Thinking about getting into haying for my own use and for small $$$

[pacerron]

What the other guys said--plus low weed content. Around here we fight yellow star thistle and fiddleneck infestations constantly in dry land hay farming. Both of these weeds are toxic to horses and cattle. Sheep and goats are less susceptable. My neighbor grows alfalfa on about 30 irrigated acres and has to control the Johnson grass that gets into the crop periodically. This year we have an outbreak of whitetop (hoary cress) that's taken over some of the hayfields that are out of production. That stuff is toxic to horses and sucks up lotsa soil nutrients.

Exactly the reason making horse hay with a profit as a business from other owners fields is a pipe dream. If you don't spend money to control the weed problems,add lime and fertilizer, as needed, and have a lease to avoid what happened to "blueriver" after you spend the time and money the crop will continually dwindle and get weedy to the point it has no value as horse hay.. Most owners expect you to replace the nutrients removed from the soil.
Most folks in this area have found it makes a lot more sense to invest time and money in their own properties rather than others.

 

[SLHawkins]

Shawn,

We need to find/build us a big ole pole barn to store our hay in sir!

We need to add that to the calculations...

David

David,
I have been comtemplate that for awhile now. Over on my cousin's property, the materials are on-hand for a pretty good sized barn. But, I'd hate to put it up and then he, or his kids, decide to use it for another purpose. :confused2:

Hawk

 

[SLHawkins]

Maybe you and I should just become hay brokers/truckers and connect our TBN hay making buddies in the North with our TBN hay consumers in the South? Hmmm...


David,
Sounds good to me. But, Uncle Sam still has me full time for at least another year. But, the truck is ready to roll. So, if there is anyone who needs hay moved into, or out, of the mid-Atlantic area, give me a shout.

Hawk

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Maybe you and I should just become hay brokers/truckers and connect our TBN hay making buddies in the North with our TBN hay consumers in the South? Hmmm...


David,
Sounds good to me. But, Uncle Sam still has me full time for at least another year. But, the truck is ready to roll. So, if there is anyone who needs hay moved into, or out, of the mid-Atlantic area, give me a shout.

Hawk

If you're ever coming through Southeast Idaho, give me a holler. I'm sure I could sell any hay you bring.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

David,
I have been comtemplate that for awhile now. Over on my cousin's property, the materials are on-hand for a pretty good sized barn. But, I'd hate to put it up and then he, or his kids, decide to use it for another purpose. :confused2:

Hawk

Shawn,

I know a place with some cleared (or mostly cleared land)... :thumbsup:

My wife told me to go ahead and plan a barn in the current "Homestead" location near the pastures.

We can look it over when you get here soon...

David

 

[MossflowerWoods]

If you're ever coming through Southeast Idaho, give me a holler. I'm sure I could sell any hay you bring.

Hey Shawn! Our first customer!!!! WOO HOO!



David

 

[foreman Etexas]

Well got everything home

 

[foreman Etexas]

Cple more....

 

[beppington]

Very nice! :thumbsup: Did you say what that all cost you?

 

[foreman Etexas]

Very nice! :thumbsup: Did you say what that all cost you?

23 for baler,7900 for cutter,and 3300 for rake. I ended up hauling it all myself,I also got a new 0-turn and they wasnt gonna deliever it before easter(needed to mow before everyone got there) so I went and pick the mower,hay cutter and rake up,then I was over there getting some liquid fertilizer so I got the baler today,will see if they make-up for not having to haul anything. They already gave me a roll of net and twine with deal,maybe can get another roll of net.I did save them 2 trips about 160miles,and someones time.
He did give me a hard time since I own Orange and they sell Blue,but I do like the new powerstars,may look at the 90hp in a cple years,just couldnt settle for a 75hp. They were a very good dealer to work with.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Well got everything home

DA-YUM!

Very Nice sir...

David

 

[MotorSeven]

FE, wow....very nice. Where is the tedder?

My next pruchase is a V rake & larger tedder.

 

[blueriver]

Foreman ... thats some nice equipment. I considered the Vicon disc mower. Let me know how you like it.

You will enjoy your hay season!!!

 

[foreman Etexas]

FE, wow....very nice. Where is the tedder?

My next pruchase is a V rake & larger tedder.

Well it was 6,000 and I didnt see getting 6,000 use out of it Question is it really needed,I know if hay gets wet they are nice but under normal conditions,is the extra tedder pass worth it?
Thanks everyone:thumbsup:
I always cut with a Krone when growing up,but I heard lots of good things about the Vicon and with the 3 blade disc,I can run a wider cut.

 

[pacerron]

Well it was 6,000 and I didnt see getting 6,000 use out of it Question is it really needed,I know if hay gets wet they are nice but under normal conditions,is the extra tedder pass worth it?
Thanks everyone:thumbsup:
I always cut with a Krone when growing up,but I heard lots of good things about the Vicon and with the 3 blade disc,I can run a wider cut.

