Vrginians! - How is the Hay Crop?

[MossflowerWoods]

Fellow Virginians,

I am now concerned about the Hay season here in Norther VA.

In my area near Ladysmith, I fear things did not go well for the first cuttings. Every hayfield I watch has had issues that will keep the hay from being "Horse" quality.

My guy in Bumpass I've been buying from had a useless 1st cutting, none of it was salvagable. He is hoping for a second cutting but has advised me I need to seek out other sources as he cannot guarantee any good hay.

And my horses are not high maintenance.

On my street, the've set all the round bales in the trees to rot. Off I-95 near Thornburg that guy must have cut and stacked thousands of square bales only to have that HUGE wind and rain storm that killed everyones power rain on them and then bake them in 100+ heat. Candidly, they were looking a bit burned and brown when he cut and baled them.

Does anyone have any good news to share on this topic?

Will we all be spending big $$$ on out of state hay?

Just asking...

Be well all,
David

 

[s219]

Today in Toano, I saw a field full of square bales, many of them looking like they crumbled into a pile. Not sure about the story there -- will see what happens with them over the next few days.

 

[newbury]

Fellow Virginians,

I am now concerned about the Hay season here in Norther VA.

In my area near Ladysmith, I fear things did not go well for the first cuttings. Every hayfield I watch has had issues that will keep the hay from being "Horse" quality.

My guy in Bumpass I've been buying from had a useless 1st cutting, none of it was salvagable. He is hoping for a second cutting but has advised me I need to seek out other sources as he cannot guarantee any good hay.

And my horses are not high maintenance.

On my street, the've set all the round bales in the trees to rot. Off I-95 near Thornburg that guy must have cut and stacked thousands of square bales only to have that HUGE wind and rain storm that killed everyones power rain on them and then bake them in 100+ heat. Candidly, they were looking a bit burned and brown when he cut and baled them.

Does anyone have any good news to share on this topic?

Will we all be spending big $$$ on out of state hay?

Just asking...

Be well all,
David

So David - did you back out of the hay business?

Guys,

Maybe I'm crazy, but it seems to me that I spend more for Hay than I do for feed/grains.

There is a lady on my street who leases her land to a hay guy, and he just leaves the large round bales there to rot. they sit in the field for months, then he stacks them on the treeline.

I'm thinking about offering her a lease and curious how hard it is, and how long before I break even on the investment (I would go out and buy used hay equip).

I'm sure I'm just being a silly n00b, but it sounds tempting...

Talk me into or out of this Hay-brained idea!

Be well,
David

Probably not a good time to be a hay farmer.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

So David - did you back out of the hay business?

Probably not a good time to be a hay farmer.

Newbury,

Thus far buying hay equipment has been off the list of accepted activities. Not before the 2nd floor remodel is WELL ALONG (It has not even started). But the temptation is strong...

At the moment I'm not so secretly hoping a VA TBN guy has decent hay I can buy and fill up my barn...

David

 

[Ed of all trades]

Not so good here in the central valley. Every thing is dry and the farmers that sell their extra are most likely going to feed it. Check out the Rushville hay auction if there is good hay for sale in this area it will prob. be there. (just south west of Harrisonburg)

 

[SPYDERLK]

Here in the Gordonsville area we got a so-so late stemmy 1st cutting and an excellent 2nd cutting. It only amounts to about 900 bales tho and will all be used for our horses. Right now its a bake. Dont know if well get any more.:confused3:
larry

 

[creekbend]

Although, I don't live in VA, we don't live that far south west of you. The season looks bleak here. The grass is brown and our creek is dry. We are expecting 50% chance of rain the next three days. Hopefully, conditions will make a positive turn around. Two of my neighbors raise horses. My immediate neighbor boards and trains horses, and he told me the other day that his supplier expects less horse quality hay being produced. Best wishes.

 

[SLHawkins]

David,
Hunter's Hill Farm put up about 800 bales of decent hay. It is primarily Orchard Grass. It is a first cutting and was cut the week following the Memorial Day weekend. We also baled another 300 or so, but it is a late first cutting and could be a bit stemmy. They also have several hundred bales from last season that is all stored in a barn. I can send you their number if you are interested. They are located off Route 2, just outside of Bowling Green. If nothing else, it worth going by to take a look at. Hopefully, they'll get another cutting before the season is over.

