making a hay field

[rick1]

about 2 years ago i planted a pasture mix for a hay field it contains a percentage of orchardgrass timothy alfalfa and 2 different clovers.i seeded it pretty heavy.i also fertilize it after each cut.it is rather thick and seems to take 4/5 days to dry.this year i am going to plant just orchard grass/timothy mix think that should dry a little quicker.
RICK
 

[GordoSD]

Where are you? Are you cutting it three times a season? Are you using a sickle mower. Are you conditioning the hay?
Alfalfa/OG is some of the best hay there is. How old is the stand? With your fertilizing you should be good for many years. But you may want to sample as you could be gettin too much N in there. What was your yield per acre last year?
Too many variables to give you and answer.
 

[Larry NEIL]

The grasses, timothy and orchard grass do dry faster than alfalfa and especially clover. It sounds like you have a good stand now. I would just throw 3-4 lbs of orchard grass seed in with fertilizer and spread it in the early spring.
As Gordo said, if you want it to dry faster, need to cut with a conditioner and ted it out. That will take at least a day off of your drying time.
 

[rick1]

sorry for confusing you i am going to keep this hayfield the way it is .i am making a couple more small fields maybe alfalfa/orchardgrass/tomothy but without the clovers.i mow with a ih 990 and also ted it.
i also think i need to check the roll tension on the 990 i have a feelin it aint crimpin it a whole lot.
RICK
 

[tomstractorsandtoys1]

I hate to say it but the 990 is part of the problem.They were great machines and dad had two seven ft. machines but when we started doing more alfalfa we had drying problems as well.We went to New Holland machines with the intermeshing rolls and it seemed to dry hay faster.For your few acres I would not go out and buy a different machine but would consider a few other things.You have a tedder,what type a bar type or a rotary? The rotary is much better as it moves the hay more. You could also buy a hay conditioner and run the hay thru after mowing.Run it thru right away or even the next morning, it will break up the stems more and pick the hay off the ground and move it allowing air to get under it better.When raking single windrows dry faster but take longer to bale.Even the tedder and conditioner are not perfect as both can cause leaf loss.It seems to me that we do not have as good of drying weather as we had 25 years ago,but then again our yeilds are much higher now.Not sure if I was any help just giving some ideas. Tom
 

[rick1]

i often questioned the 990 i would look at the roll contact between the 2 rolls and it seemed to look pretty good.then i would look at the hay after going thru the 990 and i couldnt tell by looking that it had went thru the rolls.i always assumed it would have sort of a flatter look to it after running thru the rolls.
RICK
 

[donjr]

Cut it and tedd it right after you finish cutting. Then tedd it again the next afternoon. Makes some beautiful hay...
 

[rick1]

i think i will try what donjr suggested doing.i have a rotary tedder that really does a nice job.i am considering getting a 7 or 8 ft. disc mower i think i could knock it down alot quicker sence i am pressed for time during the summer.
RICK
 

[JMS/.MN]

Clover is extremely hard to dry. If using a conditioner, the rolls should be tight enough that you see the stems broken every couple inches....matching the conditioner roll.