Anyone mow hay yet?

[Torvy]

Google Raider Red Meats in Lubbock. Their prime fillets are pretty close to fork tender.

May have to give that a shot. Our youngest is a Red Raider in Lubbock. We'll be out there at least once this summer.

 

[5030]

Rained here every evening for a week and last eve was no exception except quite a few guys have fields down which are now cooking and wet in the 90 degree heat. I'm sure the mold is growing quite well. Just the thought of idiot cubes makes me sweat. Sold my 575 3 years ago and I don't miss it one bit. Sold the wagons and the hay elevators too.

From the looks of things here, I'd say good mixed grass / alfalfa hay that wasn't rained on will command a huge price this fall.

After doing this for quite a few years, I've learned that patience is always better than jumping the gun and winding up with brown moldy hay. That especially applies to my alfalfa. Touchy enough as it is. Not only is the cost of fitting it up high but it can go to crap real quick.

I'm in no hurry what so ever.

 

[Hay Dude]

I’ll be out cutting hay next week. Still have a few problems to work on, but it’s dang near “go time”, which basically means the entire month of June will be like a blur.

 

[DJ54]

We got right at 3" of rain over a 4 day period here last week. We had 3 days of warm sunny weather since Sunday but would be tough to get it dry on that saturated soil, without beating it to pieces with the tedder. Endophyte free fescue is over 3' tall, red clover and alfalfa mixed in is 2' tall and in full bloom. It is very thick and heavy.

Most generally we get a high-pressure system coming down from Canada the first/second week of June every year. Like 5030 says, a little patience is the best. I'd rather make it a bit mature than have musty/moldy hay.

 

[Hay Dude]

Finally got underway today. It’s “hammer down” time on 2024!




Can’t post pictures right now for some strange reason, but I will soon!

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Dad either broke the gear box on my rotary mower, or damaged the PTO clutch. I'm hoping the first one........ So I gotta go to the farm this week to find out. Been shopping for a larger mower to use anyways, so trying to decide on Flail or a dual spindle rotary mower, for 44 PTO HP tractor. Looks like 7 ft about largest that it will support.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Got my first cutting done this past week, cut down one field of coastal Bermuda and one field of Tif Quick bahia on Tuesday and was able to roll the coastal on Thursday and the bahia on Friday and other than clogging up my baler for the first time, everything else went off without a hitch, we have had fantastic hay weather for 2 weeks now and looks like this week is going to be dry as well, good luck to everyone cutting this upcoming week. Charlie.

 

[MoKelly]

Dumb question —- the guy who hays my back field has been ill recently. He should be back in commission early July.

Is it possible for the grass to get too high/thick to be baled? The grass is now about 3 feet.

 

[LHF2019]

Dumb question —- the guy who hays my back field has been ill recently. He should be back in commission early July.

Is it possible for the grass to get too high/thick to be baled? The grass is now about 3 feet.

No. If there are issues it would be equipment not setup correctly or extremely old and wore out/not up to today's yields

 

[LouNY]

Dumb question —- the guy who hays my back field has been ill recently. He should be back in commission early July.

Is it possible for the grass to get too high/thick to be baled? The grass is now about 3 feet.

It all depends on the use of the hay and the nutrition and digestibility desired. That will be very mature and will have lost much digestibility but is likely to have considerable new growth in the bottom. The tonnage yield will be higher.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Dumb question —- the guy who hays my back field has been ill recently. He should be back in commission early July.

Is it possible for the grass to get too high/thick to be baled? The grass is now about 3 feet.

Dumb question —- the guy who hays my back field has been ill recently. He should be back in commission early July.

Is it possible for the grass to get too high/thick to be baled? The grass is now about 3 feet.

We often made hay into July.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

We have had an insane amount of rain this spring. All the fields around me are starting to go down hill but there have literally not been 3 days of no rain to stitch together since it started growing. You can see the tractors staged up and ready, but there is water standing in all the fields.

 

[Hay Dude]

Got started Sunday and mowed until dark. Hit it again today.

Down the road….

And a little tedder action

I had to break out the mower for some areas they don’t want hayed.

