Hay 2015

ABlur

What do lads think of making hay in 16 degree 'heat' forecast for this week is it hot enough or should we wait til the 20's come along?

Reggie.

ABlur wrote: »

What do lads think of making hay in 16 degree 'heat' forecast for this week is it hot enough or should we wait til the 20's come along?

Its wind ya really want more than the heat. For cast is too tight for hay atm as it's to change Thursday and there will be plenty of dew at night aswell I bet

ABlur

Reggie. wrote: »

Its wind ya really want more than the heat. For cast is too tight for hay atm as it's to change Thursday and there will be plenty of dew at night aswell I bet

Inclined to agree Reg, just saw Gerry the rainmakers farming forecast there on rte at 1 and it wouldnt inspire confidence!

Reggie.

ABlur wrote: »

Inclined to agree Reg, just saw Gerry the rainmakers farming forecast there on rte at 1 and it wouldnt inspire confidence!

You would need about 2 weeks of good Indian summer weather to be in with a chance

mahoney_j

Lads weather decent for most of week,just knock the grass ted it bale it and wrap it.hay is a pure lottery and tbh a pretty crap feed.good straw id rate better to feed.also have nice after grass back in 4/5 weeks.only hay I'd use in this country is the stuff coolmoore use and id say you wouldn't have a snowballs chance of getting that

Birdnuts

I think it could turn out to be a decent Hay season yet - on the basis that years with bad May's can often lead to a decent summer in late June/July time if you look back at the stats. At least its something I'm clinging too!!

Sam Kade

Birdnuts wrote: »

I think it could turn out to be a decent Hay season yet - on the basis that years with bad May's can often lead to a decent summer in late June/July time if you look back at the stats. At least its something I'm clinging too!!

A wet and windy May fills the haggard with corn and hay, so the saying goes how true I don't know.

Base price

My brother normally makes about 600 square bales every year. He round bales the headlands two or three rows in. Always demand for it from local farmers in the Winter/Spring. Handy for a bit of cash during the lean months

Reggie.

Base price wrote: »

My brother normally makes about 600 square bales every year. He round bales the headlands two or three rows in. Always demand for it from local farmers in the Winter/Spring. Handy for a bit of cash during the lean months

Everyone complains about the square but come the winter I always hear a "few small squares would be handy"

Zr105

Reggie. wrote: »

Everyone complains about the square but come the winter I always hear a "few small squares would be handy"

Everyone wants them, they just don't want the hassle of handling them.. Can't say is be fond of handling them either, mainly cause it takes a lot of time when time tends to be scarce enough,

A flat 8 would be great but at the guts of 2k for sleigh and grab you'd wanna be doin numbers to justify it..

balers here in the shed and I'll bale any number of them for someone once they'll shift them themselves 😜

CloughCasey1

Feck it...looking at YR and Met Eireann there and it's looking like holding till Monday evening. Cut 5 blows around the headlands for silage yesterday in 6 acre field. Id nearly chance the rest but its a bit light.

Reggie.

CloughCasey1 wrote: »

Feck it...looking at YR and Met Eireann there and it's looking like holding till Monday evening. Cut 5 blows around the headlands for silage yesterday in 6 acre field. Id nearly chance the rest but its a bit light.

The question is. Who is gonna have the brass ones to try for hay. I think a neighbour here is going for it by the looks of things

_Brian

Problem is the heavy dew at night and there is only really one/two good hot hay days forecast for the week.

Fair play to anyone trying it, but nothing as bad as stuff that's half hay and then wrapped for sort off silage.

joejobrien

Neighbour here was cutting this am!! Dew still on the grass. and the baler will be in the field by Wednesday.
Easily know , he wont be eating it!
Very light though

CloughCasey1

Reggie. wrote: »

The question is. Who is gonna have the brass ones to try for hay. I think a neighbour here is going for it by the looks of things

Mine have gone hiding or were kicked back where they came from by FIL. it is still hard enough for him looking at silage cut and it only closed since 7th April never mind cutting hay start if June. Will take one small victory this week.

High bike

Hoping to make a few bales in a few weeks time weather permitting,old hay old gold

_Brian

joejobrien wrote: »

Neighbour here was cutting this am!! Dew still on the grass. and the baler will be in the field by Wednesday.
Easily know , he wont be eating it!
Very light though

Wouldn't like that.
Ground under it must still be damp, heavy dew, there's little drying today never mind weather to kill hay.

