Still no hay cut

Bkpigs · Jun 1, 2015

June 1st and still haven't gotten a bale made. Overcast and cold today so the ground didn't dry. I could push my finger almost an inch into the ground. Starting to get worried that the hay is getting too tall and too thick to dry down when I do get the window. The hay is clover and grass so not worried about loosing quality. Just worried about too much to handle.
I am 40 miles East of St. Louis. Anyone else feeling my pain? Misery loves company you know.

K Effective · Jun 1, 2015

This was my afternoon, the first field of ours going down here in Western Michigan:

Tom in TN · Jun 1, 2015

Bkpigs,

I have 115 bales in my barn that I got up in a little window of time two weeks ago. It's been way too wet to do any more since then, and it looks like this week is going to be wash-out also.

I, too, bale grass and clover. We had the same problem last spring. By the time I got into the fields, the grass was way too tall and mature. It had lodged badly and that made it very difficult for me to mow it with my sickle bar mower. It looks like this year is going to be a repeat of last year.

I'm located in Tennessee, 40 miles due south of Nashville.

Good luck with your hay.

Tom in TN

farmerwithmutt · Jun 1, 2015

Got some baled last week some ready to bale tomorrow .What I grazed
off this spring the regrowth is half way up my leg so second is coming
fast. i snuck in some extra drying time by cutting in the rain i figured it wouldnt hurt the hay if hadnt started drying South Wisconsin

Greg1959 · Jun 1, 2015

Tom in TN- Same here, my grass hay (Timothy, Orchard grass and fescue with a thick Red Clover base) is about to go to seed. Been too wet to cut and forcasts suggest evening rains for the next two weeks.

JD Seller · Jun 1, 2015

We are cutting hay the last few days. That would be 70% alfalfa and it is just about right.

If you are wet and are trying to use a sickle type of mower your going to have real issues with tall mature hay. IF you have many acres to do you may want to look into renting a disk type mower.

Leroy · Jun 1, 2015

No hay to make as not farming but around here you would need pontunes on the tractor as water standing everyware.

old · Jun 1, 2015

Know how it goes. Weather man last weekend said we would have 5 days with out rain so I had hoped to put hay down today but now calling for rain on Friday and been to cool for a guy to be able to cut hay and have it dry before we get more rain. Last year due to rain I did not get the hay done till the first of July which was to late and did not get a 2nd cutting

okierob · Jun 1, 2015

having almost 30" of rain in may , it will be a while before any hay is baled here. I can't even get the riding lawn mower over some of the ground without cutting ruts and getting stuck.

Bruce from Can. · Jun 2, 2015

Cut Monday, will chop Tuesday , will cut again Tuesday evening.

Pair-a-dice farm · Jun 2, 2015

I cut my 1st 20 acres yesterday. Mostly ryegrass and clover. We are at least 3 weeks late and the ryegrass is over mature and flat on the ground. There should be a lot of tonnage but the quality is way down. The weather guessers are saying dry all week and rain again for the weekend. I've got another 120 acres to go in north Arkansas.

Bret4207 · Jun 2, 2015

We're just now getting the rain we needed in late April and all of May. Hay that should be 2 foot tall hovers at 10-12 inches and is heading out. Don't worry guys, the rain will stop and you'll mow and make hay. We get what nature gives us so learn to live with that.

Oh, and if you can beg, borrow or bu a tedder...DO IT!

showcrop · Jun 2, 2015

(quoted from post at 04:11:24 06/02/15)
We're just now getting the rain we needed in late April and all of May. Hay that should be 2 foot tall hovers at 10-12 inches and is heading out. Don't worry guys, the rain will stop and you'll mow and make hay. We get what nature gives us so learn to live with that.

Oh, and if you can beg, borrow or bu a tedder...DO IT!

Still held a little to tightly by your previous life to suggest the usual last option? LOL!

rrlund · Jun 2, 2015

Nope,I cut all day yesterday,plan to cut again today. It's the earliest I've ever cut here in Michigan.

Keith Molden · Jun 2, 2015

I took the week before Memorial day off & put up hay. Beautiful week for it with no rain at all but there wasn't nearly as much hay that we usually get on the first cutting. Maybe the second will be better. I still have 3 fields to cut that aren't ready yet.

Texasmark1 · Jun 2, 2015

I cut some of mine yesterday. Some went just fine and some was floating where the terraces pooled water. The wws are plump
enough to just bale as they are with no extra effort but with the wet ground that won't happen. I think baling will be a hit and miss
proposition and will just enrich the soil with what's not baleable.