The first couple very busy days of a very busy summer & fall….


The new rear mower should be here in a week to 10 days.

 

[Oaktree]

We often made hay into July.

Maybe I'm misremembering, but growing up I don't recall anyone cutting hay much before the end of June/early July. Nowadays it seems that many are doing 2nd cuttings by then. And that was a couple hours south of here, so if anything the season would have been a bit earlier.
This seems to have been a very "early" year for most anything. Typically, I'll mow my field (not for hay, it's mostly weeds..just to keep it clear) mid-late June. Did it yesterday, much of it was waist high already.

 

[5030]

Still too wet here and been getting rain regularly. Supposed to rain later today again. It's high and rank but no point in cutting it and it turning into brown mulch. All sold anyway so why chance it. I'd like to get it off, believe me so I can fertilize the fields and get another cut but Mother Nature isn't cooperating.

 

[LouNY]

Maybe I'm misremembering, but growing up I don't recall anyone cutting hay much before the end of June/early July. Nowadays it seems that many are doing 2nd cuttings by then. And that was a couple hours south of here, so if anything the season would have been a bit earlier.
This seems to have been a very "early" year for most anything. Typically, I'll mow my field (not for hay, it's mostly weeds..just to keep it clear) mid-late June. Did it yesterday, much of it was waist high already.

There has been a lot of research on hay quality in the last 50 years a lot of it 25-30 years ago. Looking at nutrition and digestibility, or Total Digestible Nutrition. Grass hay cut in the early bud stage, before it heads out is a high protein, easily digestible forage and especially desired for milking cows, and or finishing "grass" fed beef. It is too rich or hot of a feed for brood cows as it will fatten them up which is not the best for calving or reproductive health. It is actually a better feed choice for milk cows then mature Alfalfa.
Later cut hay has a lot more roughage in it which will fill animals up but not cause excessive weight gains.
If you ever walk down a barn with cows which have had early cut high quality grass hay it will bring meaning to the old saying of "loose as a goose"

"loose as a goose​

Completely relaxed. This phrase, probably aided in longevity by the rhyme, dates from the first half of the 1900s. In earlier usage it sometimes denoted promiscuity (loose morals), diarrhea (loose bowels), and so on, but since about 1950 it has mostly stuck to its present meaning. The Los Angeles Times (April 7, 1979) "
guess I may be old but it has always only meant one thing to me.

 

[5030]

Just rained here again a few hours ago. Got 1/4" in the rain gage and it pains me to look at my hayfields or should I say 'forest fields'. I'd really like to get it off and let the alfalfa come up for second cut.

Glad it's all spoken for, well so long as it comes off with the crimp rolls set tight and bales nice and dry but green and has that nice smell. I'll be working my discbine hard if it ever quits raining that is.

 

[5030]

Got started Sunday and mowed until dark. Hit it again today.

View attachment 873698

Down the road….

View attachment 873702


And a little tedder action

View attachment 873704

I had to break out the mower for some areas they don’t want hayed.


View attachment 873705


The first couple very busy days of a very busy summer & fall….


The new rear mower should be here in a week to 10 days.

View attachment 873706

Got some mold dust coming up behind that tedder I see. Other than that looks good. I haven't pulled my tedder out of the barn in a couple years now. I just use the wide thin spread kit on my NH discbine. Fits on the deflector plate with wing nuts and carries in the tool box. I open the side deflectors all the way up and run it. Why do I assume you have the same ignorant motorists here that we have here?

 

[Hay Dude]

Opened-up another 20+ today. Initial pass down the middle…. Looks like we’re gettin T-storms tonight…..

Headlands..

Couple strokes later…

Got back to shop with a drip. Antifreeze hose between radiator and degas bottle got sliced by ac compressor belt.
Looks like I got some repairs tomorrow.

 

[5030]

We got between 1/4 and 1/2" a while ago with wind and thunder and it was heading your way so expect it tonight. I really need to get mine off so the alfalfa will come up for 2nd cut and my share crop guy is bitchin as well. I'm working that Kubota F series pretty hard, like every week now.