How late is too late to cut and bale?

John Fitzgerald · Oct 9, 2018

I have a nice hayfield of a little over six acres of mostly bottomland that is a mixture of Bermuda grass on one end and tall Johnson grass on the other end. A neighbor who hays in the area has been getting it for years, but has been so busy (he says) he hasn't made the last cut, and the grass is over mature, falling over, and becoming matted in places. I give him the hay to keep the field cut. If it's not cut, it would become a huge fire hazard by late winter. He says he has to have five dry sunny days in a row this time of year to do hay. Doesn't look like he's going to get that, but he's had plenty of opportunities in the last three weeks. It's raining today. If he doesn't hay it, would brush hogging it be the solution? I could probably do it in a day with my XJ2025H and 5 foot RC. If I have to spend the time and diesel to cut it myself, I'll find someone else to hay it next year. What if it was left tall all winter? Would that impede haying greatly next summer?

Hiptfarms · Oct 9, 2018

I'd bush hog the field if it were me.

Jstpssng · Oct 9, 2018

I would mow it if it was mine. Leaving it will just cause more weeds to come in.

atsah · Oct 9, 2018

Bush hog it..

John Fitzgerald · Oct 9, 2018

Thanks. I'll say if he doesn't hay it soon, he bush hogs it if he wants to keep getting the hay. If I have to spend time and fuel to bush hog it myself, I will find someone else to get the hay. There's a closer neighbor who would get it and be glad.

LouNY · Oct 9, 2018

If its real heavy brush hogging it and leaving it in the field it can smother out some of the new growth next year.
Heavy ground it can take quite awhile for hay to cure out.
In this area have a neighbor still trying to bale small squares, so far he has tedded it out twice and still hoping to get it late Wednesday,
We finished chopping corn today and started mowing some third cutting about 12 acres which we will chop for haylage starting tomorrow.

John Fitzgerald · Oct 9, 2018

It's extremely heavy now. If brush hogging will leave too much debris, don't know what to do except wait until it rots. The johnson grass part will become a huge fire hazard if we have a dry winter and it is left standing. I have seen johnson grass fields burn, and when driven by the wind it's almost like gasoline is poured on it. My patience with this guy could nearly ruin my field. I'm tired of the turkey litter he uses for fertilizer anyway. Some of it comes out of his spreader truck in big packed chunks, and takes many weeks to decompose. Last time I asked him to keep it away from my pond, and he didn't. Bad stink.

atsah · Oct 9, 2018

I ran into the same problem with a guy haying a field, he wouldn’t mow it until November, I found someone else that mows it in July and again in September. It looks like he!! If it’s not cut never mind the fire problem.

John Fitzgerald · Oct 9, 2018

atsah said:
I ran into the same problem with a guy haying a field, he wouldn’t mow it until November, I found someone else that mows it in July and again in September. It looks like he!! If it’s not cut never mind the fire problem.

For the last few years, he's mowed it usually late May, mid July, and late September. Weather was great for haying until this week. Bad forecast for drying now.