Making hay

[JimS]

I had a couple of question about making hay.

I am in Sonoma County, CA and I notice a good many folks who cut hay (usually grass, not oat or alfalfa, seemingly late, it is already drying on stem), row it, and leave it forever before baling. We have very little rain here. When I was in Illinois/Indiana, that stuff was cut before the seed started to drop, tedded, rowed, and baled in a few days.

I guess my question is, what's right? It would seem to me cutting it late, or leaving it in the field very long would greatly affect quality.

I'm very interested in the subject, so I welcome thoughts, suggestions for sites, resources and /or books on the subject.

JimS

 

[BCnT]

grass and grain type hay are 2 completely different animules...i'm in south central Tejas and depending on how high sun is hovering over my hay patch,i can sometimes cut rake and bale same day...if humidity is way up there can take forever to dry...especially raked up into winrows...also using a moco vs plain cutter comes into play.

 

[old]

My self I try to cut it before or as it is going to seed. Let it dry a day or 2 then rake and bale it. This year I have had to wait a bit longer and the top part was pretty dry but the under growth was real green and extra thick. Most of the time if it takes 4 days to cut/rake/bale it has laid on the ground 1 or 2 days to long. Last hay I did I cut on one day and raked and baled the next day

 

[PYCHUNG]

As we usto say back in the 50tys
Califrnia the land of fruit and nuts
And the weather is Qweer too

 

[showcrop]

Jim, I can't give you sites, but I have a little experience in this. I expect that in Ind. & IL. that there is plenty of over mature hay still standing right now just as I have over mature hay still standing now. I have been making hay for about 25 years and many years I have been done by mid July. The last three years however have been tough because there has almost always been rain in the forecast. To get done by mid July one has to cut whenever the forecast is good, regardless of whatever else there may be going on in ones life, and you have to cut as much as you can possibly work whenever the forecast is good. It means long hours. But unless the ground is very dry you need three good days to dry hay down. So the key is in the forecast. I am asked all the time, "when will I get my hay? or "Why didn't you make hay that day when I saw the sun shining?" Well, no one wants hay that has been rained on so you need good weather that is forecast, as opposed to observed as it happened. Every one who makes hay takes chances on the weather, or just plain gets "taken" by the weatherman when the third day it rains instead of the sun shining. But it all comes down to the weather forecast, and you can cover only so much ground in a day. This afternoon I will go out and mow probably the last of my old brown first crop, because even though the radar shows green headed my way it looks like it is breaking up as it comes so I will take a chance.

 

[gunintruck]

I WORKED IN NEBRASKA ACOUPLE SUMMERS IN COLLAGE. WE CUT THE ALFALFA TWICE THEN WENT TO PRAIRE HAY AFTER THE NEEDLES FELL OFF/OUT. THE NEEDLES WOULD COULD GET INBEDED IN A COWS MOUTH AND CAUSE INFECTIONS.
SO DIFFERENT AREAS HAVE DIFFERENT HAY CROPS AND DIFFERENT METHODS.
SAME PLACE WE PUT UP IN FIVE TON HAY STACKS NEVER DONE THAT IN KENTUCKY.

 

[nickg]

I live in southern indiana and I like to get my first cut as soon as its tall enuff. I do know some guys who like to wait till it takes seed but there usually only gettin one cut on grass hay were I can get two sometimes three if its a wet year. Generally I can cut one day and bale in a couple days later depending how thick it is, whetther I use my mower conditioner or my disc mower and the mostly the weather.