Hay was a bust

David G · Jul 5, 2015

We put down 20 acres of alfalfa, tedded it, all looked good but it just did not dry due to the haze. It is supposed to start in raining again tomorrow, so big baled it with chemicals added. I am real disappointed, but that is farming.

K Effective · Jul 5, 2015

I just finished second cutting on the only field I got first done on time, we got about 15 bales per acre, might have been better to wait till tomorrow (my only day off this week), but with that smoke out there, I'm not sure it would get any drier... should be able to spread them out in the mow to dry

David G · Jul 5, 2015

Our big bales usually run about 1800 pounds, I bet these were over a ton.

old · Jul 5, 2015

Shoot I cannot even go out in my fields and try to cut hay because if I did I would leave ruts all over the place. Try to walk out in them and it feels like your on a sponge due to 2 or more inches of mud from the flood waters.

David G · Jul 5, 2015

Based on what I am seeing, not sure it will dry even if you get it cut, really bizarre year.

old · Jul 5, 2015

Maybe signs of what is to come due to thing going on in this nation????

scottwv · Jul 5, 2015

No according to the abundant news media everything is fine. Don't worry

bigboreG · Jul 5, 2015

My hay was less than optimal. It looked like alot but I was short almost two ton an acre than last year. And I haven't done anything different with it either .One thing I did notice was alot of tangling and the spots that did that look almost bare now two weeks after cutting.

David G · Jul 5, 2015

Just think it is the weather, actually smoke is coming from Canada.

Did anyone see the movie with John Candy when the US thought Canada was going to invade?

JD Seller · Jul 5, 2015

David I mower some hay for a neighbor Tuesday. IT was heavy alfalfa. I narrowed the tail boards up to where it was in a real tight windrow. I let it stay that way until Thursday morning. The ground dried out between the windrows. I started tedding at 5AM and was done before the dew was off. Left it lay scattered out until yesterday morning. Just as soon as the dew was off I raked it. He started baling right at noon. By 5Pm he had 1250 bales on wagons. It is nice looking dry hay. It would have baled Friday if I had tedded it again Thursday night.

I think the key was drying out the ground. He kind of argued with me over narrowing up the windrow behind the MoCo. I told him we had to get the ground dry or the hay would never dry. I have had much better luck doing it this way then laying it out wide if the ground is wet under it.

vscummins · Jul 5, 2015

could have a lot to do with it but nobody will admit it

caterpillar guy · Jul 6, 2015

The last couple of years we have had to rake it a couple of times to move it. The first would let the ground dry out then the second would let the hay dry. Still would dry quite fast though.

showcrop · Jul 6, 2015

(quoted from post at 21:07:29 07/05/15) David I mower some hay for a neighbor Tuesday. IT was heavy alfalfa. I narrowed the tail boards up to where it was in a real tight windrow. I let it stay that way until Thursday morning. The ground dried out between the windrows. I started tedding at 5AM and was done before the dew was off. Left it lay scattered out until yesterday morning. Just as soon as the dew was off I raked it. He started baling right at noon. By 5Pm he had 1250 bales on wagons. It is nice looking dry hay. It would have baled Friday if I had tedded it again Thursday night.

I think the key was drying out the ground. He kind of argued with me over narrowing up the windrow behind the MoCo. I told him we had to get the ground dry or the hay would never dry. I have had much better luck doing it this way then laying it out wide if the ground is wet under it.

That is how everyone has always done it here in NH. The ground tends to have so much moisture that within a half hour of losing the sun, dry hay will be picking moisture back up from the ground. A few years ago I had checked the hay and started baling around noon. When I was switching wagons I checked the next couple of windrows where I had checked earlier, and the hay had gotten damp again already just because the windrows were so big. I had to go around that part and got it the next day. I hope Leroy doesn't see this.

Hay was a bust

David G

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K Effective

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David G

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old

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David G

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old

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scottwv

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bigboreG

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David G

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JD Seller

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vscummins

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caterpillar guy

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showcrop

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