Still no hay

[boondocks]

Well, since our hay guy is still AWOL, and we now have most of our equipment (other than a tedder), we (well, hubs) took a few practice runs tonight. The forecast was for a small chance of rain, so of course it poured 5 hrs later. It's junk anyway, will probably throw it in the woods. This is a bigger tractor than I'm used to so I will practice on it first before I try to cut hay.

 

[Nesikep]

I do have the luxury of having fairly reliable summer weather, so I will always have a bunch of good hay.. Which is very nice for my stress levels.. if it rains on it.. oh well, I have some good stuff for the cows, and they'll also get some junk too. I haven't read every page in this thread, but it sure sounds like it wasn't good for you.

I wouldn't dream of making hay now, we had our first frost last night, and have had a lot of dew for the last month.

 

[boondocks]

I do have the luxury of having fairly reliable summer weather, so I will always have a bunch of good hay.. Which is very nice for my stress levels.. if it rains on it.. oh well, I have some good stuff for the cows, and they'll also get some junk too. I haven't read every page in this thread, but it sure sounds like it wasn't good for you.

I wouldn't dream of making hay now, we had our first frost last night, and have had a lot of dew for the last month.

Yeah, we had a beautiful window (a bunch of them actually) but he never showed. Said he was coming last weekend then poof. Have rain coming in now, mix of cool days and quite warm days, cool nights. It will likely need taken off the field even if it's not usable, I guess (assuming field doesn't get too wet; I don't want to ruin it).

 

[Nesikep]

If you can get it bagged as silage, the cows might eat it just fine.. seeing the luck you've had with your hay guy I know that's probably not looking like a likely possibility though

 

[Nesikep]

As long as the hay hasn't turned black, it's still edible

 

[wbvs58]

The main thing is you have made a start at hay making. No matter how it turns out you will hit the ground running next year with this bit under your belt.

Ken

 

[True Grit Farms]

Well, since our hay guy is still AWOL, and we now have most of our equipment (other than a tedder), we (well, hubs) took a few practice runs tonight. The forecast was for a small chance of rain, so of course it poured 5 hrs later. It's junk anyway, will probably throw it in the woods. This is a bigger tractor than I'm used to so I will practice on it first before I try to cut hay.

Rain on fresh cut hay doesn't hurt a thing. It would be nice to have a tedder about now, rained on - high moisture hay is where a tedder is really needed. But you can row it up with a rake today when it dries, and roll it over again before dark. Do the same thing Friday and bale it Saturday.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I would bale it up no matter how bad you think the quality is as long as you can get it down below 15% moisture. In lean years I've baled everything including the star flower, golden rod, thistle, tag alder, beer cans from the ditch, etc and the cows survived on it.

 

[Workinonit Farm]

There ya go!! Glad to see you giving it a go.

(weren't there a bunch of other posts, regarding this topic, that have seemingly vanished?)

 

[BrangusUSA]

Boondocks can you send a couple pictures of your barn where you feed the hay from inside the barn to a feeder outside? My two concerns would be; square bales and does the area around the feeder get rank and muddy? Ordinarily I move the hay ring when one area gets rough - with this set up you couldn't. Pros and cons? Probably be building another barn in 2018 so I am trying to get some plans/ costs, etc.
Thanks

 

[boondocks]

Thanks all! It poured last night and we didn't get home tonight til after dark. Chance of rain tomorrow then likely rain every day for quite awhile...don't want to ruin the field so we will have to see.
If we don't get enough of a window to make hay, which is the best option assuming fields may be wet-ish:
Just leave it til spring
Cut it with the haybine and leave it
cut it with the haybine and try to get it off (york rake?)
brush hog it
They say there's no such thing as a stupid question so I'm going to be telling myself (and y'all) that a lot! And thanks everyone for the encouragement!

 

[ClinchValley]

IMO, it'd be best to cut with a flail type of mower if you don't need the hay. This way will allow grass to come back without anything matted down.

Or cut it, bale it, and use to cover bare spots.

IMO it needs to come off the field so the grass can come back out before it goes dormant.

My my .02

 

[ClinchValley]

Bush hog will work. Just leaves a line of thick grass that smothers out anything underneath, potentially.

 

[boondocks]

Weeelllllllll, here's an update on our hay saga. (Tragi-comedy? Dramedy? ). We've had epic-ly nice fall weather. Warm sunny days. Hay guy promised he'd come do hay (finally. We're talking FIRST CUTTING). He didn't show last week; we tracked him down and he said his equipment (unspecified) had broken. We told him ours was now mostly in hand (still looking for one piece) and that he could borrow whatever he needed. (Keep in mind he keeps 2/3). No response. Finally, we gave up and took time off from jobs to try to do it ourselves. Keep in mind we were still learning the new-to-us tractor, haybine, etc: some of the (used) equipment hadn't run for a season or two so there were snafus and breakdowns. (We had planned to get everything ready over the winter and learn operations better). Long story short, worked like crazy for 4 days straight, got about 200 crappy, not-very-dry (small) square bales in barn (not stacked as it needs to dry a bit still); and the rest--probably 400-500 bales--will be rained on tonight. We battle rain from here on out, so are debating whether and how to try to get the hay up (to pitch, obviously). Try to wait for a dry-ish window and go over it with brush hog? Rake it into woods??? Help! I am beyond frustrated. Throwing away hay and then buying it from neighbors :bang: :bang: :bang:

 

[ddd75]

instead of posting i'd been out there until the rain was pouring putting them away.

if you even had to stack them on the wagon and shove them off with the front end loader near the barn.

 

[True Grit Farms]

You need a round baler, the easier and faster you can make hay the better. Square bales are to labor intensive for a part timer or someone with a life.

 

[boondocks]

instead of posting i'd been out there until the rain was pouring putting them away.

if you even had to stack them on the wagon and shove them off with the front end loader near the barn.

Worked til after dark. There wasn't anything left dry enough to bale. We took a chance with the stuff we did bale (it was cut a day earlier). Everything now being rained on needed one more day to dry. It turned cloudy yesterday so the half of the field we cut the second day didn't get dry enough (despite raking).

TG, we weighed pros and cons of dry squares and it kept coming out in favor. Second-guessing ourselves now.....

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Only way for somebody with a job or life to do any sort of quality of small squares is with a significant amount of equipment like a baler with thrower and dry places to park multiple loaded kicker wagons, bale baskets and places to park them, or an accumulator and grapple to stack with.

 

[boondocks]

Only way for somebody with a job or life to do any sort of quality of small squares is with a significant amount of equipment like a baler with thrower and dry places to park multiple loaded kicker wagons, bale baskets and places to park them, or an accumulator and grapple to stack with.

We have a baler with a thrower. Have 2 wagons (and yesterday had access to 3 more). Just got a tedder. Have rake and haybine, still need elevator. Big barn and hay mow (well-ventilated). Some tarps laid in for emergencies...

Now, if we can figure out what to do with the wet cut hay now on field.....Hadn't been cut at all this summer so it's pretty heavy, doubt it's wise to leave on all winter if there's a dry-enough spell to either brush hog or rake it off?

 

[ddd75]

you cut hay and baled it the next day in upstate new york with thick hay?

I'd be checking on it daily if its in a barn.


as for the cut grass on the ground, i'd mow it a few times and leave it.