Hay is Stressful

[inyati13]

I have 15 acres of the best crop of hay standing in the field that I have had in the last 5 years. The hay is mature orchard grass, blue grass, fescue and red clover. Excellent stand of red clover bloomed out. The grasses are topped out but still in the milk phase if that term is applicable. Johnny (neighbor) looked at it yesterday and said it should be cut. This is the plan for this year:

I use Johnny's disc mower on my tractor and cut.
Johnny Rakes and Rolls.
I get all the hay and pay him $15 per 4x5 roll.
I move the rolls to my storage barns.

The hay is thick with a lot of under-story. The red clover is going to need time. The forecast for the coming 10 days is as follows:

Today Severe thunderstorms 90%
Tuesday Scattered thunderstorms 50%
Wednesday Scattered thunderstorms 50%
Thursday Isolated thunderstorms 30%
Friday Mostly sunny 10%
Saturday PM thunderstorms 60%
Sunday Scattered thunderstorms 60%
Monday Scattered thunderstorms 60%
Tuesday Scattered thunderstorms 50%
Wednesday Partly cloudy 20%

Looks like I need to let the weather settle out. I hope it don't get too mature.

 

[John SD]

I do understand your frustration. The big picture thing to keep in mind here is that the only thing more stressful than putting up hay, is not having any hay to put up :idea:

I hope you get the "window of opportunity" you need ;-)

 

[bigbull338]

you dont cut till you have 5 to 7 days clear.that allows the hay to get dry before its baled.

 

[Rafter S]

I understand your frustration, but I also agree with John. I'd much rather have grass that I can't cut because of too much rain than not have any to cut because of no rain.

 

[Jogeephus]

you dont cut till you have 5 to 7 days clear.that allows the hay to get dry before its baled.

You'd never find those conditions here. Between Peter's Puddle and the Atlantic we don't get chances like that.

 

[dun]

That's pretty much our forcast. Looking for another 2 weeks before the longrange weather liars are "suggesting" enough dry days in a row. The irritating part is it seems like about half of 20% days we don;t get a drop and the other half we only get a tenth or 2. Such is life!

 

[Craig Miller]

Same forcast here. Dad cut two fields on saturday. I told hin it was going to rain but ii guess he was taking the chance. I dont know if it will be worth it to bale by the time it dries next week sometime.

 

[Rafter S]

That's pretty much our forcast. Looking for another 2 weeks before the longrange weather liars are "suggesting" enough dry days in a row. The irritating part is it seems like about half of 20% days we don;t get a drop and the other half we only get a tenth or 2. Such is life!

Around here this spring when they forecast 40% chance of rain that really means it's going to be raining 40% of the time. Not that I'm complaining.

 

[dun]

There are pluses to waiting until fescue is past ready to bale. Most of the seeds will fall as it's cut so you end up with less endophyte in the hay another would be that the field would get reseeded.

 

[tom4018]

Got a few acres done here. A lot more is just as yours but nothing to do but wait for weather to get right. Hard to get much of a window here, 5-7 days is about unheard of here. This next week shows little promise to cut any. My bottom ground will hay to dry some before I can get over it.

 

[bigbull338]

they say we are going to get rain here till mid july.so far they are proving tobe right.so we wont cut any hay till we have 5 to 7 days clear todo so.cant risk getting it wet.

 

[Jogeephus]

If I can't make up my mind what to do I ask a fella down the road and do the opposite of what he says. If he says its going to rain - it won't. If he says its not - it will. I found his ability to be wrong is much more dependable than the weatherman.

 

[dun]

It's an ill wind that blows no one good

 

[inyati13]

I am enjoying the comments. Jo, your's got me laughing. Ask someone then do the opposite is hilarious!

 

[ddd75]

5-7 days for hay to dry?

3 days I bale it. ya'll need to turn it more.

 

[highgrit]

Inyati, welcome to the club. I'm not to worried about hay, I am worried about rain. I've been strip grazing my hay fields for 2 weeks now. But if we get a couple of good rains I'll be set. Just picked a bad year to plant pearl millet in the back fields.

 

[Rafter S]

5-7 days for hay to dry?

3 days I bale it. ya'll need to turn it more

It depends on the weather and the country. My father was in custom hay business here for probably 30 years, and during the heat of the summer the grass would typically be allowed to dry for "2 dinner suns". So if it was cut this morning you could bale it tomorrow afternoon. If you cut it this afternoon you'd bale it the day after tomorrow.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

There are pluses to waiting until fescue is past ready to bale. Most of the seeds will fall as it's cut so you end up with less endophyte in the hay another would be that the field would get reseeded.

That is what I keep telling myself Dun. I got a 13 acre field that needs to be baled, but our guy just has not had the chance since we have so much rain! But I will NEVER complain about the rain again after the drought of 2011!!! Bring on the rain, I can supplement the hay in the winter with a protein tub if I need to!

 

[John SD]

5-7 days for hay to dry?

3 days I bale it. ya'll need to turn it more

It depends on the weather and the country. My father was in custom hay business here for probably 30 years, and during the heat of the summer the grass would typically be allowed to dry for "2 dinner suns". So if it was cut this morning you could bale it tomorrow afternoon. If you cut it this afternoon you'd bale it the day after tomorrow.

I like the "2 dinner suns" theory and come to think of it I try to practice it myself in a "normal" year. One thing about the hay going beyond optimal maturity, as time goes on you can sometimes cut in the morning and bale in the afternoon. At some point past maturity, grazing will be a better option.

 

[fitz]

5-7 days for hay to dry?

3 days I bale it. ya'll need to turn it more.

I've done about 30 acres so far. Humidity and a good breeze has allowed that I can roll some pretty thick stuff on the third day. This time of year I will cut with a 30% forecast for evening thunderstorms if I have sun. I just hate for it to get too mature. If I waited for seven good days I don't know when I'd cut. I'd have to buy the cows dentures to eat the rank stuff.