Hay Season 2018

[1982vett]

We almost have enough grass to start grazing.... long ways from hay making.

Im getting jealous seeing pictures of guys making hay. Equipment is all serviced and ready to roll, now we just need some more moisture and more time to grow.

Yep...put about 15 tons in the barn yesterday.....and I'm way behind the first cutters. With that, it was 96F yesterday when I did it.

Summer says "I'm here".

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I can remember when I lived in Kansas. Everyone would bale small bales & drop them on the ground. Let them cure out a day or so, then pick them up & put in barn.
When we moved here, I was totally fascinated watching kicker wagons. And, they would immediately put them in the barn. Occasionally, you would see a farmer cover the wagons & let set overnight. What a nightmare unloading those wagons. Being rather small, I usually was/am the one untangling the bales & putting them on the elevator. We always get 2 wagons of "candy" squares - either from our 2nd cutting or purchased out of a field.

 

[Stocker Steve]

One year, I grazed one half of a field twice and not the other. The two grazings were probably within a 10-14 day period. We ended up with too much pasture, so we hayed both halves. Got exactly the same from each side.

Grass follows cattle -- if you graze when it is in a vegetative growth phase and leave enough residual.

 

[Texasmark]

Funny , how you walk through it , and can't hardly , but when it's on the ground , it don't seem like much.

My sentiments exactly. Question for you. I notice you are bailing wet crop. How are you going to process and put it up?

My first cutting this year, the week of April 8, was peas and Jumbo Rye and it was dry when I cut it and over 4 days I tedded probably 3 times, had sunshine and moderate temps. Peas dried out good but stems on the Rye stayed green and a fingernail squeezed along the stem with an open end didn't produce any visible moisture; leaves were ready to shatter. Regardless, I baled it (rain on the way as usual) and after about 10 days it was browning. Didn't feel I deserved that. Should have been ok. Fed it out before it ruined.

Second field was Perennial Rye and Fescue I cut May 9 and it cured out ok and made some nice hay.

TM, I have to confess my ignorance on what you mean by "wet crop ", which I normally associate with silage. Unless you consider the wheat a wet crop , we just have mixed grass and dry it normally .

Your tires are wet. May be due to dew. Crop must contain that moisture in addition to plant fluids that haven't evaporated seems to me. Just curious as moisture is my enemy in all my baling unless it's July or August and by then there is nothing left worth baling.

 

[snoopdog]

My sentiments exactly. Question for you. I notice you are bailing wet crop. How are you going to process and put it up?

My first cutting this year, the week of April 8, was peas and Jumbo Rye and it was dry when I cut it and over 4 days I tedded probably 3 times, had sunshine and moderate temps. Peas dried out good but stems on the Rye stayed green and a fingernail squeezed along the stem with an open end didn't produce any visible moisture; leaves were ready to shatter. Regardless, I baled it (rain on the way as usual) and after about 10 days it was browning. Didn't feel I deserved that. Should have been ok. Fed it out before it ruined.

Second field was Perennial Rye and Fescue I cut May 9 and it cured out ok and made some nice hay.

TM, I have to confess my ignorance on what you mean by "wet crop ", which I normally associate with silage. Unless you consider the wheat a wet crop , we just have mixed grass and dry it normally .

Your tires are wet. May be due to dew. Crop must contain that moisture in addition to plant fluids that haven't evaporated seems to me. Just curious as moisture is my enemy in all my baling unless it's July or August and by then there is nothing left worth baling.

I think your referring to ez14s post , but I have cut like that , if the weather is good and hot .

 

[ez14.]

TM, I have to confess my ignorance on what you mean by "wet crop ", which I normally associate with silage. Unless you consider the wheat a wet crop , we just have mixed grass and dry it normally .

Your tires are wet. May be due to dew. Crop must contain that moisture in addition to plant fluids that haven't evaporated seems to me. Just curious as moisture is my enemy in all my baling unless it's July or August and by then there is nothing left worth baling.

I think your referring to ez14s post , but I have cut like that , if the weather is good and hot .

if he is referring to my post. Then if the hay has any thickness at all it will stay wet down in the thick stuff all day for the whole summer unless we get a drought but then it doesn't get thick either. So we wait for most of the dew to dry off but it won't all dry off until the hay is cut. And yes it can make getting the hay dried down kinda tough but that's what we have to work with

Those pictures were taken about 3:00 with 90 degree temperatures and a good breeze

 

[skyhightree1]

Nice keep up the good work.. good looking place

 

[ez14.]

Nice keep up the good work.. good looking place

thanks.

That field was baled today I know there was about 70 small square bales (I guess the tractor I put on the small square baler has a bad PTO clutch so it was slow going) and I'm not sure how many round bales it made yet.

 

[Texasmark]

Thanks for the replies. Nice pics.

 

[M-5]

I cut Bahia fields Sunday and got a couple tenths to wash the dust off. Started yesterday on the T85 , I was very surprised at actually how good it looked. 2" rain Saturday really helped.

 

[herofan]

It's finally dry enough to mow, so I mowed this week and will bale tomorrow. It's a combo of Fescue, Orchard Grass, Clover, and some Timothy scattered here and there. It's come a long way from 7 years ago when it was a bunch of weeds.

 

[Lazy M]

It's finally dry enough to mow, so I mowed this week and will bale tomorrow. It's a combo of Fescue, Orchard Grass, Clover, and some Timothy scattered here and there. It's come a long way from 7 years ago when it was a bunch of weeds.

Gotcha beat by a day. Finally got a stretch of good hay weather

 

[MtnCows93]

everybody around here got hay up this week, its dang thick too my buddy had a one acre field and it made 13 and a half 4x4 rolls! ive got a 1 acre field i wrap up in fertilizer every year just to see what it will do and i square baled it and made 175 small squares about 40 pounders

 

[ez14.]

Got 30 acres baled today, because there was 2 of us baling I'm not sure how many bales we got

 

[Nesikep]

We got crap weather.. rain every few days, Alfalfa is usually in full bloom by now, it's barely started and isn't even progressing.. If I cut, my neighbor will have all my hay, 40mph gusts all week.. looks like the whole month is crap.. going to have to wing it next week and hope for the best.. cows will eat it anyhow

 

[skyhightree1]

Got 30 acres baled today, because there was 2 of us baling I'm not sure how many bales we got

cattle appreciate it that's all that matters you can count later

 

[ddd75]

everybody around here got hay up this week, its dang thick too my buddy had a one acre field and it made 13 and a half 4x4 rolls! ive got a 1 acre field i wrap up in fertilizer every year just to see what it will do and i square baled it and made 175 small squares about 40 pounders

nice!

 

[millstreaminn]

We got crap weather.. rain every few days, Alfalfa is usually in full bloom by now, it's barely started and isn't even progressing.. If I cut, my neighbor will have all my hay, 40mph gusts all week.. looks like the whole month is crap.. going to have to wing it next week and hope for the best.. cows will eat it anyhow

I tried to make some dry hay last week, only could get it to 24% so I baled and wrapped it. Have about 25 bales to put up and wrap today. That's enough for a one man show.

 

[millstreaminn]

Had some pictures to post but keep getting a general error.

 

[ddd75]

2nd cutting is coming on strong with good rains and now the temps are back to normal.