Caustic Burno
Well-known member
Local feed store had round for 110 a roll 5x5.
Hay shortage
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farmerjan
Well-known member
I feel for you guys. We had all the rain too, but did manage to get quite a bit of hay made although some is not the greatest due to over maturity, but it got made dry. We have had people calling looking for hay. My son has been selling some right along as we have over 400 rolls of 2 yr old hay that we are trying to get fed out. Mostly to the dry cows that are out on some halfway decent pasture that wasn't grazed after about July or August. There is some waste on the outside, but the cows seem to be eating it pretty good. It was made right and we just had a whole lot of extra that year that didn't sell and we had grass. Since we have lost 2 places this past year, and will be losing our heifer place April 1st, we will be needing more hay with less grass to put them out to. But we have cut our numbers some too. We do plan to try to make a significant number MORE of small square bales due to demand. With less places to travel to, and fewer pastures to be checking on, we hope to do a better job of making hay. IF the weather will halfway co-operate. And I am hoping that we will be able to wrap some this year if we get the rain, but can't always get the guy to come wrap when we need to. A wrapper is not in the budget at this time.
snoopdog
Well-known member
We sold hay this year, trying to keep in good graces with a neighbor, who wasn't doing much, hoping to lease or buy. Leased it to someone else without even a chance, and now we're short.
DCA farm
Well-known member
Caustic Burno said:
$110 a roll dadgum I watch some cows sell for that Last week.
DCA farm
Well-known member
One man I buy hay from had to cut all his buyers off he feeds 10-11 rollsa day and said he had to keep all he has or he's gonna run out.farmerjan said:
Another I buy buy from who lives about 8 miles from me decided to only bale 1/2 his places this year so he didn't have but 10 extra bales
And the 3rd man decided to plant soybeans on his hay feilds so he only put up enough hay to feed his cows with a few left over. So I bought all the hay I could find pulled my cows off half my land and let it stock pile I'm setting ok still have hay in the barn cows are on what's left of stockpile and and feeding hay. I've got ryegrass coming in in one pastures they will be getting out on it in about a week then come end of March beginning of April everything else should start greening up. (Stockpiled pasture saved me)
farmerjan
Well-known member
There seems to be fewer people making hay, and fewer places to make it on around here. Since we lost the 2 places last year, we were able to do a little better job with what we were making here closer with fighting the wet rainy conditions. But losing the heifer pasture and the 25-30 acres of just plain grass mixed hay will hurt.
We are renovating the one place we rent closeby, and will be putting in some more orchard grass in about an 7-8 acre strip that we have had grain sorghum in for 2 years. This field has been "divided" into 3 sections from the previous owner, and so we have kinda kept it that way. The one strip is getting alot of trash in it, so it will probably be the grain sorghum piece this year. We also have the option of a neighbor wanting some corn ground. May let him put corn in that section, get the weeds cleaned up and then put it back in orchard grass. There is another smaller 6+ acre field that is across a small creek, and it is getting alot of weeds. That will be the next one we renovate.
We pay a pretty high rent, but have the barns, working facilities, and all the other land that is in pasture. Unfortunately, the pastures are poor and even though we do fertilize, the one brother ran too many head for too many years and took way too much out of the land. We cannot afford to put them to rights, but try to improve them a little each year.
This is the farm that our friend died from cancer a few years back. In fact, it is 2 farms that the brothers farmed; one brother's side all pasture, the other brother had the barns and crop fields and a few smaller lots of a couple acres each. He did all the farming, and the brother with the pasture land just "rented" it to the brother that ran the cattle. Both brothers are gone, the widows won't sell, we tried, and the kids aren't going to farm it. Neither will rent to anyone else they say... so we pay more than we want, but "should" have it until the widows pass. It sits right along the interstate, and eventually will probably be sold by the heirs someday, and most likely some of it will go as commercial property. Hopefully not for a few more years. We can recoup our renovating costs within 2 years of each section with the improved fields of orchard grass in sales of the hay. Plus get the benefit of the grain sorghum silage. We also use sorghum/sudan grass to help renovate and get a good cutting off that and it makes pretty palatable feed for the cows. That's what I like to wrap if we can. Cows love it and it stretches the regular hay.
