Leftover hay on ground.

[Southernspeed]

Another dumb newbie haying question!
Do you ignore hay left over after baling, knowing the grass will grow through? Or tedd it to disperse it or brush hog to disperse?
Last time I went around with the tedder to disperse it but I’d rather save diesel if it’s really not a problem!
Most fields have similar patches to the one in the photo, maybe a bit more.

 

[5030]

I run my bat wing chopper over mine, set low and call it good. Just grass anyway, it will compost in.

 

[Thomas]

Being that thin of patches be gone it short time.

 

[sea2summit]

That thin I would leave it, but I'd also be more careful raking/baling next time. Looks like the turns at the headland are too sharp or you didn't follow the windrow well with the baler. Not sure what the line of hay in the middle of the field is, maybe feeding the baler too fast or windrow was too wide for the baler.

 

[Southernspeed]

Being that thin of patches be gone it short time.

Unfortunately some are quite a bit thicker.

 

[Southernspeed]

That thin I would leave it, but I'd also be more careful raking/baling next time. Looks like the turns at the headland are too sharp or you didn't follow the windrow well with the baler. Not sure what the line of hay in the middle of the field is, maybe feeding the baler too fast or windrow was too wide for the baler.

Yep, I'm just learning! Fields are a bit tricky as, since 2020 and prices starting going crazy, we had to ask all our horse boarders to leave so now I'm haying a lot of 1 acre paddocks so not a lot of room for maneuver. And yes, one windrow was too wide (happened in a few paddocks unfortunately) Live and learn .... even at my age!

 

[Hay Dude]

Have same problem on a large scale. The new incoming grass will grow right through that.
Don’t bother driving over grass and breaking off more healthy stems or compacting soil to clean that tiny bit up.

 

[LHF2019]

Don't waste your time, leave it.

 

[Hay Dude]

Im having problems with the new wheel rake leaving hay, too. It’s where the tractor tires run over the hay and compress it down to the ground.
I will have to tighten the springs on the rake wheels that travel over the tractor tires so they are “heavier” than the other rake wheels.

 

[Iowa Hillbilly]

It really doesn't matter unless you're leaving a full windrow and you're trying to make top tier dairy hay. The grass or legumes will grow right through a lot of thatch, which is what they do every spring. If you're shooting for top tier hay you could try to mow higher next time to leave the leftovers in the field on the next cutting, but even that won't matter much.

 

[zzvyb6]

First of all, I'd set your mower much lower, that's some tall stubble. Second, rake it better to be narrower than the baler throat. Third, don't watch the baler so much. That encourages you to keep from drifting laterally. You can pull a rake with a golf cart or lawn mower at this point. Re-rake it and burn it Some of my fields have trenches & ditches in them. Rake doesn't cross them very well. I use a leaf blower to control the fire. Really nice plants come up in the burned area.

 

[Southernspeed]

It really doesn't matter unless you're leaving a full windrow and you're trying to make top tier dairy hay. The grass or legumes will grow right through a lot of thatch, which is what they do every spring. If you're shooting for top tier hay you could try to mow higher next time to leave the leftovers in the field on the next cutting, but even that won't matter much.

It sure if it’s something to do with all the rain we’ve had this past week but I was in a field yesterday and kicked some of the old hay away to see if the grass was growing underneath ok ( and the few patches I checked weren’t under thick leftovers) and the grass was black and burnt looking, whitish yellow out towards the edge of the covered area.

 

[Hay Dude]

It sure if it’s something to do with all the rain we’ve had this past week but I was in a field yesterday and kicked some of the old hay away to see if the grass was growing underneath ok ( and the few patches I checked weren’t under thick leftovers) and the grass was black and burnt looking, whitish yellow out towards the edge of the covered area.

We have 40 acres of cut hay laying for over a week now. Not just a few missed corners of raked hay, FULL fields cut.
This rain is becoming a disaster for hay farming this summer.

 

[Southernspeed]

We have 40 acres of cut hay laying for over a week now. Not just a few missed corners of raked hay, FULL fields cut.
This rain is becoming a disaster for hay farming this summer.

That sucks! One of our local producers cut 150 acres of straw then got caught out by a storm and since then we’ve had rain every day. Pretty sure he didn’t get it up.

 

[Hay Dude]

That sucks! One of our local producers cut 150 acres of straw then got caught out by a storm and since then we’ve had rain every day. Pretty sure he didn’t get it up.

Yep, same here…..Thats farming!

 

[herm0016]

we did about 500 smalls just in time for lots of rain, neighbors have many acres cut and rotting. an interesting year for the weather. we are above our avg. yearly rainfall already. lots of hay around if you can get it cut and bailed dry.

 

[Hay Dude]

we did about 500 smalls just in time for lots of rain, neighbors have many acres cut and rotting. an interesting year for the weather. we are above our avg. yearly rainfall already. lots of hay around if you can get it cut and bailed dry.

There’s going to be a hay shortage in MY area this year. Rained like a sum biatch last 3 weeks.
I’m 2 weeks behind. Made 300 tons so far. Have 700 tons + to go.

 

[tude]

My grandparents had a dairy farm from 1930s to mid 1960s. they started out with horses and ended up with tractors. They kept the old dump rake for the situation you described. They were able to collect missed hay in the odd corners and clean the field.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Weather isn't cooperating here for hay either. Alfalfa is in full bloom and not a clear weather window in sight . . .

If that leftover hay bothers you and you don't want to leave it, run your baler over it and clean it up. I have the same problem in a couple smaller pastures. After I drop the wagons or accumulator, depending on what we're using, I just throttle the tractor down and move into a higher gear and run around and "sweep up" with the baler. The tractor and small baler are pretty nimble without pulling anything behind and you can move quick at fairly low RPMs. I throw the occasional bale that this produces into the front bucket. Only takes a few minutes and certainly doesn't use much fuel.

Better to clean it up than chop it up or spread it back out . . . IF it bothers you. Otherwise, leave it and catch it next time you bale.

 

[Hay Dude]

You guys do realize those little patches of hay will disappear in a few weeks, right?