ddivinia
Elite Member
I thought hay prices were going to go stupid, but with this latest rain. I think we will get a good cutting. Hoping for some rain that is predictable so I can get some fertilizer down.
D.
D.
What a Haying Season!
- Thread starter Negligence
- Start date
- Views: 7212
mark.r
Platinum Member
After what seems like 2 months, SOME RAIN!!!
Rara Avis
Veteran Member
We just got SECOND CUT HAY IN off the fields we got 1st cut back on the 04JUL08 weekend!!...D
farmerjim
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we just finished up our second cut as well, all the rain we had in july/aug helped out we got a good yield on 2nd cut. hoping to possibly get a 3rd cut in late sept/early oct if it grows well.
irwin
Veteran Member
I was getting worried earlier this summer. I don't cut it, just a buyer. Looks like I'll be able to get the last 200 bales I need to last through to late spring 09. Without paying more than $4.50 a bale.
slowzuki
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It had rained for 6 weeks straight with no end in sight, so I took a couple weeks for some work out of town. Of course the weather turned around and was great while I was away.
Looks like there will be a bit more good weather this week, cross my fingers.
Looks like there will be a bit more good weather this week, cross my fingers.
I just made my 4th cut on our giant Bermuda field. This one was our biggest ever. I am waiting to bale till tonight but I'm almost positive well get 500 bales off the 7 acres. 6 inches of rain this month really helped. I am irrigated but It's running round the clock to put that much out in a week like mother nature did.
I am confident we will get a 5th cutting and already bought the fertilizer for it. I'm hoping for a 6th cutting on it too. The next two will be to get my own animals through the winter. Most of my friends are thinking early freeze but I'm hoping it stays warm.
I am confident we will get a 5th cutting and already bought the fertilizer for it. I'm hoping for a 6th cutting on it too. The next two will be to get my own animals through the winter. Most of my friends are thinking early freeze but I'm hoping it stays warm.
GBeck
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WOW a 4th cut...that would be great this year for us. I am in SW Ontario...rain to much at the start of the season so 1st cut was crappy and late coming off....2 nd cut just got off last week, and it looks really good
only a few ppl around here that I have talked to managed to get a 3rd cut
only a few ppl around here that I have talked to managed to get a 3rd cut
AKfish
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Whoa... 4th, 5th maybe a 6th cutting before freeze-up!?! We FINALLY managed to get some 1st cutting bales in the barn last weekend (8-30) and there are a number of hay fields in the area that are still uncut!
They'll have to cut it and bale it green just to get it off the field before freeze-up (can't leave it to lay down and have the snow pile up -bad winter kill). Feed what you can before it goes to mold and then burn or bury what's left over.
Ended up with alot poorer quality hay this year than the past 4 years. Got some that were streaked with black, some that were just brown and some that were pale white green from three different fields.
Oh well, we'll just "mix 'em up" a bit and maybe the horses won't waste too much.
AKfish
They'll have to cut it and bale it green just to get it off the field before freeze-up (can't leave it to lay down and have the snow pile up -bad winter kill). Feed what you can before it goes to mold and then burn or bury what's left over.
Ended up with alot poorer quality hay this year than the past 4 years. Got some that were streaked with black, some that were just brown and some that were pale white green from three different fields.
Oh well, we'll just "mix 'em up" a bit and maybe the horses won't waste too much.
AKfish
mark.r
Platinum Member
We got 8" of rain . . . today.
Well, I ended up with 452 bales of bermuda off my 7 acre field. It's a little short of the 500 I was hoping for but still more than ever before. It just started raining and my wife still isn't back with the fertilizer. Hopefully it will keep up most of the day and I won't have to pull out the sprinkler to get it watered in. The nice thing about that bermuda field is I can go out and work in it with the tractor in the rain and it won't hurt the grass. I might have to go back later and fill in the ruts with the rear blade but it still won't hurt anything, it grows back so fast.
The weather here is really unpredictable. Normally we don't get our first freeze till November but I've seen 12 inches of snow before Halloween and 90 degrees in December before too. Being so unpredictable our pecan trees get frosted about 2 out of 3 years but when we do get a crop it's a HUGE one off of them.
I just hope I can get at least one more cutting off my alfalfa and bermuda fields so I can put up hay for myself for the winter. So far we've been selling it all just to stay on top of the equipment payments and twice I had to hire someone else to do it because my new tractor was in the shop. It's been a crappy year in that respect.
The weather here is really unpredictable. Normally we don't get our first freeze till November but I've seen 12 inches of snow before Halloween and 90 degrees in December before too. Being so unpredictable our pecan trees get frosted about 2 out of 3 years but when we do get a crop it's a HUGE one off of them.
I just hope I can get at least one more cutting off my alfalfa and bermuda fields so I can put up hay for myself for the winter. So far we've been selling it all just to stay on top of the equipment payments and twice I had to hire someone else to do it because my new tractor was in the shop. It's been a crappy year in that respect.
AKfish
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8" of rain in one day!!! (Sounds like a good rice year - not hay..)
Drive on the field when it's wet and raining... I'd have ruts that would be there 10 years from now - and pretty poor grass down in 'em, too!
AKfish
Drive on the field when it's wet and raining... I'd have ruts that would be there 10 years from now - and pretty poor grass down in 'em, too!
AKfish
mark.r
Platinum Member
You can thank tropical depression Hanna for that one. We actually needed it though. Believe it or not, it's pretty much all dried up now.
AKfish
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WTA - are those 452 big round bales - as in 1,000lber's?? And how many cutting's did you get this season?
Mark.r - with that late rain did folk's in your area ever get any "decent" hay?
Article here in the local paper yesterday interviewing one of the 2 biggest hay producers in the area (135 acres) and he stated that this season was the worst season that he's ever had in 33 years!
There's 2,600 hay growers on the Kenai Peninsula (didn't even know that there were 2,600 tractors.. let alone that many farmers) but only 2 farmers with more than 100 acres into hay production.
With the crappy season; almost any hay is at a premium and folk's are already concerned that as winter sets in - they'll be horses and other livestock that won't be gettin' enough to eat.
(The dog teams will likely have a very meaty diet this winter..)
AKfish
Mark.r - with that late rain did folk's in your area ever get any "decent" hay?
Article here in the local paper yesterday interviewing one of the 2 biggest hay producers in the area (135 acres) and he stated that this season was the worst season that he's ever had in 33 years!
There's 2,600 hay growers on the Kenai Peninsula (didn't even know that there were 2,600 tractors.. let alone that many farmers) but only 2 farmers with more than 100 acres into hay production.
With the crappy season; almost any hay is at a premium and folk's are already concerned that as winter sets in - they'll be horses and other livestock that won't be gettin' enough to eat.
(The dog teams will likely have a very meaty diet this winter..)
AKfish
czechsonofagun
Elite Member
We are waiting for the local farmer (NoVa) to cut and bail square bails. Hopefully it will happen this weekend, he was waiting for little bit more rain to get the grass some boost. Pastures are completely exploited this year.
mark.r
Platinum Member
Most people cut earlier when we had lots of rain. Last 90 days has been dry so most cuttings has been low quality cow type stuff. I think people will get another cutting of higher quality stuff in another month or so with the rain we've had recently.
This year has been one of the best haying years yet for me. I just finished my 3rd cutting of 2 fields, fixin to start on the 3rd field. I'll get 4 cuttings off of one field. So far all of my custom jobs haven't got wet. Most of my personal hay has got rained on. Still have about 55 acres to bale this year then i should be done for this year.
Briana03
Elite Member
I moved your thread to the new Haying forum!
Here are some similar links:
