hfd9341
Member
My question is what would be the average tons per acre you get from grass hay or alfalfa? I know this depends on location, pasture quality, and more, but Iam just trying to find an average tons per acre.
hay???
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hfd9341":2r65ppr4 said:
It also depends on whether the field is irrigated or not, amount of rainfall or drought conditions, fertilizer or lack thereof, unusally high or low temperatures, etc. Tonnage is going to vary from year to year and from field to field according to all of these things.
hfd9341
Member
I understand theres alot of variables. Iam just looking to see what people get from there fields
Our alfalfa pivot is irrigated, to the best of my knowledge is not fertilized, we usually get 4 cuttings, and - if memory serves (always iffy) - we usually get somewhere around 200 ton per cutting. Acreage is about 80 I believe. Maybe a little more, but not much.
hfd9341
Member
is that 200 tons per acre or the whole thing. Iam thinking about getting some land about 240 acres. Iam trying to figure out how much land i can put into hay and how much i can do cows on. The cows will need to be feed in there winter time. I will be lookin to sell a little also.
hfd9341
Member
what do you prefer round or square bales to sell?
hfd9341":nmc16c7y said:
We do part of it in 5 X 6 squares (for cattle producers mostly, but sell a few to horse people) and part of it in little square bales (for the horse people). We do not have a round baler, so that is not an option for us.
hfd9341
Member
I was thinking about goin with square bales also. I dont think i will need 80 acres of hay Iam probly goin to go with 30 to 40 acres of hay lets say 60-80 tons a cutting hoping on three cuttings a year that should be plenty for me.
hfd9341":3kiqw95l said:
As you live in California you probably have a much longer growing season that we do and would easily get 4 cuttings. Just something to think about. I don't know if it's possible to get more than 4 cuttings off an alfalfa field as it doesn't happen here due to a short growing season. We originally started with 1/2 of the pivot planted to alfalfa, then increased to the full pivot as demand increased. We have sold out the last 2 years running, despite the fact that the 1st and 3 cuttings got rained on badly this past summer.
hfd9341
Member
yeah i probably could get 4 cuttings a year, but the property iam looking at buying will be in oregon. I dont think the growing season is as long but i dont know. If you dont mind me askin do you sell by the ton by the bale. Do you sell to locals, feedstores, or both. Thanks
NorCalFarms
Well-known member
Yes as the others have said depends on where you are at, irrigated or no, etc. Most eastern OR irrigated growers get 3-4 cuttings and 5-8 tons/acre, maybe more in the lower elevation areas around Hermiston and Boardman. I think the western OR is all dependent upon the rain and when you can put the hay up.
hfd9341
Member
Really 5-8 tons an acre that would be nice. I most likely will end up irrigating the field i dont think were i want to go gets much rain.
NorCalFarms
Well-known member
I am fairly close to OR, work with a lot of alfalfa growers up there, if you give me a specific area I can maybe find out more if you want, I know the soils vary quite a bit.
hfd9341
Member
The area iam lookin is in harrison county. What areas would you suggest in oregon.
NorCalFarms
Well-known member
Ummm... Harrison County? I'd never heard of it and a google search shows nothing.
Oregon varies a lot from region to region, warm and wetter valleys in the west, coastal forests, to high mountians in the Cascades on to the dry high desert in Eastern Oregon. Depends on what you want to do, there is an area for almost anything. I spend most of my free time in Eastern OR, if you like solitude (like 100 miles to a town of 5,000) that is the place. Western OR is much more populated but is much warmer and still isn't exactly urban in most areas.
Oregon varies a lot from region to region, warm and wetter valleys in the west, coastal forests, to high mountians in the Cascades on to the dry high desert in Eastern Oregon. Depends on what you want to do, there is an area for almost anything. I spend most of my free time in Eastern OR, if you like solitude (like 100 miles to a town of 5,000) that is the place. Western OR is much more populated but is much warmer and still isn't exactly urban in most areas.
hfd9341
Member
Sorry I wasnt thinkin its harney county in eastern oregon. I believe its high desert. Yea I want solitude but I also need to live by a national forest so i can work and a hospital for my wife to work.
NorCalFarms
Well-known member
OK, gotcha 8)
Harney County, I've been through, worked in Burns, the largest town when I was just outta high school. Very high and dry desert, they grow lots of dairy quality alfalfa out there, all irrigated. Neat country, Steens Mtn is incredible in the spring. Burns is close to two NF, Ochoco and Malheur (sp.) and has a hospital, probably not big at all. I think the town has around 6,000 people. Bend is the nearest 'large town' about 140 miles away.
Harney County, I've been through, worked in Burns, the largest town when I was just outta high school. Very high and dry desert, they grow lots of dairy quality alfalfa out there, all irrigated. Neat country, Steens Mtn is incredible in the spring. Burns is close to two NF, Ochoco and Malheur (sp.) and has a hospital, probably not big at all. I think the town has around 6,000 people. Bend is the nearest 'large town' about 140 miles away.
hfd9341
Member
thats the area iam lookin. Is there a lot of land available out there. If so whats a good place to look for listings online. Hows the water in the high desert and whats the rainfall like.
