Hay Shortage

[machslammer]

Here in my area of Tennessee/KY line the reason seemed to miss us all spring and summer. We made 600 rolls in spring of 17 and this year was 380 on same fields, fertilized same way, and limed.. this fall as of right now, and we should be cutting in a month and our grass is not 2 feet tall in any field.. Be lucky to make 1 roll an acre on most places. Good thing we had 100 extra from last year.

 

[BK9954]

.... .

 

[Supa Dexta]

Surface applied lime takes a couple yrs to see much of a result.

 

[Texasmark]

We got a welcomed reprieve last week and into the weekend. In what looked like a bleak finale to a bleak summer, we had rain off and on all week. Not a lot, maybe 2" accumulation, but came in like a drizzle with a few TSs blowing through from time to time....allowed it all to soak in. Hay patch woke up and shes a producing.

Again this reminds me of the August I built my house back in 1979. Took 2 months off from work and figured August would be hot for working but dry so I could work and get things weathered in. Wrong! Rained on me 3 times.

Really bad thing is that it's pier and beam and I put 3 ½" batts under the subfloor....with the tar paper moisture barrier and all. With the roof off, the water came in and filled the bats with water so I had to crawl under the house, the full area, and slit the batts to allow the water out. Guess it didn't hurt anything as the floor is still solid after all these years and I made my schedule......moral of the story here is that when you see a new house going up and it's raining on it, no biggie. It'll heal.

 

[Texasmark]

My place is completely burned to a crisp, NO GRASS AT ALL to eat. I am on hay only. It's the worst it's been in 4 years.

We had one up here back about then or a few years earlier. Lasted a couple of years. My water holes completely dried up and the buzzards had a field day. Lost a lot of fish. Only water was stock tanks. Everything eventually recovered. I live on Houston Black Clay and it showed it's colors. Had to watch where you walked as your foot would get caught in a crack and twist an ankle. Worried a lot about the bovines breaking a leg and having to put them down but none did.

Before this last week there were a few cracks to watch out for. Pretty much puffed back up.

 

[ddd75]

its been like spring here for the last month.. rains nearly everyday.. mist in the morning.. grass growing like its spring. 3rd cut should be really great.


terrible for you guys in a drought, but I can't believe the rain we are getting here.. pretty unheard of in august.

just ended up buying 4 pairs and a bull for 4500.00 .. lil rough but they'll get in shape for that price!

 

[Bright Raven]

its been like spring here for the last month.. rains nearly everyday.. mist in the morning.. grass growing like its spring. 3rd cut should be really great.


terrible for you guys in a drought, but I can't believe the rain we are getting here.. pretty unheard of in august.

just ended up buying 4 pairs and a bull for 4500.00 .. lil rough but they'll get in shape for that price!

I have never seen an August like this. Cows are all loose. Might want to be sure you have good mineral out.

 

[greybeard]

These are some of the prices being charged local. You can get cheaper, but pretty far away(hours). The milo price is outrageous considering it's half waste with the stalks



poems by Mirabai

That's dirt cheap compared to 2010 and 2011..

 

[BK9954]

These are some of the prices being charged local. You can get cheaper, but pretty far away(hours). The milo price is outrageous considering it's half waste with the stalks



poems by Mirabai

That's dirt cheap compared to 2010 and 2011..

Yeah I remember $150 bales. The milo was cool when dove season came around, first year we had birds all over the property. I am still buying 5×6 coastal bluestem mix for $70 from Port Aransas right now as many as I can afford. I figure if this last I will be glad I did. I really don't want to sell what I have built up in my herd.

 

[TexasBred]

Never got that high over here but was high enough. Of those prices I'd probably take the milo. Much heavier bales, cattle love it and force them to clean it up and there really is not all that much waste.

 

[BK9954]

Never got that high over here but was high enough. Of those prices I'd probably take the milo. Much heavier bales, cattle love it and force them to clean it up and there really is not all that much waste.

During that drought Caldwell county was dead in the center. When I came out here, old man that's been out here about 50 years told me, " just so you know, Caldwell County is cursed when it comes to rain" said he was told that when he moved here, funny I have been watching go around us all year, rain just went up around Georgetown yesterday, seems like it splits around Lockhart like we are on the top of a Mountain sometimes.

 

[BK9954]

The only thing green on my place are the weeds and mesquites. This is along my creek. A round bale is lasting me half the time it was before, now it's all they have. I am feeding the hay I still have feom 2 years ago. Even where the septic tank empties out is dead..

 

[AZAggie]

I feel for you all. We were in that same situation here in SW OK back in 2011-2013, and we are still under drought conditions here. It got so bad we were cutting down cottonwood trees for the cows to eat. They would strip a big tree clean in no time. I don't think I received more than 2 inches of rain at our place in 2011 and into 2012. We had roughly 60 pairs back when I moved back here at that time. I sold over 100 cows and calves in 2011, and it wasn't enough. I think we have 2 cows left out of that original herd now, and they are going to the sale soon.

 

[cowgirl8]

What about ponds? Our old ponds are almost dry. New ponds are ok. Here in a bit i'll run to the back pasture and check that pond and make sure the cows can get into ok... back to checking ponds, ugh...