Hay Making on a Different Scale

Rockbadchild · Sep 14, 2024

I have such of mix feeling about a cutter conditioner. I have heard bad things about them and good like it dry faster (good) and it make the hay loosing his nutriment (bad) what is your take on this ?? The thing I don't like is after cutting you have to tedder it for it to dry, I ratter just cut it and letting it dry and only roll it once or twice and be done with it... I feel like conditioning it ad a rake (tedding) cycle.

LHF2019 · Sep 15, 2024

Rockbadchild said:
I have such of mix feeling about a cutter conditioner. I have heard bad things about them and good like it dry faster (good) and it make the hay loosing his nutriment (bad) what is your take on this ?? The thing I don't like is after cutting you have to tedder it for it to dry, I ratter just cut it and letting it dry and only roll it once or twice and be done with it... I feel like conditioning it ad a rake (tedding) cycle.

I'm not sure where that information comes from. We are grass but in Alfalfa yes tedding has the potential to remove the leaves which remove nutrients. The quicker its baled the more nutrients so without conditioning it may take longer to dry. same with tedding vs not tedding. The goal is to get it baled as soon as possible. Also the reason behind preservatives added to dry hay. Push that window even more.

In my area not tedding it is not an option. Last year was an anomaly and I did get to experience making hay without tedding and had I been more attentive to the weather conditions I could have done most of my hay by mowing and raking only. But it was one of those rare experiences and unless you are really paying attention you miss it.

Rockbadchild · Sep 15, 2024

LHF2019 said:
I'm not sure where that information comes from. We are grass but in Alfalfa yes tedding has the potential to remove the leaves which remove nutrients. The quicker its baled the more nutrients so without conditioning it may take longer to dry. same with tedding vs not tedding. The goal is to get it baled as soon as possible. Also the reason behind preservatives added to dry hay. Push that window even more.

In my area not tedding it is not an option. Last year was an anomaly and I did get to experience making hay without tedding and had I been more attentive to the weather conditions I could have done most of my hay by mowing and raking only. But it was one of those rare experiences and unless you are really paying attention you miss it.

That information comes form local farmers, I don't know if it was based on any real data maybe more on feeling and personal observation, we are strong on timothy grass so maybe conditioning it removed lots of seed from it, but we see some farmers removing the conditioner on their cutter and some re installing it when they buy a used one that has been removed or some hating it and some loving it...I am just trying to get a better understanding of it. So longer it dry or take to dry less nutriments there is in it? I know if you conditioning it, it puts the hay in a row, so one as to rotate it or tedding it within a shorter window in order to dry the bottom of the row. For legume grass more you rake it more seeds you loose so less nutriment you get so there is that also. When cutting without a conditioner it is equally distributed on the ground so you can leave it there for longer since it is drying equally. May be it has to do more on the type of grass whether it is better without vs with

... I also heard that conditioning it squeeze some ''juice'' (water that contained nutriments) out of the hay which would remove some nutriments compared to without one the water evaporate leaving more nutriments in it.... is it true I have no clue.

Hay Dude · Sep 15, 2024

Rockbadchild said:
That information comes form local farmers, I don't know if it was based on any real data maybe more on feeling and personal observation, we are strong on timothy grass so maybe conditioning it removed lots of seed from it, but we see some farmers removing the conditioner on their cutter and some re installing it when they buy a used one that has been removed or some hating it and some loving it...I am just trying to get a better understanding of it. So longer it dry or take to dry less nutriments there is in it? I know if you conditioning it, it puts the hay in a row, so one as to rotate it or tedding it within a shorter window in order to dry the bottom of the row. For legume grass more you rake it more seeds you loose so less nutriment you get so there is that also. When cutting without a conditioner it is equally distributed on the ground so you can leave it there for longer since it is drying equally. May be it has to do more on the type of grass whether it is better without vs with ... I also heard that conditioning it squeeze some ''juice'' (water that contained nutriments) out of the hay which would remove some nutriments compared to without one the water evaporate leaving more nutriments in it.... is it true I have no clue.

Conditioners are adjustable. Both my mowers can be set for how aggressive you want to condition your hay.

I’d say the more rain you get, the smaller your window is to bale, the more you need a conditioner. Not needed in Arizona, Utah, etc. I would think you have rain and smaller good weather periods where you are

squeezing the “juice” out of the hay means you are squeezing the water out of the stems, where water is carried up to the leaves from the roots. Typically the leaves (best part of the hay) doesn’t get water squeezed from them. If it is, you back off on the conditioner’s aggressiveness.

LHF2019 · Sep 23, 2024

Custom square baling job right across the street. Wife found it to be a interesting perspective working across from our place and looking over our property. First time she has been on his fields. These are the fields everybody want. All work and no ends. Long and narrow. Approx. 20 acres and only yielded 244 square bales. The one field you could hardly tell it was mowed.

Not much to tedd

This field had a much better yield

Looking over our fields, pumpkin stand, and round bales

Starting my 3rd trip with a double rotor rake

The better yielding field

Hay Dude · Sep 23, 2024

Well it’s my turn to break out the tedder. My luck ran out.
60 acres down and completely soaked.
Feelin like crap right about now.

LHF2019 · Sep 29, 2024

Snobdds said:
If you could do it over again, would you still be a hay farmer?

I look at the guys that cut my hay and think to myself...Nope.

Thought I would bring you over here to my thread with your question to Hay Dude if you don't mind. Don't know if you have seen this thread.

I tried to quit farming all together. Grew up on a dairy, after dad passed took it over ran it for 3 years(2000-2003). Issues and switched directions. Did custom work and relief milking. Leased out the cows and did that for 2 years(2003-2005). Things were growing steady but slow. Sometimes family don't see things the same so said screw it and had an auction. Said never going to farm again and went to work at Cummins(JEP). The first time I sat on a tractor to plow snow that winter immediately told myself that's not good and knew if I didn't do something farming it wasn't going to be good. 4 months after the auction I'm buying equipment and never missed a season with my customers. The custom grew and I slowly started to take back the farm ground and sell hay. There was a point I was doing $30,000 for a large group of Amish 2 hours away by tractor making baleage and tillage while working at Cummins. In addition to what I did locally. It was a lot to the point if I continued I could lose both the Job and business. Was putting in 48+ hour days never going home. Field to work back to field to work back to field. Left Cummins(2006-2015) had been steadily acquiring home ground back for hay sales. Milk prices took a turn and no more calls from Amish which was great because no time with doing my own. Now I go over about 250 acres of my own ground. Have a couple local custom jobs and sell beef(2015-2024). And just last November added a new twist due to major loss of revenue due to weather in 2023 I started at UPS as a preloader. Quickly found out not getting any younger.

So your question to Hay Dude coming from another farmer. Not only would I do over again, I did it over again.

As for the dairy. Miss it everyday. It is in your blood. I actually bring a couple cows in during the winter and milk once a day for my own use and just keep the urge to go back professionally under control. Get to spring and busy it is nice to kick them out and be done milking for 6 months.

LHF2019 · Oct 3, 2024

We are now in October hay making. Yields are light from dry hot weather. I wouldn’t be taking it off this light but need about 1000 bales to finish off this year’s orders.