Hay fields are looking good this year. It's a nice mix of Orchard Grass, Fescue, Clover, and Timothy. I'm sure it's a little mature for most people's taste, but it's been raining a lot. It looks like I'll be able to get at it in about a week.
Nice hay this year
- Thread starter herofan
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SBMF 2015
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It will beat the heck out of a snowball next January. Looks like the end of this week we could get four clear days. Thinking I should wait on chopping eye and knock down some hay instead.
The weather man this morning showed above normal precip for the next 90 days. Didn't even get to start mowing hay till the 20th of June last year.
The weather man this morning showed above normal precip for the next 90 days. Didn't even get to start mowing hay till the 20th of June last year.
I started cutting today. Calling for rain everyday as well. I don't care. I've never seen a roll of hay a cow wouldn't eat. I really need to make two cuttings to make the ends connect. Figured I'd better get started.
kentuckyguy
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The rain scared me off. And next week looks like there's a window with no rain but 70 degree temps.
I'd like to cut it but I think I'm gonna hold off.
I'd like to cut it but I think I'm gonna hold off.
This is my 3rd year in a row where rain made for great plant growth, but made for mature hay when the window finally arrived. Course that's not all bad as the mature plants drop their seeds and annual Rye becomes perennial . But the pasture is mixed grasses and all aren't going to be mature. Like you say, bad hay is better than none at all and my hay isn't bad, some of it is just over-ripe. At least it's weed free except for a few flowers here and there which I don't classify as weeds since they are easily eaten, actually preferred, and digest well.
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herofan
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kentuckyguy said:
Same here. We've been getting a shower every day lately. Today, for example, it was hot and sunny until around 2:00, then we get a downpour for about thirty minutes. Forecast shows no rain for a few days next week.
Honestly, though, it's not good weather to mow much sooner that this any year around here. April and May is usually rainy, and even if we get some days rain free, it's so cool that the ground is still sloppy.
sim.-ang.king
Well-known member
Gonna be a lot of good hay. Nice and clean, and good thick grass. Just a matter if it's ever gonna get baled.
SmokinM
Well-known member
Bigfoot said:
What is your plan for getting it up? I see plenty of guys here with that same approach. Some have finally got smart and bought wrappers and silage balers but if you don't have that then what? Gotta be able to get it thru a baler eventually. Gonna bale some today and the man is supposed to come tube wrap it for me. Hoping my baler will bale it. Got caught by the weather liars again. I personally have never had much luck in getting hay dry that got rained on after it has dried much and laying it down so it half rots on the ground doesn't make sense either so wondering what I am missing.
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herofan
Well-known member
SmokinM said:
I'm cautious and have never had rain on hay to amount to anything, but I've seen people who have, and it doesn't seem good. I had a neighbor get his hay rained on the day he planned to bale. By the time he Was able to get it raked, half of it had just disappeared.
BFE
Well-known member
My brother always says he's never lost a hay crop in June. Quality isn't at the top, but then again, top quality May hay that's half rotten from the wet weather isn't top quality is it?herofan said:
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herofan
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BFE said:
I agree. I've actually done the majority of mowing in June due to our spring conditions, and my grandfather did as well. When June mowing is the norm, that's what we consider "normal hay," and we've always done fine. As you said, I'd rather have June hay a little mature than earlier hay that's half rotten. I'm sure, however, that spring weather in some places cooperates a little better than here.
Texasmark said:
I have been looking the www for seed information and today I may have found the answer. Question is, my current rye crop is fully headed out but the seeds are still intact. Was thinking I had to wait till they essentially died...went dormant before I could cut hay and have the seeds make next years crop. Answer is depends on the plant. Some do ok with soft seeds and others temp cycling, odd temp cyclings, this and that. I know I cut hay at this stage last year and was surprised with a bumper crop this year, so I guess Rye grass can reestablish itself with soft seeds.
Weather has a break for the next 10 days and looks like it's cutting time as soon as the dirt gets dry.
SmokinM said:
I don't have an "approach ". Life is a gamble, and farming is worse. Got extremely lucky , and got this hay rolled yesterday. Cut Monday, and rolled Tuesday. Will some mold? I'm sure it will, but it rained all night. CLling for rain through Friday. Took the lesser of the two risk. You reach a point you have so much to do, you have to do something. Can't make a second cut till you get the first cut off the field.
1982vett
Well-known member
Texasmark said:
Gulf coast ryegrass is what's here. I did plant some jumbo ryegrass 10 years ago when renovating some pasture, I can't say I could differentiate it from the gulf coast so nor sure if it survived. Drought conditions didn't help that fact. I can't say how the other varieties of ryegrass react to cutting just as the heads are maturing, but gulfcoast cut at a mature stage but still with green color will have a lot of viable seed. Another conformation of this is watching what germinates after feeding it in the winter.
Just drove through your neck of the woods yesterday. Y'all are still greener than we are. I cut hay a month ago and the ryegrass that came back is now maturing and drying out. When I cut it early enough it always shoots another smaller head. This is what reseeds the hay patches for me. Pretty much the same for the ball clover and Arrowleaf clovers in my hay.
Maybe I'm wrong but, it looks like we could improve the quality of our hay by adding more clover to the hayfields like red clover. Getting up into june the mature grasses would be complimented by the clovers which should up the protein content.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
chevytaHOE5674
Well-known member
UP here clover in hay is hard to get dry. IME clover is about the hardest crop to get dry. In a mixed stand the other species will be bone dry and get pulverized in the baler and the clover will still be tough. Just my experience with clovers here in the north.
callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
Started cutting haygrazer yesterday. This is a field of the late maturity seed 4-6feet and not even thinking about making seed. Should be good hay. I could've let it grow some more but I've got to much scattered around to do for a one man show. I cut with a storm coming but several days of good weather coming. Won't loose any days waiting for the mud to dry.
