Please Reassure Me - Hay

Anonymous-0 · Jun 30, 2008

Been raining (thunder showers mostly) up here in Mass for weeks now. I'm just waiting to cut this little field I newly acquired this year. Please reassure me not to rush things and end up with excessive problems I don't need. My dad thinks I can sneak it in, as he's seen a farmer here and there doing it. I have too, and also seen their baled hay laying on the ground getting poured on. Every now and then I have thoughts of just trying it, but I know as soon as it's cut the clock starts ticking. Forecast for the next 4 days shows only one nice day.

Tx Jim · Jun 30, 2008

I'd wait it out a little more. Nothing more aggravating than moldy hay.

Allan in NE · Jun 30, 2008

Hold off a few days yet,

There is dryer air on the way. :>)

Allan

hayray · Jun 30, 2008

Hold off, don't get all anxious just cause your neighbors are cutting, we have a lot of that goign on around here in Michigan but a lot of rained on hay. I have only been able to bale 700. I still have almost 400 acres to go but it all has to be dry, just sit tight and relax, I am. Don't listen to those guys who say you have to get it cut.

Tradititonal Farmer · Jun 30, 2008

Wait until the weather clears wet moldy hay is not fit to be fed to livestock.

sd pete · Jun 30, 2008

Chain and lock your cutter to the light pole.

Jim in Ma. · Jun 30, 2008

You may as well wait like the rest of us. I'm on the coast , Newbury. The only good part about this weather is the gardens, the flowers look pretty good this year and I have had plenty of time to repair some of the equipment.
If and when the sun comes out I'm thinking I'll have combination of first and second crop in the same cutting.

Anonymous-0 · Jun 30, 2008

(quoted from post at 03:44:26 06/30/08) Don't listen to those guys who say you have to get it cut.

Sorry to hijack a post, but I'm in the same boat. I have half the hay that I need already bought. The rest was to be from a friend/neighbor who had something come up and told me that I could have the hay for free if I found someone to harvest it. Everyone else is finished so the only problem is rain forecast from Thursday thru the weekend. This is the first cut. Is it loosing anything as far as nutrition by standing longer? The horses would rather have it cut a little later than earlier, but they are like kids and don't always know what's good for them.

Thanks, Dave

Nancy Howell · Jun 30, 2008

In a word - WAIT! Why go to all the cost and time only to have it rained on and devalued or completely ruined. Its frustrating, but wait. You can go to www.weather.com, put your zip in and get a 10 day forecast. Just remember any forecast for more than 3 days out, is iffy.

old · Jun 30, 2008

Know how you feel. Forecast here said no rain till Wednesday so I cut hay yesterday evening and yep you guessed it, it rained. Didn't rain much so I think I'll be ok but if it does rain again maybe not
Hobby farm

Anonymous-0 · Jun 30, 2008

Over ripe hay will always be worth more and easier to sell than younger hay that has been rained on. A small shower won't bother, but a gully washer is another issue.

Don't worry, I'm still working on 1st crop here in Southern WI and it's driving me nuts that it isn't done yet. But, that's the way the cookie crumbles some years.

Mike (WA) · Jun 30, 2008

Actually, if they like it cut a little later, they DO know what's good for them. Horse hay should be of poor enough quality that they have to eat a fair amount to get the nutrition they need. If you have high quality alfalfa and have to limit consumption to a few pounds, they start having intestinal issues. Horses need to make quite a bit of poop to keep everything going right.

showcrop · Jun 30, 2008

The forecast that I'm seeing calls for possible showers tonight then good through thurs,so I'll be mowing tonite or tomorrow.

shawnspeed3 · Jun 30, 2008

I"m with Ray on this one , here in MI. it"s been pretty spotty, know a lot of pople that have mowed and didn"t get to bale for a week + because of reccuring showers. A retired judge around the corner from me runs about 100 head of angus has about 160 Ac of hay , if he"s cutting hay I garantee it will rain in the next 3 days...I havent seen him get a dry 1st cut hay crop in 5 yrs. I would rather have a mature crop than a rained on one....

johndeereman · Jun 30, 2008

the old timers never even thought of makin hay till after the fourth of july this was when all they had was sickle bar mowers the more mature the less drying time needed ive seen hay cut and baled in the same day its already gettin late to think about second cutting unless you have real top notch ground so what have you got to loose by waiting?

big hunter · Jun 30, 2008

is that why they call them "hay burners"?

cadet trooper · Jun 30, 2008

In the early 1960s in SWOhio it rained everyother day till late August we were making 1st cutting hay until corn silage time early Sept. dad said if cows don't like it they won't eat it and I know that because ever day we had to clean out the hay rack filled with stems and weeds he would say better than eating snowballs now I don't know about horses. That was the dirtiest baling job I've ever done dried timothy and every weed imaginable.

louis liming · Jul 2, 2008

what you are feeding makes the difference mature hay thru a hay conditioner makes great hay for mules goats donkeys and beef cattle on feed. in our area here in ohio we were glad to get bailed weeds last winter hay crop was vwey short . we even bailed corn stocks and bean stubble beats snow balls

Please Reassure Me - Hay

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