Posted by Dave H (MI) on October 25, 2013 at 06:45:10 from (184.226.251.244):
In Reply to: Planting Hay on Hay posted by picassomcp on October 24, 2013 at 19:33:09:
You have beef. If you looked out one year and saw a pasture with bony cattle, would you gun them all down and order new calves or would you find out what they needed and address it?
Real hay, by my definition so don't shoot me, is a thick stand of mixed grass, usually with a legume in small percentage. Unlike alfalfa, which has it's feet in two worlds (a row crop mowed each year for rich hay), grass hay is a long term perennial. My smallish field down the road has had the same grass hay on it for well over a decade.
We ask a lot of our hayfields and it would be foolish to think that you can take the volume off these fields that we do every year without giving something back. Have it tested and see what it needs. For me, weed control is not a chemical process because it could harm some component of the hay. Mowing the hay to stop the reproductive cycle of some weeds will work well. 3 years ago I had so much Queen Ann's Lace that the field looked frosted in late summer. Mowing it as it came to bud destroyed it in two years because it is biennial. Need to reseed your field? Let the grass stand an extra 1-2 weeks for Spring cutting. The dry seed heads will send seed all over you, the tractor, AND the field. I did this last year and, maybe it was a coincidence, but second cutting was 5 times as heavy this year than in prior years. You can also spray for the really bad weeds or you can over seed if you want a different grass on the field. Lots of ways to get it done. You can till to your hearts content if it makes you happy, but if you don't take on good management practices you will just end up where you started.
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - An Old-Time Tractor Demonstration - by Kim Pratt. Sam was born in rural Kansas in 1926. His dad was a hard-working farmer and the children worked hard everyday to help ends meet. In the rural area he grew up in, the highlight of the week was Saturday when many people took a break from their work to go to town. It was on one such Saturday in the early 1940's when Sam was 16 years old that he ended up in Dennison, Kansas to watch a demonstration of a new tractor being put on by a local dealer. It was an Allis-Chalmers tractor dealership,
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
Sell 1958 Hi-Altitude Massey Fergerson tractor, original condition. three point hitch pto engine, Runs well, photos available upon request
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.