I have more to cut but it's already a lost cause as it turned brown last week after heading out and I'll loose most of the seeds in
harvesting and the ground is still a mud hole.

parisspringstom · Jun 2, 2015

Ran over one field and cut about half Monday evening. Hope to bale Thursday as Rain is back in the
forecast Friday. Field still bringing some moisture on the tractor lugs and ground felt a little soft.
Hope the ground and hay will be in better shape Thursday. At this rate a lot will cut the fescue seed
off before they bale.

BradyW · Jun 2, 2015

Just any idea, sometimes in heavy crop after making the outside round, I don't cut a full swath with the haybine, I cheat in as much as I can without run on the already cut windrow, this makes my cut around 6 1/2 or 7 feet, rather then the full 9 feet of the haybine, putting less crop in the windrow for drying.

pllr · Jun 2, 2015

sunday late morning cutting for me, was supposed to be dry through thurs, now calling for showers late on wed, frost sunday night and Monday night, taking longer to dry, have to melt the frost first before can continue to dry, crossing my fingers weather guessers are wrong

Dave in Southern IL · Jun 2, 2015

I am 60 miles southeast of St. Louis feeling the same pain. Planned on taking off yesterday afternoon and cutting hay but mist and light showers on and off all day so I stayed at work. Cut some after I got home. I have fescue and clover, ferilized it this spring so it is extremely thick and tall. Trying to cut it with a sickle mower. Not the most fun. A haybine would really be helpful. I guess I will finish the field tonight but not cut any more. Not sure that I will get anything to dry out before the next rain. On Sunday the week looked promising. Not so optimistic on Tuesday.
Dave

RJKeith · Jun 2, 2015

We have had some good weather for making hay in the mid Atlantic, but now it looks like rain for the next week and I have a little more to do. I would not worry too much about the hay getting over ripe, clover is clover, and the grass will still have a lot of blade to it.

Pair-a-dice farm · Jun 2, 2015

(quoted from post at 07:11:24 06/02/15)
We're just now getting the rain we needed in late April and all of May. Hay that should be 2 foot tall hovers at 10-12 inches and is heading out. Don't worry guys, the rain will stop and you'll mow and make hay. We get what nature gives us so learn to live with that.

Oh, and if you can beg, borrow or bu a tedder...DO IT!

Yep the rain will stop and in 3 weeks I'll be looking for one. We always say that we're 10 days from a drought. I ran the tedder over my hay this morning. It should bale by Thursday, in time for a rain Friday.

tomstractorsandtoys · Jun 2, 2015

Just finished putting first crop in the silo an hour ago. Still two more loads to chop(all raked up in a tight windrow) and the silo is full. I had to fork around the unloader to get the last three loads in so I do not think the other will fit but it might settle enough overnight.Hope to make grass hay next week. Tom

Bret4207 · Jun 3, 2015

(quoted from post at 08:26:42 06/02/15)

(quoted from post at 04:11:24 06/02/15)
We're just now getting the rain we needed in late April and all of May. Hay that should be 2 foot tall hovers at 10-12 inches and is heading out. Don't worry guys, the rain will stop and you'll mow and make hay. We get what nature gives us so learn to live with that.

Oh, and if you can beg, borrow or bu a tedder...DO IT!

Click to expand...

Still held a little to tightly by your previous life to suggest the usual last option? LOL!

Caught that huh? HAR!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Bkpigs · Jun 7, 2015

I cut 3 acres this afternoon. Hope we won't get hammered tonight like they are calling. I have about 7 or so acres to go. Think I will just do one little field at a time to spread the risk.

Dave, where are you located. I am in Okawville.

bison · Jun 8, 2015

(quoted from post at 19:57:15 06/01/15) June 1st and still haven't gotten a bale made. Overcast and cold today so the ground didn't dry. I could push my finger almost an inch into the ground. Starting to get worried that the hay is getting too tall and too thick to dry down when I do get the window. The hay is clover and grass so not worried about loosing quality. Just worried about too much to handle.
I am 40 miles East of St. Louis. Anyone else feeling my pain? Misery loves company you know.

t least you have hay to cut.
We have not had rain since the snow melted.
The trees are starting to chase the dogs here.
No winter feed left and pastures are very poor

:shock:

Still no hay cut

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