Was on a site earlier outside Cavan town and it was dropping rain and fair cool, had to go to keep for hoodie

Farrell

RobinBanks wrote: »

Would it keep cows dung drier than silage? Say when you have cows in the calving pin. Would feeding hay keep her and the udder cleaner? If a bale of haylage is opened how long would it keep before heating or going off? A bale of hay might be handier for this reason aswell?

Yes hay will eave the dung drier than silage.
Also on dry bed best to give hay as the bed will be cleaner, while feeding hay on slats is discouraged as hay can get down the slats & clog agitators

paddysdream

Was looking at a neighbour's meadows tonight.Mowed it last Thursday morning and its not far off hay.One field should be fit to bale on Wednesday whilst the other one will prob. take until Friday.
Thats assuming we get another couple of these bright windy day's.No major heat out but the wind, cold and all as it is,seems to be drying the grass.
Ground is dry under the grass so a major help.

These fields were not grazed this spring and were reseeded about 6 years or so ago.Reasonable crop of stuff on them but not over heavy so no wet butt to try and dry out.Prob. 10 bales or so per acre.Nice bit of green in the grass ie not dried out,made on the shank type of stuff you often see.

merryberry

Lads taking a chance...the mower is out!!

Greengrass1

Reggie. wrote: »

The question is. Who is gonna have the brass ones to try for hay. I think a neighbour here is going for it by the looks of things

Dad mowed 12 ac for hay fir a neighbour yesterday.
I dunno if he will get it though because I was out last night around 10 checking heifers and the dew came in through work boots into the socks

Reggie.

Just got a warning order to bale 150 square bales at the end of the week

kowtow

bradygaz wrote: »

Casual observer... what do Coolmore do different? Reseed regularly? Know they get the ground covered quickly with serious machinery fleet!!

With expansion in dairy herd will there be increased fodder market with greater volume being traded or will majority of expansion focus on own land?

Worked on silage crew in NZ where trucks were weighed in field on mobile scales and silage delivered straight to buying dairy farm.

Increase in lads merely becoming silage / hay producers and selling it on and getting out of stock?

Imports of fodder ever likely to appeal to the dairy farmer when cost meets value and quality?

AFAIK Coolmore dry the hay in the barn.

I was always amazed that the Swiss managed to lift 3 cuts off the mountains in between April and October (snow season) with fairly heavy thunderstorms every afternoon, regular as clockwork. I have a feeling their average yields would be higher than ours as well..

They figured out how to make rocket fuel hay because their milk would be condemned if they fed silage.

Kevhog1988

if anyone is baling decent square bales of hay in Kildare/offaly ill be looking for some.

Reggie.

theemigrant wrote: »

if anyone is baling decent square bales of hay in Kildare/offaly ill be looking for some.

Sure I can keep ya in mind if ya want

Kevhog1988

Reggie. wrote: »

Sure I can keep ya in mind if ya want

Yeah tweet me if you have some. I have a transit pickup so can load on that and do 70mph

High bike

theemigrant wrote: »

Yeah tweet me if you have some. I have a transit pickup so can load on that and do 70mph

I find the oul Dyna is better for a quick getaway:D

Kevhog1988

High bike wrote: »

I find the oul Dyna is better for a quick getaway:D

Ya can bate the wife, bate the kids but you cant bate a transit

Miname

I mowed 12 acres of light crop yesterday and hoping for hay but won't be overly upset if I have to wrap it. A couple of the neighbours already told me I'm cracked.

Reggie.

Miname wrote: »

I mowed 12 acres of light crop yesterday and hoping for hay but won't be overly upset if I have to wrap it. A couple of the neighbours already told me I'm cracked.

Every chance of hay here. Stuff mowed yesterday was nearly like hay today being wrapped

sea12

Reggie. wrote: »

Every chance of hay here. Stuff mowed yesterday was nearly like hay today being wrapped

Neighbour of mine mowed yesterday for hay. He always seems to get hay. cracking day here today and tomorrow meant to be the same.

dodo mommy

Mowed for hay here on Sunday crop drying nicely but I recon it will need to get until at least Saturday.

CloughCasey1

dodo mommy wrote: »

Mowed for hay here on Sunday crop drying nicely but I recon it will need to get until at least Saturday.

