because they haven't been able to get it cut. Lots of hay wasted with flooding in fields saturating bales. It's a mess. This is why I hope for drought every single year. A wet year can ruin you much faster than a dry one.
Click to expand...

We had the same issues some time back but tiled all the workable land - solved all our issues. Expensive but it works. Would it work in your area?

Cheers
 
gcreekrch said:
I bought 500 tons of cow hay two weeks ago. It will land here for $185 per ton. Heavy bales make a big difference in ton price when hauling very far. Another 150 tons of second cut alfalfa to bump the protein on our poorest hay. Lick tubs will do the rest.

Some neighbors paying up to $240 for hay from brokers. Never liked making those guys rich.
Click to expand...

Why is hay so high priced in the north ?
 
Logar said:
Aaron said:
We need a month of dry weather here. About 15" of rain in the last month. High knolls are squishy when you step on them. Low land is floating. Thousands of acres of crops haven't been touched. I still have 70 acres of first cut, most have given up all together. Lots of people short of hay because they haven't been able to get it cut. Lots of hay wasted with flooding in fields saturating bales. It's a mess. This is why I hope for drought every single year. A wet year can ruin you much faster than a dry one.
Click to expand...

We had the same issues some time back but tiled all the workable land - solved all our issues. Expensive but it works. Would it work in your area?

Cheers
Click to expand...

Lots of acres tiled for crops here and those guys are barely getting by. Rain every day or every 2nd day for last 5 weeks has the tile lines fully submerged. I seen a tiled soybean field with over a foot of water in it. How waterproof are bean pods? Lots of feed grain junk that has to be run through dryers just to save it from turning to black mush. Definitely going to test the limits of crop insurance this year.
 
I question whether tile pays with the current grain prices. I plant reed canary.

Bean sprouts are valuable but tough to transport. Sounds like you are holding ducks?

Good grain crops locally, but I think the combines will not roll much until after freeze up.
 
Stocker Steve said:
gcreekrch said:
I bought 500 tons of cow hay two weeks ago. It will land here for $185 per ton. Heavy bales make a big difference in ton price when hauling very far. Another 150 tons of second cut alfalfa to bump the protein on our poorest hay. Lick tubs will do the rest.

Some neighbors paying up to $240 for hay from brokers. Never liked making those guys rich.
Click to expand...

Why is hay so high priced in the north ?
Click to expand...

It's called supply and demand. There is a hay compression plant at Vanderhoof that is exporting to China.
 

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