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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

cutting hay/ is it summer already

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john in la

04-20-2007 00:19:25




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Seen several guys in the fields yesterday cutting hay. All but 1 of them was cutting left over winter rye grass. We had a good growing season this past winter so a lot of guys have excess rye they are cutting now. It look to me like it should have been cut a few weeks ago because it was so tall and thick but the weather just has not cooperated in the past few weeks. With our next chance of rain not coming to next wed. they are all out in the fields getting it cut while they can before the heat kills it.

Did see one guy cutting a bahia field but he looked like he was cutting it a little early to try and get ahead of the weeds.

Guess we can almost officially call it summer time. Only thing we waiting on is our first 90° day and then we can really say it is summer time. Will not be long though since we have had one 86° day and two 85° days this month so far.

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tom till

04-20-2007 20:33:38




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to john in la, 04-20-2007 00:19:25  
If it weren't for bahai in south Alabama there would be a lot of hungry cows.It will grow anywhere and survives drought,wet feet,low ph, close grazing and everything else.I am planting another 30 acres of tifton 9 this spring.Doing final disking now and will spread seed and cultipack next week hopefully.Cut every 4-5 weeks and get 10-11% protein hay, supplement with whole cottonseed and away we go for the winter.

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E.B. Haymakin'

04-21-2007 14:59:00




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to tom till, 04-20-2007 20:33:38  
I lost most of my hayground to a new subdivision, and I recall the land owner telling me the bahia there was Tifton variety. The last time I priced Tifton Bahia seed the cost was out there, so on the new ground I am going to work I will probably use Pensacola. I'm hoping the hay turns out as well with Pensacola.



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john in la

04-21-2007 03:27:18




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to tom till, 04-20-2007 20:33:38  
Yes without Bahia there would be a lot of hungry cows.

I think one of the most important reasons bahia is grow in the south so much (in addition to the reasons you gave) is that it stands up well to being disked under every fall and being overseeded with rye. It takes it very well and comes back next spring as strong as ever.



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joe-etx

04-20-2007 19:01:24




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to john in la, 04-20-2007 00:19:25  
john what are you going to use for fertilizer? here in east tx, i start killing bahai grass this weekend.as for rye grass hay i will not try to bail because its so hard to dry, and smells bad if not dryed good.will shredd to get costal to grow. but need some type of ammonium nitrate(which cannot be had any more) to make costal grow. the urea and ammonium sulfate nitrate ,will burn off before it could do any good, and adds to ph to soil so more lime is needed.i need to grow cow hay with 12+ protein, to make it throw a winter any thing less i might as well import snow balls,or sell cows and get out of cow and hay business. chicken litter to hot, and organic to little.guess all our hay will need to be imported,your thoughts???
joe

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john in la

04-21-2007 03:36:36




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to joe-etx, 04-20-2007 19:01:24  
I have long since given up growing and cutting hay; the cows have all been sold; so I do not know what is being used for fertilizer any more.

As for Rye hay. I agree it is hard to bale. While I could give you the long drawn out reason these dairy farmers have learned the hard way to bale anything that grows; I will just leave it at.... Some years you will pay good money for that bad smelling rye hay. It will not go to waste no matter what happens this year. If we have a good hay season the rye will be used for other things.

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georgeky

04-20-2007 06:17:17




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to john in la, 04-20-2007 00:19:25  
What is bahia? I have never heard of it.



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E.B. Haymakin'

04-20-2007 08:06:43




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to georgeky, 04-20-2007 06:17:17  
Bahia is a very tough grass that was imported from South America years ago. Argentine Bahia grass makes a very dense sod, and can produce heavy forage. I have square baled bahia for one year now, and all of my customers have taken to it. You have to cut it on 4-6 week intervals to keep it palatable for hay. Some think it is junk, but most of the people I have talked with experience with it have a good opinion of it. Several cultivars such a Pensacola, and Tifton have slightly different traits-cold tolerance, yield, etc. The furthest north I've heard of bahia is between Birmingham, AL & Montgomery. It is not cold tolerant.

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KEH

04-20-2007 10:51:05




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to E.B. Haymakin', 04-20-2007 08:06:43  

EB and others,

I have some Bahia that birds probably spread here in Spartanburg county, SC, it will survive this far North. It makes good summer grazing, cows love it. Makes good hay, just not a good yield, probably 1/3 that of Coastal Bermuda. Tough to mow. It will choke out broomstraw and common Bermuda, but not Johnson grass.

KEH



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john in la

04-20-2007 10:16:00




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to E.B. Haymakin', 04-20-2007 08:06:43  
You would never think that bahia was a imported grass around here. Everyone grows it because it has adapted so well to our area.

The only people that complain about bahia are those that buy a 2 to 3 acre lot in a old dairy field that has been subdivided. It makes a very poor lawn grass because it sends up a seed stalk long before the grass is tall enough to cut. This makes a lawn that looks uncared for.

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georgeky

04-20-2007 08:48:00




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to E.B. Haymakin', 04-20-2007 08:06:43  
That answers that. I have a friend that use to sell grass seed from New Zealand it was called Matua and the other variety was Wauna I am not sure about the spelling, but he planted a lot of it here in Ky, but it didn't really pan out. It was shipped to him in containers to LA and then put on a train to Cincinnati and we would drive up there and pick it up. I ask my dad if he wanted to sow some of the Wauna it is simular to orchard grass on his place for free and mom overheard me and said son we don't want to loose the farm growing that stuff. She thought I was talking about Marijuana.

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James Babcock

04-20-2007 08:05:35




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 Re: cutting hay/ is it summer already in reply to georgeky, 04-20-2007 06:17:17  
Bahia is a grass that to me looks sort of like crab grass but a bit taller and leafier. It grows in the gulf coast areas and is resistant to standing water during part of the season. I've actually got a bit of it growing in my hayfield in the Ark Ozarks from some round bales I hauled up from SE Texas, so I guess it can sorta survive frozen ground etc.



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