Hawk

 

[Grateful11]

We're in central NC and my wife drilled in about 25 acres of soybeans and brown top millet for hay and if it doesn't get rain this week it's had it. Her corn just started putting on ears when the high temps hit and some of it looks really bad but some still looks pretty good. We need rain. Her 35 acres of Oats hay yielded really well.

 

[DKCDKC]

The large-operator farmer who rents a field from me told me tonight that his first cutting was of great volume, average quality. Spotty t-storms account for most of our rain this time of year, and we've had just a little shy of average. He expects his second cutting to be ok, but light. Sorghum and other crops are doing surprisingly well, but need more rain over the next few weeks to take off.

I'm watering my garden tho, but with the windstorm herebouts and an invasion of moles and voles, it will be a weak year produce-wise.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

In my driving around (like to annapolis junction via 301 yesterday) I'm seeing large stacks of bales under huge tarps at some of the bigger fields.

There is a guy with "hay for sale" sign out by my Lake Anna rental I am going to check out.

Be well,
David

 

[fosterchild420]

We have been feeding hay since july 1 in central va and nothing is growing right now. When we get a shower of rain it has been so spotty that it doesn't help.

 

[Ed of all trades]

Places here in the valley are going to have some good second cuttings, the hay auction ought to have a good amount.

 

[bucktaker]

Here in South west Ohio hay is hard to come by quality is way down and prices are going up. We got in 1100 bales before memorial day, same fields gave 150 second cut..... that got rained on and was sold for 1 per bale... Looking for rounds as the pasture is dry having a hard time with that .

 

[thatguy]

Im in Bedford (between roanoke and Lynchburg) and a neighbor hays my fields and some empty lots in your neighborhood (we are in the country).. Last year (2011) he got about 15 round bales off of my land only (about 6 or 7 acres, not much more than that) - This year (2012) is only got 15 round bales on all the land (~14ish acres)

This year the hot weather and no rain for 3 wks in march (~90 degrees for several wks) really stunted the growth. Even when we got plenty of rain in April and May..

So far the fall cutting doesnt look much better than the spring cutting..

Brian

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I picked up the first 50 of ~200 bales from my guy near Lake Anna Saturday. They are from his second cutting. They are very dry, but mostly green (a little brown mixed in). I have not busted one open yet, the horses loved the scraps I fed them from what fell out on the trailer. He says there will be some clover and other "stuff" mixed in and that he did not get to cut when he wished so it is very dry.

I am going to check out another guy nearby Lake Anna in the next week or so.

Anybody else got good/bad news on our Hay crop?

Be well,
David

 

[riptides]

Anybody else got good/bad news on our Hay crop?

Be well,
David

Worst year ever. One cutting. We just finished bush hogging the remainder. Between the monsoons in the Spring and the excessive summer heat, it remains to be seen what conditions the fields will be in come next year. We will get the soils tested before we do anything next year.

 

[fosterchild420]

as i previously stated, we have been feeding hay already. We picked up 56 rolls of hay a neighbor had left over from his last fall cutting. (He has since cut his herd and did not need.) Been working on hauling it back home after work the last few nights. It is not a1 grade hay but the cows jumped right in the first roll we put out like it was. We got 1/2 in of rain sunday, so if we get a few more of those it would really help. Also we will be selling about 12 of the larger calves this week to thin our herd down. (We only have 46 total including the bull.)

 

[Grateful11]

We're a little south of VA but here in NC they rolled 120 bales last week of Soybean and Millet Hay. Couple fields got some rain on them after they were mowed and the hay doesn't look as nice but it's fine all the same. That makes, I think my wife said, 380 bales so far this year. She's hoping to get another 120.

 

[DKCDKC]

Hay now reported doing extremely well across much of the central Shenandoah Valley. You can tell when more farmers don't move it out of the fields as fast because they don't have the time or interest. Local paper hay report.