bale it or let it lay there

[rc]

This will be my last cutting on some pastures I have used for the cows but intend to make hay fields out of next year. They are about 6 to 8 inches in mixed grass and kinda thin in places. Would I be better to bale it and get it off before limeing or cut it and let it lay there to put some nutrients back into the ground?

 

[novatech]

Either way you will end up bailing it next year. I doubt if you mow that all of it would have time to rot by the time you cut next spring. You could mix rye and clover and plant now with an application of lime and fert. Bale in spring. The old grass mixed with the new makes some decent hay. Then your next cut should be pretty clean.

 

[BamaCowboy]

Either way is good. If it was me , bush hog it and let it lay all winter. At 6-8 in you are not going to get a thick mat of grass on the ground

 

[Mat Man]

I wish I had it to graze.We have been feeding hay for serveral weeks in middle Tn.

 

[rc]

We have had so much rain around Memphis it ain't funny...ain't complaining though. Pastures are still pretty lush. I took cows off of the pastures a couple of months ago and the grass is jumping I guess from the fertilizer from the cow manure. It's been hard to cut and get it baled between hurricane rains.

 

[grannysoo]

You might want to consider burning before the fields green up in the spring.

 

[Jogeephus]

I'm faced with the same question. I got one field of mixed bermuda, texas millet and crow's foot grass. I hate to think about baling it cause the quality is going to be low and I doubt it will yield over 40 rolls. To complicate matters, the bare spots have some sand spurrs in it and I don't want to spread this around. Been thinking about burning it but an old timer reminded me that you can never have too much hay. I'm still straddling the fence.