Hay season 2021

Help Support CattleToday:

I got done yesterday with the first cutting. Usually I have around 500 5x5 bales the first cutting, but this year only 328 bales on the same acreage. Hopefully the second go around will be good. The colder than normal temperatures and periods of no rainfall at important times made the hay almost like fall hay as it does not have much stem like first cutting usually has. Every year I can feel it more and more health wise from the long hours on a tractor and the work that goes into it. Hopefully I can brake even again this year.
 
I got done yesterday with the first cutting. Usually I have around 500 5x5 bales the first cutting, but this year only 328 bales on the same acreage. Hopefully the second go around will be good. The colder than normal temperatures and periods of no rainfall at important times made the hay almost like fall hay as it does not have much stem like first cutting usually has. Every year I can feel it more and more health wise from the long hours on a tractor and the work that goes into it. Hopefully I can brake even again this year.
We're seeing about the same results here this year. Hoping for a good second cutting to make up for the shortage in the first. Thankful for the rain we've got the last few days. It was starting to get pretty dry. Don't want to start running short on pasture in a year when hay numbers are down already.
 
I got done yesterday with the first cutting. Usually I have around 500 5x5 bales the first cutting, but this year only 328 bales on the same acreage. Hopefully the second go around will be good. The colder than normal temperatures and periods of no rainfall at important times made the hay almost like fall hay as it does not have much stem like first cutting usually has. Every year I can feel it more and more health wise from the long hours on a tractor and the work that goes into it. Hopefully I can brake even again this year.
For enough pay I will come help in my spare time. I can mow and clip pastures of the night.
 
For enough pay I will come help in my spare time. I can mow and clip pastures of the night.
I will keep you in mind Kenny and I appreciate it. Also if you need me just let me know. My son's in-laws family, one has a broke leg and another has a broke arm so he has been helping them as much as possible.
 
Cut & baled 9 acres wheat/rye/ryegrass3 wks ago and 70 acres fescue/orchardgrass 2 weeks back. The grass was thinner than we expected...it only made about 2 roll/acre
 
I will keep you in mind Kenny and I appreciate it. Also if you need me just let me know. My son's in-laws family, one has a broke leg and another has a broke arm so he has been helping them as much as possible.
I was messing with you about the pay. If you need help just ask.
 
I was messing with you about the pay. If you need help just ask.
About 90% of the time I kid and BS on here and some people take it wrong as it is a wonder I have no been shown the door, but this one time I was not kidding. If the ox gets in the ditch I may call you and you have my # I will do the same for you.
 
Just got another inch of rain....more on the way if it stays the course and holds together. I moved the cutter out of the yard last week but didn't unhook.
 
Finally got the last of our wheat on the ground. Got a little 3 day window that should be enough time to get it taken care of, and some sudan planted.

New mower works well. Leaves a nice windrow. 2pt is pretty slick, pulls nice, very smooth. Have a little leakage from the rear swivel gearbox, not sure what that is all about. May have just been over filled.

It's fairly easy to service, all of the hard plastic U-joint hoods are easily removed, however the U joint grease fittings aren't aligned like they are on the Vermeer. The shafts need to be turned here and there to get all of them.

The New Holland quick change knife system seems to be quite a bit better as well, faster for sure. Vermeer's is pretty good, but there are a lot more wear parts and sometimes they can be a pain to get loose.

Mowed 30 acres in about 4 hours. Went pretty slow, kept it just over 5 mph most of the time.. Lots of these critters around. 2 does and 3 little guys that all escaped unharmed. I usually mow in C1/C2 which is about 5.5 and 7mph.
PXL_20210603_174945445.jpgPXL_20210603_181125125.jpg
 
Last edited:
Depending on how much rain we get in the next couple of days, should be starting this week. Like someone said, fescue looks like fall hay, not much stem, gobs of clover. One thing about the hop clover, its just now starting to bloom, on the lease 20 miles away its already bloomed and turned, the wheat is still pretty good, surprisingly. I certainly won't cuss the rain, but this is the latest we've gotten the first cutting started in years.
 
We made our first 12 acres. Had a window about 2 weeks earlier but waiting on baler parts as a bearing was going out. Parts are hard to get, then got the wrong ones. Son cut Friday, tedded Sat. I tedded Sunday morning and then started raking at 2 or so. Hay didn't look that thick but got 120 couple 4x5 rolls on 9 1/2 acres of orchard grass and 25 rolls on 2 1/2 acres of mixed grass. A few green clumps but they get rolled on the outside of the bales so as to not make them overheat, and catch on fire or to mold. Never would have believed it made that much.
Son said he couldn't believe it and I said it is because we have been working on adding to the soil instead of like in the past when the friend that owned it just took and only put back chemical fertilizer. We use alot of chicken/poultry litter and it is finally showing up in better tilth and topsoil.... The friend used and used the farm and it is still showing some real poor places.... pastures are poor and we keep trying to build it back with rolling out hay, litter where we can get to to spread... slow going. We also use cover crops in the fall and then kill or till back in....son is in the process of buying it so now it is worth all the work.
Got alot to go and it is already headed out... but 30-50% chance for the next 4-5 days so no sense in laying it down when it can most likely get wet and then have to be worked so much to make it crap bedding.... Made decent, overmature is definitely preferable, to cut and then reworked 3 or 4 times to get it dry.
 
Didn't get the rain last night, it went north on the west side and some went north on the east side of the Blue Ridge mtns. About 40 miles north they got over an inch or DOWNPOUR rain.
More in the forecast tonight and wetter the end of the week. Guess we will wait a bit more.
 
Didn't get the rain last night, it went north on the west side and some went north on the east side of the Blue Ridge mtns. About 40 miles north they got over an inch or DOWNPOUR rain.
More in the forecast tonight and wetter the end of the week. Guess we will wait a bit more.
I was bush hogging about 20 mins from the house and we didn't get squat there, wife said we got a little shower at home. She called me at 8PM and said she had gotten a tractor stuck - a 105hp 4wd tractor! Thankfully, she had just pushed the 4wd button the wrong way and it walked itself out once I got there - I was expecting something much more impressive! 😬
 
Haven't had any more rain since Sunday, drilled about 70 acres of green graze, got 40 more to go once the ground is worked up and ready.

We got 230 4x4 silage bales of wheat off of that 40 acres. Unfortunately it was probably two weeks past ideal, it was pretty dry on the stalk and starting to mature.
 
Haven't had any more rain since Sunday, drilled about 70 acres of green graze, got 40 more to go once the ground is worked up and ready.

We got 230 4x4 silage bales of wheat off of that 40 acres. Unfortunately it was probably two weeks past ideal, it was pretty dry on the stalk and starting to mature.
How are you liking the new mower?
 
How are you liking the new mower?

I like it just fine. The center pivot is nice. Need to get a good left mirror on the mowing tractor, looking over your left should while reaching for the controls is pretty awkward.

The oil leak is a little concerning, it appears to be coming from the pivot seal, not the vent. May need to go back to the dealer.
 
We finished 1st cutting. 3 1/2 days of mowing & wrapped - in-line. 1 day didn't do anything because of weather - just misty & cloudy. 1/2 day down because of a major breakdown. Hay crew has a great bale wagon that picks up & carries 12 bales. The bracket on the frame that holds the hydraulic ram tore almost completely off the frame. Got a friend in that can weld upside down. Took 5 hours of welding and grinding. Put up 506 bales. 32 bales off 9 acres of pasture that was already grazed. And 474 bales out of 80 acres hay fields - just shy of 6 bales/acre. These are 4' x 50" bales. Dries in fields 1-2 days.
 

Latest posts

Top