Haying quandries

[xmariner]

Besides drying - what is the most important phase in haying?

 

[Rustyiron]

Keeping all your junk working properly and hope none of it breaks down when it's going to rain tonight :laughing:
Like you said, make sure it's dry, the rest will come to you. Unless you have some really new(ish) equipment, having a backup plan, like a neighbor you can call on with hay eqip. in the event of a breakdown. The trouble is when your weather & hay is ready, so is your neighbors.

 

[xmariner]

I couldn't agree more Rusty. If I had neighbors with equipment... Of the 4 basic steps; cutting, tedding, raking and baling - do you have any thoughts as to which if any plays a pivotal role?

 

[countrybumpkin]

All of it.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

The most important part of haying, is the money it takes to buy the equipment. Have you priced equipment lately?
100hp tractor 65K
kuhn disc cutter 12K
rake 7K
Baler 40K

And it doesn't last forever. Figure on replacing it every 12 years or sooner if your in business.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Getting it all done before the rain is the most important part. I check the weather forecast almost hourly before I make hay and after I have started. OK ok maybe not hourly but several times a day. I'll also throw in there to make sure the dew is off the hay before you touch it or you can really foul things ! Start your equipment prepping asap and don't cheap out on repairs. They WILL haunt you at the worst time

 

[Ed of all trades]

The most important part is knowing when to cut and cutting then. Old hay is better than a snow bank for feed but not much. If the hay is to young when you cut it you get less and don't get the feed value.

The second is getting it to the correct dryness when you bale. Many people think hay should be dry as dust when the bale but it should have some moisture in it or you loose the leaves and have nutrients bleached out by the sun. Of course you have to have it down so that it does not mold as well. Ed

 

[Bigfoot62]

I couldn't agree more Rusty. If I had neighbors with equipment... Of the 4 basic steps; cutting, tedding, raking and baling - do you have any thoughts as to which if any plays a pivotal role?

Help us out here. Are you asking for experience because you're looking at buying your own equipment, or are you already haying and maybe you're struggling with getting it right?

To produce high quality hay, there's a lot involved.

Some important steps begin way before you bale any hay:
Soil test
Fertilizer (and lime, if needed)
Renovating the soil. (sub-soil plowing)
Weed control

And, then, after you bale, where will you store it?

 

[joeu235]

weed control, fertilizer, and following NOAA area weather discussion to check for good weather.

 

[rtimgray]

I think so much of it depends on why your are doing hay and on what scale.

I honestly had no idea haying was so difficult until people on this forum told me it was!!!

To clarify, I only do hay for my cows and my dad's cows. My entry cost was pretty small - I already had my DK 45, so I bought an old New Idea roller ($3800), a NH 256 rake ($600) and John Deere 24T baler ($900) and Kuhn GMD500 disc mower (traded two calves for it).

I only cut, rake, bale - no tedding. However, I only do 250-350 rolls and a 500-1000 squares per year, so as far as the hay business goes, I'm pretty small time. However, if I was looking to produce high-quality hay for a different market (I'm thinking horses), there would be a lot more involved and a lot more in play.

When I cut hay and it gets rained on, I wait until it dries and roll it. I have yet to receive a complaint from the cows.....

Good luck and take care.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

Most important phase?
Figuring the Cost per Profit or Cost per Benefit ratio before even starting.

 

[Ed of all trades]

I think so much of it depends on why your are doing hay and on what scale.

I honestly had no idea haying was so difficult until people on this forum told me it was!!!

To clarify, I only do hay for my cows and my dad's cows. My entry cost was pretty small - I already had my DK 45, so I bought an old New Idea roller ($3800), a NH 256 rake ($600) and John Deere 24T baler ($900) and Kuhn GMD500 disc mower (traded two calves for it).

I only cut, rake, bale - no tedding. However, I only do 250-350 rolls and a 500-1000 squares per year, so as far as the hay business goes, I'm pretty small time. However, if I was looking to produce high-quality hay for a different market (I'm thinking horses), there would be a lot more involved and a lot more in play.

When I cut hay and it gets rained on, I wait until it dries and roll it. I have yet to receive a complaint from the cows.....

Good luck and take care.

That is true if you know how, but coming to it new is another animal altogether. Ed

 

[rtimgray]

Absolutely - if someone has never fooled with hay at all, it could be a daunting challenge. Then again, if I can make hay, anybody can make hay.

I had never baled hay myself until three years ago. In fairness, I've been around it all of my life, but I had never baled a bale until then.

My basic steps are to drag the equipment out in the spring (late April or early May) and get everything checked out, lubed, cleaned, etc. Look at the forecast for when it looks like it will be dry for three days in a row and then cut in the evening when I get home from work. Wait two days and rake and roll (Ha-ha - rake-n-roll, get it?). I more or less repeat as often as needed.

If it looks like it will be dry for more than three days, I may cut two or three days in a row, and then rake/bale. Most of the time, though, I don't like to cut too much at any given time in case the weather changes or I have mechanical troubles. After all, sooner or later, everything is going to break.

Certainly, if I was doing it for a living or as a cash crop, I might get a little for worked up and anxious about it - but not for what I'm doing now.

Good luck and take care.

 

[joeu235]

I've been apart of making hay for the last 25 years except for my time in the Navy. Last year my dad asked me run the square baler for a while because for the first time I wasn't needed on the trailer stacking. I realized that it was the first time I'd ever run a square baler. There is always something new to learn.