expiration date for putting up hay??

MSS3020 · Sep 25, 2018

Im usually finished by now but do to rain its been a long hay season.. I have one field left that I do for a stable. They can be a pain in the neck about the hay.. So with highs in the upper 60 mid 70s and having rain about every 3rd 4th day not sure I can get it to dry good enough to bale.. They get hay from other sources.. this field doesnt produce much more than 250 small squares.. Thinking that I may let it go this year as to not get myself in a bind.. Rain and low temps in the 10 day forcast... difficult sometimes to get all done with a full time job at that....

paul · Sep 25, 2018

Yea. It?s been really tough trying to make hay, or farm anything at all, the past 3 years. All it does is rain.

The Midwest rainforest on the prairie I guess.

Paul

tomNE · Sep 25, 2018

wait till it freezes, we usually get an indian summer after the first frost!

coshoo · Sep 25, 2018

I'd let it go. Days are getting shorter, more dew at night, and daytime temps lower, so it might take 3 or 4 days of good weather to get it dry- and you probably won't get it. Better to have them go elsewhere than give them bad hay and lose a customer. Put a positive spin when you tell them- "wanted to make sure you got top quality hay, and its just getting too late in the season to guarantee that." or some such.

1130Leo · Sep 25, 2018

I have a small chunk of third that I am waiting on, If we get an indian summer, I will cut it. if not, i will let it go. unless you get a good forecast, i would not mess with it.

Traditional Farmer · Sep 25, 2018

Lot of years October can be some good hay weather here in Virginia,hope it will be this year.

Northvale PA · Sep 25, 2018

I mowed 4 acres of alfalfa grass last Wednesday. It was too cloudy Friday To dry and rained that night. It was too cloudy Saturday and has been raining since. It was junk hay to begin with and now I need to get it off the field. What a mess. I just want it to go away without damaging the field itself, but that isn?t likely. This east coast weather is a nightmare this year. There is now a spring in my front yard about 12? below the basement elevation. Wettest I have seen in 26 years at this time of year.. I assume it could get worse. I also assume it could be a very bad winter. I guess we will find out.

rrlund · Sep 25, 2018

I finished yesterday. None too soon. The misty drizzle moved in before I got the baler backed in the toolshed. I'm guessing that was my last window of opportunity.

Bret4207 · Sep 25, 2018

Were it me, I'd try to bale it. It all feeds out better than snowballs and cold wind. You'll also find there is a magic date sometime in late January when "nasty swamp grass, good for nothing but bedding" suddenly turns into "Good quality mixed grass hay suitable for all classes of livestock". I haven't quite figured out this miracle, but I've seen it happen every year I'm short on hay!

K Effective · Sep 25, 2018

Grape harvest started in Niagaras (white grapes) this week, Concords (purple) will start this weekend around here. I remember at least one year baling hay while the neighbors were over harvesting our grapes, but I think that was fourth or fifth cutting that year. I have half of my acres of third baled and about 200 bales on wagons to be unloaded into the mow tomorrow(?). I'm abandoning the rest of third cutting- it's all on rental ground and not great quality. I have heard through the grapevine that I am losing part of my rental ground, but no news directly from the owner, yet. I may regret not taking the last cutting, time will tell.

shaun wallace · Sep 25, 2018

Thanksgiving Day 1970 Galt Mo Dad baled neighbors hay. I helped neighbor put in barn.

wolfman · Sep 25, 2018

I cut a field in December once here in s.w.Pa. It freeze-dried. Cows liked it!

showcrop · Sep 26, 2018

At my little farm it costs nothing to stay ready, so if I have more to go I will stay in "ready mode" until the end of October. I have made hay in October plenty of times. The days are short but a string of them in the mid seventies with low humidity will do a great job of drying the hay down.

tomstractorsandtoys · Sep 26, 2018

Many years ago I got some second crop orchard grass hay at Thanksgiving and baled it the first week in January. It was beautiful hay that our feeder calves loved. Not sure if I was behind my neighbors or way ahead that year.LOL Tom

kcm.MN · Sep 26, 2018

If you want to bale that hay, then forget about doing it and make other "definite" plans. Then the weather will warm, the hay will dry, and you'll be kicking yourself for not being ready to put up.

On the other hand, you could sit there all cocked and ready to go get the hay IF conditions improve, then get even more rain than you would have otherwise.

I say skip the hay, and do something else with the [i:2b8624ea4f]now[/i:2b8624ea4f]-to-be-great weather. *lol*

expiration date for putting up hay??

MSS3020

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paul

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tomNE

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coshoo

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1130Leo

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Traditional Farmer

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Northvale PA

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rrlund

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Bret4207

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K Effective

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shaun wallace

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wolfman

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showcrop

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tomstractorsandtoys

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kcm.MN

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