Let's talk hay

So I see y'all posting pictures of your hay and it's still a nice green color. Everything I baled this year , from 4 different fields, has been tan, like straw almost. 2 of the fields were bush hogged last year and 2 weren't cut at all. Those 2 were terrible thick. Maybe 2nd cutting will look better? First couple fields are growing back really nice. Just curious abd jealous of the green bales!

Pictures.....





middle picture is one if the better fields. I thought it should have been cut sooner, but owner just called us last week. All the seed stems were really dry.

Almost any field that was left standing at the end of the year's growth, or mowed and left laying, will have 8 month weathered plant residue in it. Any field that a person decides to have cut for hay, that was not being used for hay last year is in that category. It certainly had less nutriant value, and sales appeal. Second cutting won't have that tan/grey look. Jim

The younger the crop is, the less time it's in the sun drying, will get you a greener crop of hay when baled. There is a point from an earlier nice green crop to the time when it's starts to become overripe, a window whereas you'll either have some very nice and green hay, (weather dictates) less volume to when the heads are pollenating, green top to bottom, higher volume, to overripe with some tanning, but highest volume. Lot of variables to consider.

Right now, some areas here are over ripe, tanning out, while other areas in more shaded parts or with more moisture retention, perfect, not overripe. I just cut the field near the house, using a rotary cutter, which I just did some major work to keep it running, nice new blades, in what was some pretty nice orchard and similar grasses, with some weeds. Most of it would be very nice hay, but not as green if it was baled a couple weeks back, or even just 1 week back.

You'll tan/bleach out the top or more of it the longer it sits in the sun, raked and turned over more etc.

There is a section that is shaded and in a bowl shaped area that is almost 6 fee tall and still lush green, stalkier as it is mature.

I prefer an earlier, more leafy, green cutting than later, easier to dry, not as much volume, but if a livestock operation depended on it, than would have to be later, but ideally, well before getting ripe or just before, to maintain feed value.

The weather up here has been very ideal for drying for several weeks, we have not seen such conditions in years actually. Lots of very good hay getting put up this season. Hot but low humidity for the most part, less time drying, less bleaching, and the cuttings even if mature, are not like the same time last year, which was a thick wet growth up to 6 feet, that would have taken a lot longer to dry.

I grew up making green hay here so its the norm for us I was shocked when i was in south Texas in the 70's and my Dad bought some hay one dry year,, Brown as Brown could be,, I guess it is so wet there it is brown before it gets dry enough to bale,, horses ate it ok though but had to really lol. the hay here this year is almost nothing, so far averaging less than 1/2 ton a acre,, normal for me is 1 to 11/2 ton a acre 3 ton in a good year and yes I only get one cutting.

That field looks overripe, add in the dry time and sun bleaching, = tan hay. Sometimes the undergrowth will still have significant green growth when the fields get mature or just over ripe, helping keep the feed value decent. Problem is the drying time, the more of it exposed the more will tan, so if it's raked more than once, the tanner it will be. cut, tedded, then raked might save some time, often times it's going to help get it dried sooner, with less bleaching. Sometimes you'll get it dry top side tans/bleaches, but the bottom stays greener, still gets you a decent feed value.

We have been selling all this hay to a hobby cow " farmer" they wanted a bunch of square bales so they could feed easier. Got hay racks lined up outside the barn and toss the bales right in. It's not nice hay. Lots of old grass from last year and weeds, briars, small trees......... Getting $2.00 a bale. Covering costs. And the fields are growing back really nice. Had to get the old out of there. Hopefully 2nd cut will be nice grass hay.

Your hot sun will turn even nice green hay brown. And some of yours had rain which turns it brown. And then the old hay from last year is brown. So all that added in gives you what you have. I worked in South Carolina for a year and couldn't get over how the sun bleached the hay to almost white. If there is no rain on it and it was green when cut that doesn't hurt the quality. I would expect in your climate nice green hay will be rare.

Intense heat in the South turns what is exposed to the sun brown quickly,cut it with a sickle mower do not run a tedder thru it and the hay underneath will be green looking when you bale it.My round bales are green looking when baled but a few days in the Sun turns the exposed hay brown.Also might need to bale quicker
when its 90-95 degrees the hot South wind blows, hay I cut with a sickle mower one day is ready to bale the next.Rake the hay let it sit in the windrow a couple hrs any moisture that was underneath is gone by the time I bale it.

Jon, Where in SC did you work?
Richard

Are the pics deceiving or did you cut 4-6 inches off the ground. Looks like it was cut high and rough. Cut lower to the ground gets more of the good leafy grasses in my area.

Cut fairly high. Was sorta wet deep in the thick grass. Fire ant hills were an issue. Kept clogging. The field with baler didn't get cut at all last year. So thick it popped the breakaway on my sickle a couple times.

I would say the first step to getting nice green hay is to quit cutting over mature fields.
Its not the bales per acre that count. Its the nutritional value of the hay that does count.

Once you get that part under control we can discuss the vitamin loss from rained on hay and The bleaching of the hot sun turning hay yellow or brown.

I have said it before and will repeat it here.
What some of you guys call good hay is astounding to me.

Exactly, up here, I find it's better to get the 1st cut off by a certain time, giving you that 2nd chance at the next cut being much nicer. Can even fertilize a bit, did that one year and 2nd cut volume was almost as much as the first cutting, it grew quite a bit. We got 3 good cuttings that year.

The real measure about the quality of hay is what you are feeding it to looks like in the Spring of the year,that is what really counts.

I realize this is the first time you have baled this field, but think you really need to work on improving the quality of the ground to make it worth your effort. Good hay requires correct nutrients, pH and timing. We work on multi year leases up here so there is skin in the game for both the land owner and the renter. I would get soil samples and find out what the ground needs, and get those fire ants under control. Cutting the grass taller does not help, as the next cutting will have the over ripe hay in it also.

Haying is something that can pay really well, but takes effort, poor hay is not worth the effort.

Newberry

Maybe it is just that your mower isn't cutting it but the amount of what appears to be green regrowth in your pics makes it look like your "hay" was on the ground for 4-5 days after cutting.

Been there quite a few times.
Wife has a nephew that works at a big timber company there.
Use to be a Case dealer there.
What did you do there?

My mixed grass hay is seeded with late maturing orchard grass and medium maturing Timothy. I cut when the Timothy is full bloom which was June 6 this year and June 6 last year too. We tedd it 2x each drying day and either bale day two evening or day 3. By day 3 the color is beginning to show some slight fade. If cut even 1 week later the orchard grass will be starting to turn. The Timothy will keep its color longer. I really like this mix because it seems the weather turns good at the same time it is time to cut.

Work for a big farmer then, milked 600 jersey cows. Name was Parr just north of town west of the freeway. They quit shortly after I left due to family issues. Was past there recently and saw they were back to milking again.

We finished ours on Thursday, unloaded the last wagons Friday morning. Had the same, some over mature, a bit just right. We weren't able to cut for dry hay until the end of last week due to the rain every 2-3 days we had for pretty much all of May and the first part of June.
I love these guys talking about the bleached and over mature hay, when some of the ones that round bale leave them out in the weather for half a year or more. I've hand fed round bales several times over the years when we've been short, and very rarely have I found any green in them, even to the core.

I will ask my wife's nephew about the dairy next time I see him.
He lives in Greenwood.
Thanks

Edward Parr?

The old man was Henry, son that ran the side I worked on was Calhoun. There was another brother and sister but can't remember their names.

Idaho plates on that trailer.... what part are you located in??

Buddy of mine gave me that trailer. It was his daughters snow mobile trailer. Used it to move stuff to Alabama. They have since moved back to Idaho. They live in Challis. I'm in central Al. Nice little hay trailer?!

Looks like prairie hay to me a lot of green and some old growth it makes good hay . That’s what I feed mostly and the cows always come through winter nice and fat with a good bcs. If you were milking cows it would come up short but a horse or beef cow will do well on it