To cut or not to cut.

[neok]

I have some pretty thick grass that I am needing to cut. Mixture of some fescue, bermuda, and mature rye grass. Lots of stem. Also some weeds. This first cutting will basically be cow hay. I am worried about drying time. I just have a sickle mower and rake no tedder. Weather looks partly cloudy and windy in the 80's for the next couple of days with better chances of rain I think on Wednesday. I don't want to cut the grass and the grass not dry enough before it rains and then it just lays on the ground longer yet. Should I take the chance or should I just wait till a lot hotter days and not worry about how mature it gets this first cutting. Live in northeast ok. First year cutting hay.

 

[Richardin52]

If you live in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont or Mass. I would beg, borrow, rent a tedder or find someone and hire them to ted it for you.

When I was a kid we were a little on the poor side but had a big family. My father would give each kid a pitch fork and we would turn the hay by hand and shake it out. Those were the good old days that I don't want to go back to but you always have that option too I guess.

 

[dun]

Depending on the kind of rake you have you can do "almost" as good a job with the rake as you can a tedder. I would do as suggected an get the use of a tedder and cut the stuff.

 

[bigbull338]

personally i would not cut that hay till you have 4 or 5 days without rain.as itll take a few days for it cure enough to bale.

 

[AndyL]

I'm with bigbull on this. And get a tedder.

 

[denvermartinfarms]

Me 3.

 

[neok]

I will take your advice. I feel a lot better not taking chances. I will wait for a little better forcast. Sure I will have more questions later on. Thanks

 

[LauraleesFarm]

I hate it when the hay gets rained on but if we waited on the weatherman to cut hay, we would never get any hay done.

We got a 10 ft tedder when we first started and it certainly earned its keep. Just now bought a newer 17 ft tedder because we found out how handy they can be. Planning to sell the smaller one.

 

[dun]

I hate it when the hay gets rained on but if we waited on the weatherman to cut hay, we would never get any hay done.

That's the reason I said cut it. If you wait too long it's nutritive value goes down the toilet and it's worse then hay that's been rained on and tedded.

 

[LauraleesFarm]

I always say that the rain just washed all the dirt off of it. Like washing your veggies before you eat them. LOL

 

[AndyL]

To cut or not cut. It's a toss up. With the weather we've been getting here, it'll never dry enough for baling. The last hay I cut, (1st this year) it took a week to get it dry enough to burn. I don't care to bale hay that has been laying on the ground for 10 to 12 days.

 

[Dega Moo]

We wrap most of our hay so the decision to cut is based more on the concern for getting it out of the field and to the wrapper rather than dry down. It's an alternative to letting the hay seed out and decline or decompose in the field for whatever reason, be that weather, labor or equipment resource availability. At least on the surface it seems expensive - one of my hands thinks it adds $6 to the cost of our round bales but I'm not so sure it isn't more. Got to figure that out one of these days. I know this, the first cutting doesn't get in if we have to let it all dry down properly.

Edit -- meant to ask - Could you find someone who could wrap for you?