Overly Mature Hay to Bale or Not to Bale

[Jabes0623]

Long story short; I have a 22 acre field that I intended to hire out for baling this summer. Guy ditches me last minute. I don't have a round baler & I didn't have anymore room to store squares at the time so I just let the field stand intending to brushog it when I got around to it.

Well I've still never got around to it & I'm having a new barn built starting next week so I'll have room for the squares. So I'm wondering if I should just go ahead & cut & bale the field?

I know the hay won't be of very high quality, but due to a very dry Aug/Sept I've been forced to start feeding hay already & it's entirely possible I could need the hay before all is said & done. Now obviously I could buy hay but that's a fairly expensive endevour & I'd prefer to avoid it.

The stand is mixed native cool season grasses with a little clover & obviously after growing all year some weeds. Though I'd probably go through & hand cut the worst of the weeds before mowing.

So is it worth baling? Thanks in advance.

 

[dun]

I would cut and bale it. If you get any fall rains the cool season stuff will grow back some and may provide a bit of grazing before or through winter. It will also be in better shape to start growing agin come spring.

 

[Supa Dexta]

Around here there would be plenty of green that came back in the bottom of it, along with all the dead standing junk. However, gets quite hard to dry hay down this time of year around here. Need a heck of a window and some luck - but even still the night dews are pretty thick.

If you dont need the hay, bush hog it and it goes back in as fertillizer anyways.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Cut it and bale it. You can always supplement poor hay.

 

[True Grit Farms]

Cut it you always supplement poor hay. Some hay is better than no hay.

 

[farmerjan]

This time of year could you find someone in the area to round bale it for you? It's not like it's the middle of haying season and everyone is tied up. Regardless, if there is a possibility that you will need it I would definitely cut and bale it. Maybe get it round baled and someone could wrap it if you can't get it dry enough and feed it as baleage. Most of the farmers in this area are done or close to it with corn chopping so they have a little time to do a little custom work and help supplement their decling income from calves etc and still not cost you an arm and a leg. We've got several fields that we will probably cut and bale again since we had alot of rain, then it stopped all at once but these fields have to be cut again or bushhogged as per the lease agreements. We were late getting them made the first time due to all the rain.

 

[Clodhopper]

Cut it you always supplement poor hay. Some hay is better than no hay.

+1. A surplus of hay is always good. Who knows what next year will bring.

 

[dun]

This time of year could you find someone in the area to round bale it for you? It's not like it's the middle of haying season and everyone is tied up. Regardless, if there is a possibility that you will need it I would definitely cut and bale it. Maybe get it round baled and someone could wrap it if you can't get it dry enough and feed it as baleage. Most of the farmers in this area are done or close to it with corn chopping so they have a little time to do a little custom work and help supplement their decling income from calves etc and still not cost you an arm and a leg. We've got several fields that we will probably cut and bale again since we had alot of rain, then it stopped all at once but these fields have to be cut again or bushhogged as per the lease agreements. We were late getting them made the first time due to all the rain.

I agree, round bale it. Should be able to find someone now that is able/willing to do it.

 

[farmerjan]

I'm assuming that this 22 acre field is not fenced or otherwise not able to be grazed? That would be my first choice overall, and if done in a couple of strips would give you quite a bit of grazing until maybe you get some serious winter snow.

 

[Lucky_P]

Agree. if you can get it cut and baled for a reasonable price... but have it tested so that you know what its feed value is... and so that you can determine what you'll need to feed as a supplement.

I've seen far too many cattle starving to death over winter being fed all the low quality hay they can consume, with no appropriate energy/protein supplement

 

[BC]

Agree. if you can get it cut and baled for a reasonable price... but have it tested so that you know what its feed value is... and so that you can determine what you'll need to feed as a supplement.

I've seen far too many cattle starving to death over winter being fed all the low quality hay they can consume, with no appropriate energy/protein supplement

x 2

 

[Jabes0623]

Thanks to all for the replies.

I could have it round baled but I hate to pay someone to do something I'm capable of & have the equipment to do.

I'm assuming that this 22 acre field is not fenced or otherwise not able to be grazed?

That is correct, no chance this field can be grazed. It has no fence, no water & is about 4 miles down the road from the farm. That's the main reason I wanted to round bale it, a whole lot quicker to move 140 round bales that far than 2,000 squares. That and the previously mentioned lack of storage space. But now that falls here I've got the time to move the squares & soon I'll have the room to store them.

 

[farmerjan]

I can't imagine that the round baling would cost so much more to offset the difference in you: square baling, moving, unloading, storing, reloading, feeding, etc. not to mention having the weeds in there to make even more bales to handle than if it was real good hay with no weeds. Maybe you are alot younger than I am and need the exercise :lol: :lol: I'm talking you do the mowing and tedding and raking so all the other person would have to do is bale it. We pay about 6-10 bale here to get it baled; and if it isn't perfectly dry with some heavy spots, no big deal; leave it outside and feed it, and let them eat what they want and lay on the rest in their pasture. Rolling it out will make it easier for them to pick through it to get the good stuff, and if it is cold and/or snowy, will give them a drier place to lay down. You may have to bushhog the weeds that come up or spray, but you will be adding all the organic matter they don't eat plus the manure back into your land. And you can use the new barn to store some equipment that might have stayed outside, or to put some bought hay if you come upon a deal. Just my :2cents: :2cents: :2cents:

 

[littletom]

If it will make 140 bales you need to do something with it. That's a heck of a lot of hay to lose.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

If it will make 140 bales you need to do something with it. That's a heck of a lot of hay to lose.

:nod: :nod: :nod:

 

[Jabes0623]

Went ahead & mowed the hay today. Not used to mowing stuff that looks like this for hay lol...

 

[JSCATTLE]

I've got 18 acres that's gonna get cut this weekend .. if the weather holds .. it hasn't been cut all year .. Ill just put out some cubes to supplement.

 

[farmerjan]

Well, jabes, how did the hay situation turn out? Figure you must be in the tedding or raking stage, unless you stayed real dry and due to the over maturity it is dry enough to bale? No it wasn't real pretty in the pictures, but I have a feeling there was a fair amount of green in the under growth. It'll put alot of organic matter back in the ground when you feed it.

 

[Jabes0623]

I got it all raked up today, hopefully I can get it baled Tues & Wed. There was a fair amount of green under all the dead junk on top. It could be baled tomorrow, actually should be, but I just don't have the time.

 

[farmerjan]

How did the hay turn out? Did you get as much as you thought?