Good luck

merryberry

dodo mommy wrote: »

Mowed for hay here on Sunday crop drying nicely but I recon it will need to get until at least Saturday.

Things looking up for you I think. Was it a heavy crop?

PN14

Cut 9 acres on Monday lunchtime turned out yesterday It will be very close to ready on Friday evening but may drift to Saturday.

Nice crop not grazed this spring but only gave it a light dust of 0-10-20 in april. No nitrogen its wet/heavy corcus land so you couldn't rely on getting into it in june with heavy gear most years. Open land with no boundary ditches so bit of heat with nice breeze hay can be gotten on it in 5 days. Find that fields that have hedgerows or shaded areas are much harder to get ready. Old fellow has saying of may silage & june hay for best feed.

Box09

PN14 wrote: »

Cut 9 acres on Monday lunchtime turned out yesterday It will be very close to ready on Friday evening but may drift to Saturday.

Nice crop not grazed this spring but only gave it a light dust of 0-10-20 in april. No nitrogen its wet/heavy corcus land so you couldn't rely on getting into it in june with heavy gear most years. Open land with no boundary ditches so bit of heat with nice breeze hay can be gotten on it in 5 days. Find that fields that have hedgerows or shaded areas are much harder to get ready. Old fellow has saying of may silage & june hay for best feed.

He's spot on - Cut at weekend too and one piece last night - hoping to bale the first piece on Saturday. Great day today on it.

Bleating Lamb

Yr weather giving no rain until this day week so anyone who cut for hay should be ok.....today,Thurs and Fri the 3 best days sun wise.

Reggie.

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

Yr weather giving no rain until this day week so anyone who cut for hay should be ok.....today,Thurs and Fri the 3 best days sun wise.

MT was giving next Tues and we'd to maybe hit 24 deg

dodo mommy

merryberry wrote:

Things looking up for you I think. Was it a heavy crop?

One field had a very thick crop the other not so thick hoping the weather lasts I see rain forecast for south and east on Friday I hope it stays their.

trabpc

dodo mommy wrote: »

One field had a very thick crop the other not so thick hoping the weather lasts I see rain forecast for south and east on Friday I hope it stays their.

Jean was given a break in weather Thurs eve until sat. Then good again.

Mayo_Boy

I am delighted to say that hay has been successfully saved since yesterday evening here. Will put up a picture tomorrow as proof

Reggie.

Seen hay baled today aswell coming home

PN14

Success , baled last evening and just as well. Light dust of rain here this morning. Yesterday wasn't much of a day for hay but well fit last evening. Must make room in the barn now.

sea12

PN14 wrote: »

Success , baled last evening and just as well. Light dust of rain here this morning. Yesterday wasn't much of a day for hay but well fit last evening. Must make room in the barn now.

Well done PN. What day did u cut. See a neighbours still down. Not fit yet. I'd say he may take the bit of rain that coming over the weekend and wait for the couple of good days next Monday or Tuesday

PN14

Cut early monday. Wasn't particularly heavy crop only got a sprinkling of 0-10-20 in early april no nitrogen so no heavy butt to dry out. Also field is on an exposed site with no boundary ditches the sun & breeze on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday really made a job of it. I wasn't expecting to get it till this evening when I cut but after turning yesterday there was not point leaving it another day. Just as well with a light mist this morning. Neighbours baled yesterday as well on a similar exposed field couple of fields away also cut Monday. Others around in more shaded fields weren't fit to bale looks like it will be Sunday / Monday now before they get it with some showers forecast for today/tomorrow.

Sam Kade

Not great hay weather, how long before someone starts a thread about big bales heating.

Username John

Hay down around our place, and we got a good bit of rain last night... today isn't a super day on it either then (well, from what I can see out the window)

Reggie.

150 bales done for neighbour today at 1500hrs

Username John

Reggie. wrote: »

150 bales done for neighbour today at 1500hrs

Nice green looking stuff...

But Jesus, as if small squares aren't bad enough, but small squares bales without a sleigh...

Reggie.

Username John wrote: »

Nice green looking stuff...

But Jesus, as if small squares aren't bad enough, but small squares bales without a sleigh...

Have a sleigh but it was a change of plan as it was to be baled tomorrow. Lovely stuff for calves