Last cutting/grazing

[Bfields30]

Have about 10 acres I got 34 bales off first cutting debating should I buy more bales and just let it keep growing and turn them out on it once I start feeding bales. My hay guy is 28 a bale but got some bales I can get delivered for 35 a bale.

 

[JParrott]

At those prices I'd buy and save the grass on the ground.

 

[jschoolcraft86]

I agree with JParrott. Buy the hay and stockpile the forage.

 

[1982vett]

I don't recall...what kind of hay is it?

 

[Bfields30]

I don't recall...what kind of hay is it?

Bahia mixed grasses

 

[ccr]

Have about 10 acres I got 34 bales off first cutting debating should I buy more bales and just let it keep growing and turn them out on it once I start feeding bales. My hay guy is 28 a bale but got some bales I can get delivered for 35 a bale.

delivered for $35. i thought it cost more than that to grow (fertilize, herbicides, bale, and deliver). sounds like a cheap price. don't know if there are stickers where your at or not. if there is stickers in the hay they will be planted on your place and then the battle with that starts.

i asked a guy one time if he would guarantee that there are no stickers in his hay - he said i can't can't guarantee that. i hung up. it should be against the law to sell hay with stickers.

sorry for the rant, but cheap hay would have me concerned and have been burned with sticker hay (that wasn't cheap).

 

[1982vett]

Really need to know more to give an answer that takes all into consideration. How close are you to feeding hay. Could grazing it will delay feeding hay. If you grazed it would that allow another pasture to rest and give cool season grass a chance to grow a bit. As said, your hay guy seems to have some inexpensive hay....that is if it's actually good hay. A lot of the hay I baled this year looks nice but it lacks a lot in the protein department. I strive to have grazing as long as I can and usually don't feed hay till first killing frost. I turned in to my last patch that was last baled in July. The inch of rain we got last week has started the winter grasses to come up and greening up the warm season. Although I never planned to bale this patch, turning in will take the pressure off the greenup.

 

[Bfields30]

Really need to know more to give an answer that takes all into consideration. How close are you to feeding hay. Could grazing it will delay feeding hay. If you grazed it would that allow another pasture to rest and give cool season grass a chance to grow a bit. As said, your hay guy seems to have some inexpensive hay....that is if it's actually good hay. A lot of the hay I baled this year looks nice but it lacks a lot in the protein department. I strive to have grazing as long as I can and usually don't feed hay till first killing frost. I turned in to my last patch that was last baled in July. The inch of rain we got last week has started the winter grasses to come up and greening up the warm season. Although I never planned to bale this patch, turning in will take the pressure off the greenup.

 

[Bfields30]

Really need to know more to give an answer that takes all into consideration. How close are you to feeding hay. Could grazing it will delay feeding hay. If you grazed it would that allow another pasture to rest and give cool season grass a chance to grow a bit. As said, your hay guy seems to have some inexpensive hay....that is if it's actually good hay. A lot of the hay I baled this year looks nice but it lacks a lot in the protein department. I strive to have grazing as long as I can and usually don't feed hay till first killing frost. I turned in to my last patch that was last baled in July. The inch of rain we got last week has started the winter grasses to come up and greening up the warm season. Although I never planned to bale this patch, turning in will take the pressure off the greenup.

I need to rest my main pasture but i also need to put a hot wire on back side of hay field but my main pasture is pretty low grass I'll be feeding hay soon maybe end of this month I'll be buying about 25-30 bales more I have about 40 already but trying to be safe make sure I have more then enough.

 

[Bfields30]

Have about 10 acres I got 34 bales off first cutting debating should I buy more bales and just let it keep growing and turn them out on it once I start feeding bales. My hay guy is 28 a bale but got some bales I can get delivered for 35 a bale.

delivered for $35. i thought it cost more than that to grow (fertilize, herbicides, bale, and deliver). sounds like a cheap price. don't know if there are stickers where your at or not. if there is stickers in the hay they will be planted on your place and then the battle with that starts.

i asked a guy one time if he would guarantee that there are no stickers in his hay - he said i can't can't guarantee that. i hung up. it should be against the law to sell hay with stickers.

sorry for the rant, but cheap hay would have me concerned and have been burned with sticker hay (that wasn't cheap).

