New to the hay game

[ovrszd]

Honestly, I'm not interested in shares or making extra $ off it. I just want someone to keep it in good shape so I don't have to keep bush hogging it 2 or 3 times a year.

I totally understand. Told my guy he could have the hay. Nope. Pays me for half.

After he cuts it I go around the edges with the brush cutter and clean up. Most of mine has timber boundaries.

 

[Hay Dude]

Oh yeah... Wifey and I went to DVC in Doylestown. We visit quite often and have a son in Lancaster.
And I see we have the same Kubota zero turn.

OK cool. I live fairly far from there, near Wilmington, DE. Both are in the Delaware Valley-its a big area.
So the big thing you gotta watch with Hay Farmers, is soil amendments. Dont get too mesmerized by the "free cutting". Remember, each time your grass is cut, baled and removed, other not so good things are happening:
1. Each time hay is cut & removed, versus cut & lay with a bush hog, the stems are not decaying onto the ground and fertilizing your soil. Farmers frequently call it "mining the soil" because the nutrients normally left by mowing and laying grass stems are gone. They are taken away in the form of hay bales. He will need to regularly spread an organic fertilizer and/or lime on your fields. You can check up on him by taking soil samples. If the farmer doesnt do this, yields will dwindle, the soil will become acid, the organic levels will drop and eventually, the stand will become un-hayable in extreme circumstances.
2. Haying creates more ground compaction than mowing. The number of passes is much greater and the equipment is heavier.
3. There are other reasons you may/may not care about nesting birds, fawns, etc. can be killed by an uncaring farmer. Also, he may not remove the hay when YOU want it removed.

Specify up front your expectations. Believe me, I cut a lot of acreage with both hay equipment and bush hog mowers. Lots more to think about than the free cutting you get. Hire a farmer that is also a "land steward". Get ahold of me if you need more help/advice.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Yep. My guy does mine on shares. He does all the work and I get 50% of the hay. Then he buys my 50% at current market value.

Keeps the fields clean and I don't have to mess with it.

Who pays for lime and fertilizer?

 

[Steppenwolfe]

OK cool. I live fairly far from there, near Wilmington, DE. Both are in the Delaware Valley-its a big area.
So the big thing you gotta watch with Hay Farmers, is soil amendments. Dont get too mesmerized by the "free cutting". Remember, each time your grass is cut, baled and removed, other not so good things are happening:
1. Each time hay is cut & removed, versus cut & lay with a bush hog, the stems are not decaying onto the ground and fertilizing your soil. Farmers frequently call it "mining the soil" because the nutrients normally left by mowing and laying grass stems are gone. They are taken away in the form of hay bales. He will need to regularly spread an organic fertilizer and/or lime on your fields. You can check up on him by taking soil samples. If the farmer doesnt do this, yields will dwindle, the soil will become acid, the organic levels will drop and eventually, the stand will become un-hayable in extreme circumstances.
2. Haying creates more ground compaction than mowing. The number of passes is much greater and the equipment is heavier.
3. There are other reasons you may/may not care about nesting birds, fawns, etc. can be killed by an uncaring farmer. Also, he may not remove the hay when YOU want it removed.

Specify up front your expectations. Believe me, I cut a lot of acreage with both hay equipment and bush hog mowers. Lots more to think about than the free cutting you get. Hire a farmer that is also a "land steward". Get ahold of me if you need more help/advice.

WOW... Lot's of excellent advice. You have brought up a few things that we hadn't considered. So... maybe I bush hog twice a year? and maybe don't worry about hay as I'm not into it for the money?

 

[ovrszd]

Who pays for lime and fertilizer?

He fertilizes. If lime is applied, i would do that.

Let's clarify something.

Just like you, I just want the fields clean. My share partner just wants hay.

If your concern is to improve the fertility of your land, don't harvest anything and yearly apply fertilizer and lime as needed.

 

[mwayne]

If making money is not a concern something else to consider is native prairie restoration, if that is a possibility in your area. You can get away with a lot less mowing, maybe once every three years or a third of the field every year.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

If making money is not a concern something else to consider is native prairie restoration, if that is a possibility in your area. You can get away with a lot less mowing, maybe once every three years or a third of the field every year.

That is an interesting option. I would like to be a good steward of the land, and leave it better than I found it. I also want it to look good, but not a lawn. I have always enjoyed the look of a true meadow. Could this be accomplished by bush hogging once a year?

 

[Hay Dude]

Possibly, but I mow a LOT of conservancy land and after 30 years of it, I can tell you 1 mowing and you値l have small 15 woody invasives (pear, locust) blackberry stickers and multi flora rose, just to name a few. It won稚 be ideal for walking unless you mow paths through it.
2 mowings and you have a LOT less of the above.
3 mowings or more and you have none of the above.

If you want soft meadow grass without stickers or woody invasive species, 2 cuts is the minimum.
A meadow can be interpreted in many ways. I would call that a tall soft grass species capable of being a mixed grass hay. Others would allow some woody plants and a wide variety of other species with less frequent cuttings. Nothing wrong with either, just trying to give you a visual.
Below, I included some field mowing pictures. We mow and cut hay on fields in several states. The first photo (kind of blurry) is a 30 acre field cut 4 times a year. It looks like a tall lawn.
The 3 where you see me looking out the back window at the Woods 15? batwing are me cutting down years of overgrowth, restoring back to a hay field.
The JCB tractor is a customer that gets 1 cut per year, except for the one with the JCB and the round bales in the background. That is cut 3x/yr. Note how much softer and grass-like it is with more cuts?
In picture #7 (looking over the orange Kubota M135x hood) you see I’m cutting lots of blackberry stems and goldenrod stems. This was once a hay field. It was taken out of service 25 years ago and is now a 1X cut meadow. Notice it’s been 90% overtaken by the stickers and goldenrod?
Each time I cut the 1X places, there?s stickers, multi flora and broomsedge. Not a good sign if you want soft meadow grass, but great cover for deer, fox and rabbits. Let it go longer and you?ll have a great hawk, owl and bald eagle sanctuary.

The last picture with the lady walking is what would be a typical late summer/early fall walk through a meadow that was cut earlier in the year and is untreated. Notice the invasives already coming in? You can see evidence of thistle, hemp dogbane, and horse nettle making their way into the field.
Only way to keep it out is intensive mowing.
I have a lot more pictures if you need any more perspectives.

 

[Hay Dude]

WOW... Lot's of excellent advice. You have brought up a few things that we hadn't considered. So... maybe I bush hog twice a year? and maybe don't worry about hay as I'm not into it for the money?

I would base your decision on who you can find to hand over the stewardship to. If you find someone really good, they will do the right thing, but I can’t tell you how many fields I see go unfertilized and uncared for. Where I live, we only get at most 25-30/acre for mixed grass hay land. So if that’s what you get down your way, do the math and decide for yourself. Haying is harder on land than mowing. But given a good steward farmer, he can take the work load off your hands and fertilized properly, should be just fine.
As far as lime goes, it’s a longer term amendment to the soil. Most farmers want long term leases if they are to supply lime. If a farmer applies lime and you ask him to leave in a year or 2, the lime carries over beyond those years and the farmer would lose money.

 

[mwayne]

That is an interesting option. I would like to be a good steward of the land, and leave it better than I found it. I also want it to look good, but not a lawn. I have always enjoyed the look of a true meadow. Could this be accomplished by bush hogging once a year?

Local expert advice would be the best. In my case I hired a guy to handle both the paperwork and consult for wildlife management. He recommended the three year interval for mowing, late in the growing season for brush management.