Hay question

[old]

My fields are getting to the point that I can get a 2nd cutting of hay but the weeds are really tall and the grass about half as tall. Do I just cut it with a brush hog and forget it or leave it alone and let the horses have it as is or bale it even with all the weeds?? What would you do?
Thanks
Hobby farm

 

[Lanse]

Speaking from all my experience (smirks) and probalabally youthful ignorance to some extent, I would just bale it as is. I have sheep, and they will eat it weather or not it is green, they really dont care. Dont know about horses or though...

 

[Ron in AR]

Even low quality hay is better than no hay when an animal is hungry.

 

[Walt Davies]

It all depends on what kind of weeds some the horses will eat other will make them sick. Have someone who knows look it over an let you what to do with it.
Walt

 

[pork]

first thing id try is a soil test and go from there. if your legume(alfalfa, clover) is completly gone you may be able to burn down existing grass with roundup and no-till in some new crop. if youve got more than one plant per square foot, its better to till the soil and start from scatch. the old growth alfalfa will kill new growth if its much thicker than this. i wouldnt reccomend doing every field at once in the case certain conditions dont let the hay grow(weather, insects) and the cost can be spead over a couple years. no matter what, dad always said anything beats a snowball, so bale whats there and theyll eat it.

 

[jason, NW Ontario]

Recognize any of the weeds? If you know they're toxic to horses then you have your answer. If the horses will simply ignore the bitter stuff, then bale it. I'm in the same boat. Need as much hay as possible, right? Either keep it or sell it as cheap 2nd cut hay.

 

[amo]

if no poision weeds bale it and sell as coe hay not horse hay. It looks as hay is still scare in some areas.

 

[Vito]

Rich,
Can you sell it for cattle? They can handle more than horses.Money isn't as good. Any way we found out what young Lanse does as night.He is the sheeps FAAAATHER.

Vito

 

[Lanse]

I have sheep, oh I get it. Hahaha (sarcastic). You are as bad as the other kids in my class... Seriously, thats pretty stupid.

 

[old]

Guess I should have also said I hay the pasture where the horses run so they are in that area right now and always are. I have no cross fenches on my farm so the horses eat what they want. Well I take that back the goats don't run with the horses and I figure if nothing else it might make good hay for the goats
Hobby farm

 

[old]

Horses run the same pasture as I bale so they don't seem to mind it there or leave it alone don't know for sure which but yes hay is going to sell high again this year.
Hobby farm

 

[Anonymous-0]

Bale it up. advertise it and sell it for what it is. Don't deceive anyone. break a bale open when they come to look at it. If they still want it get paid with cash and tell them no returns.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Ron in AR Low quality hay is better than no hay
LOL I here ya,,,Out here in NW ND we sometimes put up some questionable hay at best some years but as the old timers used to tell me (its better than a snow bank) When it gets down to 30 below you haul anything you can scoop up and get it out there. If anything else what they dont eat they can lay on the rest to help keep them warm.

 

[banjo]

If i needed the hay or knew i could sell it , i would bale it up. It may be one of those wet,cold winters.

Also it would clean the field off so you wouldn't have those dead stems in next years hay.Hay is plentyful down here in s.e okla. I still have some to square and round bale if it will stop raining for a few days. But now the temp is down and it will take longer to cure out.

I've got around 300 4x5 rounds in the barns and close to 300 small squares put up so far.I really dont need more hay but i want to clean my fields up for next year.

But it is your call to bale or not.

 

[old]

Thats part of my problem. I have all the hay I need for the winter and the hay barn is almost full. But I also would like to get rid of the weeds so if I bale it that would help. I have an idiot neabhor that complanes he has to many weeds in his fields to be able to bale the stuff but he waits till oct. or nov to brush hog it and then wonders why he has so many weeds and of course that also hurts my fields because of all of his seed blowing in to my place

 

[Anonymous-0]

The best recourse for weeds in any hay crop is to CUT THEM. Could add more of a msg- but that would delay your hooking up the mower- just do it!

 

[banjo]

something else it would help slow down is a wild fire.depending on how close it is to your house/shop i like to get my fields clean of extra fuel for fire.

bale it and feed it first and leave the rest in the barn. that is what i'm gonna try and do if weather cooperates.

 

[Tradititonal Farmer]

Most weeds have a higher nutrient content than
most common hay grasses. A severe weed problem is usually a sign of a mineral imbalance in the soil.

 

[chuck craig i dont no my]

My neighbor tells me Alfafa going for $17 a small square bale @ victorville CA

 

[Rich Va]

Old depends,do you have enough bales to get thru winter? If so I think I would just bush hog it.

 

[RickL]

only second cut where you at I am cutting fourth. cut bale no question,cattle feed

 

[Kelly C]

You never know what cows will eat. I put out a broke bale of the best grass hay I ever done and the Wife threw a moldy 5 year old bale on the floor for poop catching.
Guess what the cows ate?

 

[banjo]

that depends on what stage of the decomp it is in. it turns into something like silage.

 

[Pair-a-dice farm]

If it was me, I would bale it. Since hay is short this year it would sure beat a snowball. Like Traditional Farmer said, many weeds are more nutritional than grass. If you sell it make sure the buyer knows what he is buying.

 

[rrlund]

Bale 'em up old. Them critters in the Ozarks'll eat anything.

 

[Vito]

Lanse,
Get over the sheep and lawn tractor thing.