He bales pasture for 25 a bale but he couldn't bale mine since he full already so offered me some hay to buy doesn't look like bad hay went to look at yesterday he also baling 3rd cutting this week. Which I'll get some of that as well.

 

[1982vett]

Of course the ultimate decision is yours but I think I'd go ahead and turn in on your hay patch to delay feeding hay. Who knows. Get a mild winter you may get some winter grass along the way that could help supplement costs. Really doesn't take a lot of green grazing to supplement mediocre hay.

 

[TexasBred]

Have about 10 acres I got 34 bales off first cutting debating should I buy more bales and just let it keep growing and turn them out on it once I start feeding bales. My hay guy is 28 a bale but got some bales I can get delivered for 35 a bale.

delivered for $35. i thought it cost more than that to grow (fertilize, herbicides, bale, and deliver). sounds like a cheap price. don't know if there are stickers where your at or not. if there is stickers in the hay they will be planted on your place and then the battle with that starts.

i asked a guy one time if he would guarantee that there are no stickers in his hay - he said i can't can't guarantee that. i hung up. it should be against the law to sell hay with stickers.

sorry for the rant, but cheap hay would have me concerned and have been burned with sticker hay (that wasn't cheap).

You're almost asking for the impossible. Heck I can't even guarantee no "stickers" in my lawn. There were none last month but who knows today.

 

[JParrott]

Of course the ultimate decision is yours but I think I'd go ahead and turn in on your hay patch to delay feeding hay. Who knows. Get a mild winter you may get some winter grass along the way that could help supplement costs. Really doesn't take a lot of green grazing to supplement mediocre hay.

That's why he should buy hay if he knows the guy and where the hay is coming from.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

OK, I'll bite - what are you referring to "stickers"? Thistles? Burdock?

 

[ccr]

OK, I'll bite - what are you referring to "stickers"? Thistles? Burdock?

wished i didn't know what they was. sticker = sandbur (grassbur) is listed as a noxious weed in 46 states. it is in the grass family being an annual from the genus cenchrus and early in the spring is hard to distinguish from other grasses, but once it forms the spiny, sharp spurs (stickers) it is vicious. they have needle sharp burs that if you walk thru a patch of them, you will have stickers stuck to your body, shoes and pants and they are a pain in the behind to get out of your clothes.

if you buy hay with stickers you are apt to have sticker plants the following spring. once they grow and have the stickers (which contain seeds) they can get on cows or other animals and trans located to other parts of your property. if you are unaware there are sticker plants and you drive over them you then plant them unknowingly wherever you drive.

they are difficult to control post emergence because most herbicide that will kill the stickers will also kill or suppress desirable grasses, and even if you do kill the plant the seed will still germinate later. pre-emergent herbicide (prowl h2o) applied before germination gives good control. each individual sticker has several seeds inside the sticker. there can be be hundreds of seeds with one sticker plant.

i've spent way to much time pulling stickers where i put out round bales because i didn't want the stickers to be picked by cattle, other animals, or driving over them, then inadvertently planted in a new location. they can be a big problem. we had sticker plants covered in a 7 acre coastal field that was newly planted, probably brought in with equipment. after a couple of years of post emergent (pastora) and pre emergent herbicide they were sticker free, and still are 15 years later. we spray pre emergent herbicide every late winter to keep from having these noxious plants (the sticker seed can last for years in the soil).

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Thanks! At least our thistles and burdocks can be killed with a regular herbicide (2-4D) making controlling pretty easy if you stay on it.

 

[M.Magis]

So with all the difficulties in controlling "stickers", as well as how easily they're unknowingly spread, how can you expect someone to guarantee there are none in his hay fields? I'm not sure if you've ever put up your own hay, but I know I wouldn't offer any such guarantee.

 

[1982vett]

These Stickers are problems of sandy soils....what we call watermelon sand. But under the circumstance of being in hay, they can find their way to the heavier soils. However, they don't thrive and are easier to get rid of in these cases.