How much hay to expect

[Alan]

As I said a few times earlier, I sold most my herd with these cattle prices, so I have way too much grass. I have set aside about 35 acres to have baled in a month. The grass is clean as far as weeds go and pretty much thick. Can anyone give me a ball park figure, and ball park is understood, how many tons to expect? Yea no pics, just the info I gave you, pretty good growth, very much weed clean (which I'm happy and proud of, years of hard work), and guessing 35 acres, currently the under growth is about 18" tall with a good hot month to grow with plenty of moisture still in the ground.

I haven't got a clue since this is the first year for me. I can store about 800 60lb small square but what if I get 2000 or 300 small squares. I'm just looking for guesses.

Thanks for any help on this guess,
Alan

 

[hillbilly beef man]

We used to bale 3,800 to 5,100 small square bales off of a 40 acre field of that helps. I do not miss those days one bit.

 

[Bigfoot]

I don't know anything about grass in your area, but I can venture a good guess you will have more than 800 bales. If you just make 22 bales to the acre, you'll be about out of space. I cut some grazed pasture last week, that made 6 rolls per acre. That should be in the vicinity of 5000 pounds of hay to the acre. I make a 50 pound square bale, so that would have been about 100 squares per acre. No. Of that probably helps, but it's all I got.

 

[highgrit]

Call your county extension agent. He'll have a good idea of how many pounds of hay you should cut per acre. Hard to beat local knowledge.

 

[bigbull338]

id say you only need to bale less than 10acs to get 600 sq bales.but then what are you going todo with the other 25acs.

 

[Dave]

Depends a lot on your soil type and grass species. Soils can vary a lot in e PNW. The soil on my home place will do 6 tons per acre. Two miles away the soil will only produce 2 ton per acre. And I know one a few miles away that you would be lucky to get a ton per acre. If it is bent grass two ton is about all you can get. Orchard, fescue, rye will all do up to 6 ton and the sky is the limit with canary reed grass but it makes pretty sorry hay. Back when I was doing hay I figured 4 ton on the good bottom land and 2 ton on the hill sides. Some did better and some worse but those were good ball park figures.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the responses, Dave you know the area well. I have two areas set aside to hay, one is about ten acres with pretty good soil, it was a strawberry field in the 60's and 70's. The other is about 25 acres, about half of that is old strawberry ground with good growth also the the rest start a gentle slope uphill and not the same growth there. But judging by your guess the 25 acres will give me more hay than I can store....... Wish I had a hay barn, I should be able to store 800 bales.

Thanks again,
Alan