We are renovating the one place we rent closeby, and will be putting in some more orchard grass in about an 7-8 acre strip that we have had grain sorghum in for 2 years. This field has been "divided" into 3 sections from the previous owner, and so we have kinda kept it that way. The one strip is getting alot of trash in it, so it will probably be the grain sorghum piece this year. We also have the option of a neighbor wanting some corn ground. May let him put corn in that section, get the weeds cleaned up and then put it back in orchard grass. There is another smaller 6+ acre field that is across a small creek, and it is getting alot of weeds. That will be the next one we renovate.
We pay a pretty high rent, but have the barns, working facilities, and all the other land that is in pasture. Unfortunately, the pastures are poor and even though we do fertilize, the one brother ran too many head for too many years and took way too much out of the land. We cannot afford to put them to rights, but try to improve them a little each year.
This is the farm that our friend died from cancer a few years back. In fact, it is 2 farms that the brothers farmed; one brother's side all pasture, the other brother had the barns and crop fields and a few smaller lots of a couple acres each. He did all the farming, and the brother with the pasture land just "rented" it to the brother that ran the cattle. Both brothers are gone, the widows won't sell, we tried, and the kids aren't going to farm it. Neither will rent to anyone else they say... so we pay more than we want, but "should" have it until the widows pass. It sits right along the interstate, and eventually will probably be sold by the heirs someday, and most likely some of it will go as commercial property. Hopefully not for a few more years. We can recoup our renovating costs within 2 years of each section with the improved fields of orchard grass in sales of the hay. Plus get the benefit of the grain sorghum silage. We also use sorghum/sudan grass to help renovate and get a good cutting off that and it makes pretty palatable feed for the cows. That's what I like to wrap if we can. Cows love it and it stretches the regular hay.
farmerjan
Well-known member
DCA Farm. We are feeding about 7-8 rolls a day on average I guess. My son keeps track of all that. I tell him what pastures are getting down if I am checking the cows there, but he keeps a pretty good eye on how much each place is eating and when they need it. With weaning off the heifer calves, and the bred cows moved out to the stockpiled grass, which won't last too much longer anyway, we are feeding more places again.
The pregnancy checks were NOT great, and after talking to another friend, said he had 14 open out of 40 and his cows look GREAT. Said his cows ate mineral this year like it was candy. I attribute it to the overly wet year, washy grass that had alot of water and not much nutrition. So we didn't feel bad because we are running about 65-70% bred too. Over the past 10 years I looked and we were running over 90% every year but one and that was about 88%. Put the opens back with the bulls. Thing is, they are not worth .30/lb so no reason to ship decent cows that are open. They have gone back with the bulls, will have very late fall calves if they catch... but we have the hay. We will have less feeders to ship next year since the spring calf crop will be smaller, but that is the way it goes. We may look at buying some this year if prices continue to be low. Then if cull prices pick up, we can start culling out some more that need to go. Gotta roll with what we are given.
The pregnancy checks were NOT great, and after talking to another friend, said he had 14 open out of 40 and his cows look GREAT. Said his cows ate mineral this year like it was candy. I attribute it to the overly wet year, washy grass that had alot of water and not much nutrition. So we didn't feel bad because we are running about 65-70% bred too. Over the past 10 years I looked and we were running over 90% every year but one and that was about 88%. Put the opens back with the bulls. Thing is, they are not worth .30/lb so no reason to ship decent cows that are open. They have gone back with the bulls, will have very late fall calves if they catch... but we have the hay. We will have less feeders to ship next year since the spring calf crop will be smaller, but that is the way it goes. We may look at buying some this year if prices continue to be low. Then if cull prices pick up, we can start culling out some more that need to go. Gotta roll with what we are given.
farmerjan
Well-known member
Our vet said at the preg check that he thinks the cows are low in Mag, and that would figure with the grass growing all year with spring like growth, with the constant rain. So we are going to all high mag mineral this year. Our grounds seem to be low in what we have tested.
Some hay tests are showing our 2nd and third cut Orchard grass at 12 % protein which is pretty good. I don't have the papers in front of me, but the numbers my son was telling me were decent. The first cutting was in the 9% protein range, and he was rattling off all the other numbers and I said I would have to look at it on paper for it to make alot of sense to me. I'm a little slow, can't think that fast on my feet.
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Some hay tests are showing our 2nd and third cut Orchard grass at 12 % protein which is pretty good. I don't have the papers in front of me, but the numbers my son was telling me were decent. The first cutting was in the 9% protein range, and he was rattling off all the other numbers and I said I would have to look at it on paper for it to make alot of sense to me. I'm a little slow, can't think that fast on my feet.
:hide: :lol2: :lol2:
