Ugg...stupid weather and hay

Casey in Ky · Jun 10, 2010

Well, this year is starting off almost as bad, if not worse than last year. Hay is riper quicker this year than last, and so far we had one good week(even though forcasted rain that week), the last full week of May. I got about 900 small squares up that week,a dn if I had known I would've killed myself and cut a lot more. Been waiting on the weather ever since. Rain yesterday, dry today and tomorrow, %50 chance Saturday, %30 chance Saturday night, %40 chance on Sunday and so on. Long range forcast, for what its worth, says maybe dry middle of next week. PRoblem is I picked up considerable more hay ground this year, and my customers, owners who want their share, and land owners who I just buy it outright from, all either want hay now, or want it cut yesterday. I can"t seem to make any of them understand that late hay is better than wet hay...Soemtimes I wonder if its worth it.

old · Jun 10, 2010

Yep I understand the problem. Weather guessers here have been calling for rain all week and yep we got some this week 2 days in a row. All of 3/10s in 2 days. Looks like I will have to water the garden tonight oh well. I am thinking about puts some down just to see if it will really rain LOL

rrlund · Jun 10, 2010

Same up here in Michigan. I just raked some that I cut Saturday. It's been rained on twice and is gonna be baled today whether it's completely dry or not,barring any major breakdowns. Humid weather and rain are supposed to be back tomorrow and through the weekend. I rolled 8 bales about 2/3s size Tuesday just to have some hay to feed with the silage and grain in the feedlot. I don't know why I'm surprised. My oldest sons birthday is Flag Day and it might be one year in ten that we can really get going baling hay before then. Gets to be a desperate and anxious situation when the barn's empty is all.

Deere Scotty · Jun 10, 2010

I am not sure how long Your hay has to lay for it to dry; But if I had a lot of hay ground, & People I owed hay too! I would consider equipment that would allow for baling the same day its cut, & an NH auto bale stacker. You have to use a tedder, & make an additional pass I think; But I see a guy up here in IN who cuts at about 9, or 10 a.m. Generally 4 - 8 acres at a time, & by dark the field is clean. If You had 3, 4, or 5 days of good weather look how much hay You could put away. If the weather people get it wrong Your chances of beating rain improve dramatically!!! Of course equipment cost more money, & I dont know how well the hay would dry. I have never seen this guys barn burn down from damp hay combustion; but tomorrow is a new day!

& by the way I have been behind all spring too!!!

Scotty

John S-B · Jun 10, 2010

I started doing it as a hobby but it got too big and instead of being somewhat fun (yeah, I know) it became a MAJOR headache. With older equipment and no real need for the hay myself, I just sold all my equipment except the tractor and a sickle mower and added ten years on to my life. I wouldn't mind helping someone out from time to time, but I'd never do it again to try and make a little cash on the side.

gitrib · Jun 10, 2010

We have made a lot of prarie hay here in Oklahoma last year. We used a Vemeer Drum mower with little spray unit mounted on it spraying Conklin Pro Serve III perservitive. Baler was running about three hours behind. It was beautiful hay and all went to horse stable & moisture was 23%.
gitrib

RayP(MI) · Jun 10, 2010

Randy - I could break some loose if you"re despirate.

Pitch · Jun 10, 2010

We have a Mennonite guy here that started business with a hay dryer and modified cane press. Guys cut hay directly into a truck and this Mennonite dries and bales it inside a building. sickle bar to barn about 4 hours not including transportation. Also bales for export, about 2 ft square weighs about 125#.

Tom in TN · Jun 10, 2010

Casey,

I live in Middle Tennessee about 40 miles south of Nashville. I'm having the same problem you're having - and it was the same last year.

Grass is great, but I can't get three consecutive days of hot, dry weather. I have about 3 or 4 acres on the ground right now that I ted every day, and then it gets rained on again that night.

I checked it again today after tedding, and it's still too wet to bale. Weather guessers are saying 30 to 40% chance of rain for the next week.

Maybe it'll get better soon.

Tom in TN

tjdub · Jun 10, 2010

Same situation here in SE Minnesota. I baled squares for all I was worth on Memorial Day weekend, and made round bale haylage before that, but it's been raining ever since and shows no sign of stopping. The 7-day forecast has rain all the way through next Thursday too. I'm just happy it's not a flood and it's not a drought.

James Howell · Jun 10, 2010

Hang in there; we've all had "those days".

We got our hay raked, baled, and stacked in the hay shed this last weekend.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/Haymaking%202010/First%20Cutting%20Hay%20Field/?action=view¤t=002.jpg" target="_blank">

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Got the 21-7-14 fertilizer applied yesterday just a couple of hours before it started raining.

<a href="http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/jameslloydhowell/Haymaking%202010/First%20Cutting%20Hay%20Field/?action=view¤t=003.jpg" target="_blank">

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</a>

Hope to cut again around July 4th if all goes well.

tjdub · Jun 10, 2010

> I am thinking about puts some down just to see if it will really rain LOL

If you cut some, you'll guarantee it. At least that's how it seems to work at my place.

showcrop · Jun 10, 2010

I would like to know what he has for equipment to dry the hay down in eight hours. We need 3 days around here and it takes usually three passes with a tedder to do that. I was looking at a recon or macerator but all the lookin' like new used ones up for sale kind of soured me on those. please tell me how to do it!

old · Jun 10, 2010

I lucked out I don't have to cut hay. The guy up the road from me is so yep it will probably rain tonight. I know it sure has clouded up in the last couple hours and they say we have a 30% chance so yep it will probably 30% all over us

johndeereman · Jun 10, 2010

same here in pa im done with what i had lined up for the year might try to get anoter small field but anyway what i do is mow the last day they are calling for rain doesnt hurt the hay if it gets wet while green plus rain water dries off faster than stem moisture been working so far last field i mowed friday they were calling for a chance on saturday hot day friday hay was drying while i mowed well it rained friday night then got about an inch saturday night i thought hay would be ruined but hey it looks great baled it tuesday afternoon before it rained again on wednsday real nice looking stuff hay making is a gamble i usually just look at radar and guess the weather for myself im more acurate than the pais guessers

rrlund · Jun 10, 2010

Thanks,I got that baled this afternoon. Rolled 41 bales. Some of it was a little tough,but overall,it was better than I thought it would be. If I can get down to business next week,most of what I baled today will sit in the fencerow til March or so. By then I'll have forgotten it was rained on twice and baled kinda tough. If the cows are hungry enough,they won't care much.

camju · Jun 11, 2010

I would like info to contact this mennonite to know how he does it

Ugg...stupid weather and hay

Casey in Ky

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old

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rrlund

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Deere Scotty

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John S-B

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gitrib

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RayP(MI)

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Pitch

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Tom in TN

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tjdub

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James Howell

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tjdub

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showcrop

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old

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johndeereman

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rrlund

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camju

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