I didn't check, but you must be quoting list price on all this stuff? That is probably a smart idea, as there is no sense getting folks upset about their recent deals.
How wide a cut does your model Vicon make?
As for a tedder needed, it has to be based on the purpose of the hay, the type, height, and thickness of the crop as well as the weatherman.
Up here, getting 4 hot, dry, low humidity days in a row when the hay is prime
is a rarity, so a tedder becomes the most important piece of hay equipment.
Sometimes the dew is so heavy that tedding is a necessary part of the cycle.
It is also not unheard of to get some clumping of the cut regardless of the type of equipment used so a tedder gets rid of the problem of having a clump of wet hay windrowed and rolled into the bale.

I was wondering if your new baler is also set up to wind string around the rolls
or is your only option to use the netting for all rolls?
Ron

 

[foreman Etexas]

I didn't check, but you must be quoting list price on all this stuff? That is probably a smart idea, as there is no sense getting folks upset about their recent deals.
How wide a cut does your model Vicon make?
As for a tedder needed, it has to be based on the purpose of the hay, the type, height, and thickness of the crop as well as the weatherman.
Up here, getting 4 hot, dry, low humidity days in a row when the hay is prime
is a rarity, so a tedder becomes the most important piece of hay equipment.
Sometimes the dew is so heavy that tedding is a necessary part of the cycle.
It is also not unheard of to get some clumping of the cut regardless of the type of equipment used so a tedder gets rid of the problem of having a clump of wet hay windrowed and rolled into the bale.

I was wondering if your new baler is also set up to wind string around the rolls
or is your only option to use the netting for all rolls?
Ron

Its net or twine witch ever you wonna do...

 

[Bigfoot62]

. . . As for a tedder needed, it has to be based on the purpose of the hay, the type, height, and thickness of the crop as well as the weatherman.
Up here, getting 4 hot, dry, low humidity days in a row when the hay is prime
is a rarity, so a tedder becomes the most important piece of hay equipment. . .

Ron,

Very, very few people own a tedder here. About the only time it will be used is when we get a rain on cured hay that was just about ready to bale. If it rains on freshly cut grass, we don't even worry about it. It will dry a day or so.

In our part of the world, if rain doesn't interfere, you can cut your hay, let it lay the next day, and bale it the day after that. You can usually start raking by noon, if not before. Last summer, it was so hot and dry that many fields were cut one day and baled the next.

If we let our hay cure for 4 days, it would look like broom straw.

 

[MotorSeven]

Most everyone tedders here, heavy dew can start mold under the hay in just a day or two.

 

[pacerron]

Ron,

Very, very few people own a tedder here. About the only time it will be used is when we get a rain on cured hay that was just about ready to bale. If it rains on freshly cut grass, we don't even worry about it. It will dry a day or so.

In our part of the world, if rain doesn't interfere, you can cut your hay, let it lay the next day, and bale it the day after that. You can usually start raking by noon, if not before. Last summer, it was so hot and dry that many fields were cut one day and baled the next.

If we let our hay cure for 4 days, it would look like broom straw.

As I said before, it depends on a lot of things. 4 days of cure on the ground here wouldn't be any good either. It would be moldy on the bottom and too dry on the top. No amount of tedding or raking would fix that. That's the problem the weekend farmers get into, not enough hours to do it at the right time.
I wasn't talking about a 4 day, on the ground cure time, rather a 4 day complete cycle from cutting to in the barn without being rained upon. The tedder cuts the complete cycle to 3 days, "if you don't cut off more than you can chew", as they say.
Even then, every cycle won't go as planned. The weatherman and equipment
problems can turn a beautiful lay down into a mess. That's one reason there are so many rotting and rotten rolls setting around the edge of many farm fields. It used to be saleable for strip mining recovery, but that era has passed around here too.

 

[foreman Etexas]

I didn't check, but you must be quoting list price on all this stuff? That is probably a smart idea, as there is no sense getting folks upset about their recent deals.
How wide a cut does your model Vicon make?
As for a tedder needed, it has to be based on the purpose of the hay, the type, height, and thickness of the crop as well as the weatherman.
Up here, getting 4 hot, dry, low humidity days in a row when the hay is prime
is a rarity, so a tedder becomes the most important piece of hay equipment.
Sometimes the dew is so heavy that tedding is a necessary part of the cycle.
It is also not unheard of to get some clumping of the cut regardless of the type of equipment used so a tedder gets rid of the problem of having a clump of wet hay windrowed and rolled into the bale.

I was wondering if your new baler is also set up to wind string around the rolls
or is your only option to use the netting for all rolls?
Ron

They said 8ft on the cut,so I bet 7'11. I havent even touched any of it been in barn,I been spraying weeds and shredding. I do have $2200 in fertilizer out but only had 2/10ths rain and looks like we may be having another year like last year but the year warrenty doesnt start until the baler does