Standing hay can deteriorate to a point, but then I think it reaches a point where it starts going back the other way, at least for cow hay. For example if you've got some johnsongrass, Bermuda grass, etc. growing up in it, it can be decent hay plus the seed heads are going to have some energy there too for winter.
Hay Season 2013
- Thread starter skyhightree1
- Start date
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TexasBred
Well-known member
Banjo":1gsr60kq said:
Keep in mind digestibility whether talking about protein or energy. If it can't be digested it doesn't matter how much is there.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Banjo":1u9y2pmh said:
As grasses of any kind mature they develop more and more cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in the cell walls. Hemicellulose is less digestible than cellulose and Lignin is almost totally undigestible. Same applies to grasses being grazed. That's why it's important to cut hay on time rather than wait two weeks to get more but lesser quality hay as well as clip pastures from time to time.
Keep in mind digestibility whether talking about protein or energy. If it can't be digested it doesn't matter how much is there.[/quote]
What would not be digestible in that scenario? Other than maybe the old stems.[/quote]
As grasses of any kind mature they develop more and more cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in the cell walls. Hemicellulose is less digestible than cellulose and Lignin is almost totally undigestible. Same applies to grasses being grazed. That's why it's important to cut hay on time rather than wait two weeks to get more but lesser quality hay as well as clip pastures from time to time.[/quote]I'm sure that's true. but its hard to keep all grass at the 'perfect' desirable state. I think some cows are better at digesting those grasses that are outside of the 'perfect zone' than others.
What would not be digestible in that scenario? Other than maybe the old stems.[/quote]
As grasses of any kind mature they develop more and more cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin in the cell walls. Hemicellulose is less digestible than cellulose and Lignin is almost totally undigestible. Same applies to grasses being grazed. That's why it's important to cut hay on time rather than wait two weeks to get more but lesser quality hay as well as clip pastures from time to time.[/quote]I'm sure that's true. but its hard to keep all grass at the 'perfect' desirable state. I think some cows are better at digesting those grasses that are outside of the 'perfect zone' than others.
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skyhightree1
Well-known member
boy I sure wish some of yall that needed hay were in my county I just got rights to cut this mans hayfields and pastures that has got out of the horse business he doesnt want any row crops placed there just someone to cut it doesnt want me to pay for it at all just maintain fields I would ask can i put cattle there but I have more pastures and hay fields that I have cattle It is a total of 70 more acres it appears i will only be haying this year here is some pics
Stocker Steve
Well-known member
Finished seeding Sorgum Sudan and cut my first hay yesterday, then it rained 2 tenths last night...
Standing water in the meadows and some flooding here. The drought is over.
Standing water in the meadows and some flooding here. The drought is over.
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
skyhightree1":2pj2qd4m said:boy I sure wish some of yall that needed hay were in my county I just got rights to cut this mans hayfields and pastures that has got out of the horse business he doesnt want any row crops placed there just someone to cut it doesnt want me to pay for it at all just maintain fields I would ask can i put cattle there but I have more pastures and hay fields that I have cattle It is a total of 70 more acres it appears i will only be haying this year here is some pics
Nice! Not that I'm a believer in everyone wanting assistance gets it, but it would be nice if there was (and maybe there is?) an organization that would help foot costs for moving hay to stock producers in the hard-hit SW drought areas.
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skyhightree1
Well-known member
I do not know of a organization that does that but we had a local man that had about 100 horses he couldnt feed and the spca and county stepped in and took them i think was last year or year before cant remember anyhow they needed people to care for the horses or donate hay.. in which I donated hay.
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
Good man, Skyhightree1.
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skyhightree1
Well-known member
Kathie in Thorp":24ci80cd said:
Thank you Kathie but I just like to think im doing the right thing and doing the things I was taught to do. I teach my kids do good things and sometimes you will get good things to happen in your life but do not do good things and always expect a return of something good do them because its the right thing to do.
lithuanian farmer
Well-known member
This summer here is much better than the last one, less rain and more sun with heat and wind, so now we've already 340 bales and need just ~150-200 bales more. We've two fields cutted and this week we'll make ~100bales. Not many left.
Kathie in Thorp
Well-known member
In our big-dollar export hay market here, the growers have been hit hard, hard, hard. Alfalfa and Orchard came up before rains. Then there was a little break, and the Timothy started getting swathed. Then it rained; then it was good for a couple of days, and it got rolled; then it rained again and then it was good for a couple of days, but not dry/windy enough to turn it. Over the weekend, we had 4 heavy thunderstorms. All that hay is still laying out there. Had some rain again today. Bad deal. Been down now for almost 2 weeks; they can't get it up; they can't irrigate what's coming up under it.
greybeard
Well-known member
Lots of 1st cutting hay cut and stored in my area right now, but if we don't start getting a little rain to help a 2nd cutting grow, the supply is going to dry up quick. Got mine bought and paid for, gonna start bringing it in this week from a barn a couple miles away.
Nesikep
Well-known member
Kathie,We got lucky up here, we had a 2 week opening in the beginning of June and I got most of my first cut done, then we had bad weather here in the second half of june, I just got the last of my first cut in yesterday
My numbers are about like this
20 acres yielded about 1400 80lb bales of alfalfa/OG/Timothy mix
an tired old pasture field of 9 acres yielded 250 bales of "horse candy" I'm going to be charging about $12/bale for that stuff, you just can't find hay that nice anywhere.
I've got one freshly seeded field with an oat/barley cover crop that'll probably come off in a month, figure another 300 bales or so there
I got pretty lucky with my hay, didn't get any rain on any of it... one of our neighbours (who sells ALL his hay, has no cows) had a field laying while we had the bad weather... it turned out really brown
My numbers are about like this
20 acres yielded about 1400 80lb bales of alfalfa/OG/Timothy mix
an tired old pasture field of 9 acres yielded 250 bales of "horse candy" I'm going to be charging about $12/bale for that stuff, you just can't find hay that nice anywhere.
I've got one freshly seeded field with an oat/barley cover crop that'll probably come off in a month, figure another 300 bales or so there
I got pretty lucky with my hay, didn't get any rain on any of it... one of our neighbours (who sells ALL his hay, has no cows) had a field laying while we had the bad weather... it turned out really brown
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
Got the first of my first cutting baled up last night finally. Now we have 3-4 days of rain moving in and then hopefully I can get the next 30 some acres of first cutting done.
Don't mind the ugly windrows when I was raking the wind was gusting to 50mph and blowing the hay all over the field.
Don't mind the ugly windrows when I was raking the wind was gusting to 50mph and blowing the hay all over the field.
denvermartinfarms
Well-known member
Looks good, what model baler is that, 848 maybe?chevytaHOE5674":3ejpp3cv said:Got the first of my first cutting baled up last night finally. Now we have 3-4 days of rain moving in and then hopefully I can get the next 30 some acres of first cutting done.
Don't mind the ugly windrows when I was raking the wind was gusting to 50mph and blowing the hay all over the field.
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
Thanks, its an 851 Auto tie.
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skyhightree1
Well-known member
I hope I can get another cutting out of this but if not I will just stock pile this for the winter
1982vett
Well-known member
I have some cows that would love to crawl off into that. They haven't seen anything that green for months.
