To cut the hay or not?

I am looking for opinions on whether or not I should cut my hay, heres the story.

Mostly clover/grass hay fields. 1st cut was cut July 3rd, put up right away. That was about 36 days ago. Now the clover is about 16-18" tall, the grass is about 12" tall. I'm looking to get the most yield I can so I'm thinking about cutting so I can get some regrowth and hopefully another cutting. If I cut it now, I would certainly get less bales than I did on first cutting as it was more like 20"tall at first cutting, however if the next 36 days are like the last 36 days, I should have 16-18" tall hay again, correct? then I could take a third cutting. 36 days from now is approx Sept 15th, about first frost time here in Central MN. Or, I could not cut now, wait 2 weeks or so then cut 2nd crop at say 20" but not have a third cutting. Would this net me more hay than 2 shorter cuttings?

This is just my 3rd year of making hay, still doing alot of learning. I appreciate any help or advice you have to offer.

What kind of clover? Red clover you want to wait until the majority of the bud is brown. Also would depend a lot on your weather. Are you wetter or dryer than normal. Do other's in your area hay into September and doesn't it take longer to dry? Seems to me with weather flucuations it's more of a gamble now than it used to be. If the clover is ready, I'd cut now and hope for a 3rd. All this is assuminng time and fuel are not an issue.

You, with your 3 years of experience, have vastly more experience than I do... However, I'm going to post a comment. Not because I have any particular knowledge, but to maybe spark a continued dialogue that may prove educational. Here goes:
It would seem to me that the inputs into the hay would need to be considered as well as the timing. Your time, wear/tear on equipment, and fuel costs are 'fixed'; i.e. the same every time you cut. Seems to me that you should wait and only do one more harvest to maximize your profits.
There, I said it. Now to see if there is agreement or disagreement.

Edit: I can already tell it is way more complicated than I had anticipated.

I would say the weather will control this, right now, if you have good weather, 18" is fine, take it, and sleep well, you may not get the weather again, if the weather does not cooperate, you really have no choice.

The best scenario I have seen here is applying fertilizer after a 1st cut, we have some fields that do stay moist, and we seem to usually get timely rains, sometimes not, but this field we did in '09 came back with thick yield as about as much as the first cut. I tedded and raked it both times, and bought over 400 bales of it, because of how good it was.

Obviously, soil fertility, PH and rain, play a role in this.

Like I said above, if the weather cooperates right now, if it were me, I would cut it, as like you said, you might just get that chance for a 3rd cutting.

I am a believer in getting that first cut off, in a timely manner, as around here that 2nd chance, say with some fertilizer may help redeem a poor first cut, problem is the darned rains sometimes is so often, you either wait, til its over ripe, like a lot of it was this year, or go for it, and get it off the field, sometimes its a loss, but so is waiting til its tanned out. The farmer I used to help, his son will try and get some in even with narrow windows of weather, sometimes its a loss, or lesser quality, but having cut tedded, raked, and baled those fields after this for a 2nd cut, most times it does pay off with some nice hay. Hay is always a gamble no matter what, some years it goes well, others not.

There is meaning to "Make hay when the Sun Shines".
If the weather says cut hay then do it. Weather doesn't care what stage of maturity your crop is in.

I have lost a cutting from waiting until I thought the hay was in the best condition only to get rain, rain, rain, and more rain. Get a forecast for four dry days and cut and the ground stays wet until it rains again with the hay never dry enough to bale. Ended up with mulch hay. No guarantees for any cutting. I took my second cutting off mid July and if The forecast holds I will cut again next week even though I might get a coupla more inches growth by waiting. Probly get a 4th cutting if the weather cooperates.

Ideally you want to go by maturity. You want to cut just before it blooms. Of course different plants are going to bloom at different times, but the highest nutritional value is just before bloom. So I would probably be cutting today, weather permitting. Nutrient value is also higher if cut PM than AM

I didn't finish first cutting til july 12th,the bulk of it went up before that. I cut some two weeks ago that was cut around June 14th. I'll get a third off that,but I'm leaving the rest til the end of August,first of September. To heck with even trying a third. I'll just let the grass grow and take two.

Cut when the weather is right, cuss the weatherman, when he is wrong!

Cut now because it'll grow back and you'll get a 3rd. I mowed 2nd cutting mostly alfalfa little different but wasn't very tall or was the grass but the alfalfa was starting to bloom so it was little past time. Its rained couple times have good regrow and I may get a 4th but I'm in northern Il not mn 1st was 279 2nd was only 139 off of around 2 acres hope 3rd grows enough to be around 200 and I'll be happy if 4th is 140ish. But who knows all depends on the rain plan on putting fertilizer on next year

with red clover, cut at full bloom for maximum yield. Once it blooms the leaves drop off and the stems dry up. I cut some tonight but it was about 1 1/2 weeks too old. Been rainy here. I shoot for 3 cuttings as any weeds will be young and green.

If you have the weather, cut it!!!! I've lost hay waiting for "better conditions" and "more growth". Screw that noise! If it's ready and the weather is too, then cut it. This year weather ahs killed us. Most guys I know still have 1st cut to do, as do I, and 2nd cut if gonna be iffy. It'll still be better than last year where some folks didn't even get 1st cut.

I'm going to gamble and cut hay this afternoon. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, but as usual we likely will miss it again.DOUG