Hay

Sami23

DBK1 wrote: »

You should be asking why was it turned so often in this weather and not why was it only turned 3 times. There’s nothing worse than looking at clowns driving up and down a field of hay all day wasting diesel in this weather when the hay will save itself if you just leave it alone and give it time. In periods of weather like this, unless it’s a very heavy crop, hay should not be turned any more than twice. Every time you put a haybob through hay you’re breaking up the grass and reducing the feed value. Just leave it alone and let the sun do the work.

Personally I think it would need to be turned more than 2 times to get it all saved regardless of weather but everyone to their own

Lime Tree Farm

The old farmers rule of feeling the hay is still practiced, if it's cold to feel it's not fit to bale, warm to feel then it's fit to bale. Hay baled at 20% moisture content or less is fit to gather and can be stored. The old farmers rule applies if it's fit to bale then it's fit for housing.

Farmer's Journal, 2014

Bass Reeves

Sami23 wrote: »

Personally I think it would need to be turned more than 2 times to get it all saved regardless of weather but everyone to their own

I have made hay a few times and do not own a haybob. I would leave it in rows for at least two days in weather like this.. I have left it in rows for four days in slightly broken hay weather. It saves in rows and if it gets a shower water runs off the grass.

Cutting with a conditioner is worth 1-3 days. Hay cut with a conditioner in weather like this will be ready in five days. Break out the rows in day two or three in weather like this and turn it.1-2 days later and row it.

On a light crop I got once on a hybrid I only broke out the rows on day two and rowed it it on day four and baled it on day five.

I made silage last Friday it was cut 48 hours in the rows. If I had turned it out Saturday and rowed it later to I be baling it tomorrow. Mind you it was rowed up Friday morning. My grandfather had a tumbling jack and I remember him saving hay in rows with it.

CloughCasey1

mengele wrote: »

im afraid of it heating when there is still green in it. I find turning it too much just makes bruss out of it.

It will heat a bit anyway. Heating on its own sap is no problem. Heating while. wet from the elements or baling to late or early in day with dew on it is the problem. You burn it to a yellow crisp and it has no feeding value.

bogman_bass

Sami23 wrote: »

Personally I think it would need to be turned more than 2 times to get it all saved regardless of weather but everyone to their own

It needs to be turned as often as the crop and conditions need. Keep turning untill you don’t have any fresh grass coming up. You will probably get away with a turn less if using a tedder instead of a hay-bob.

The thing is you don’t know if it’s fit untill you turn it so it will get one turn more than it really needs.

It’s amazibg how a crop can look perfect and then you turn it and there are still lumps that are fresh.

GrasstoMilk

We would save hay in 4 days here.
Cut with conditioner mower and turn for 2 days after and pick up the 4th day.
It needs to be well made on the shank though.

Personally no interest in it only purely for using it to dry off cows. No feed value in it for growing or milking stock or putting weight on dry cows

Bass Reeves

GrasstoMilk wrote: »

We would save hay in 4 days here.
Cut with conditioner mower and turn for 2 days after and pick up the 4th day.
It needs to be well made on the shank though.

Personally no interest in it only purely for using it to dry off cows. No feed value in it for growing or milking stock or putting weight on dry cows

Everything is in hay's favour at present. Ground is bone dry worth a day. Grass is being cut bone dry worth another day. Last week was better weather as it was not as hot. If you cut last Tuesday you have been able to bale yesterday unless crop was growing over the winter. Too many lads have never made May hay before. it always withered late June hay. Green hay like you get at present off grass that is only flowering is as good as silage for drystock. If cows were not milking for 8+ weeks it would be more than grand for them. It would be no use if milking. Sucklers cows would put on condition on hay like this.

Mind you hay could be very cheap to buy this year. there is a lot of full sheds around the place. I know a lad that is renting a shed that he has filled with hay last August. None of it sold, he was offered 18/bale out of the field and refused it. There the bone of 100 bales in the shed. What is it costing him to store it and how much for next winter as well at this stage.

Bass Reeves

bogman_bass wrote: »

It needs to be turned as often as the crop and conditions need. Keep turning untill you don’t have any fresh grass coming up. You will probably get away with a turn less if using a tedder instead of a hay-bob.

The thing is you don’t know if it’s fit untill you turn it so it will get one turn more than it really needs.

It’s amazibg how a crop can look perfect and then you turn it and there are still lumps that are fresh.

There is a different between fresh and green grass. But it is also possible to walk through a field with a fork and check it. It takes an hour but you know fast if it is saved. Even after you turn a few acres you know if it was saved. Too many lads beat the sh!te out of hay. Often it has hardly hit the ground and they are belting sh!t out of it as fast as the mower cuts it. As well lads not staying turning it in the row positions.. Lads turning it too soon after rain. If there is small hints of unsaved grass in it put it into rows and leave it for 24 hours before baling. That if you want hay if you want straw belt away

Lime Tree Farm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

........ Sucklers cows would put on condition on hay like this.....

That's exactly what the Vet said one year at a difficult calving a cow that was fed hay saved in May. He said that Hay saved in May was no different to silage in feed value.

johnnyw20

Lads love complicating hay making especially in this weather. The secret is to only turn once a day in the early afternoon while the sun and drying is at its strongest. I’ve saved a lot of hay in the last week by doing the following

Day 1 cut
Day 2 turn
Day 3 turn
Day 4 turn
Day 5 row up and bale a few hours later

Straight into the shed then when I find the time

Dunedin

johnnyw20 wrote: »

Lads love complicating hay making especially in this weather. The secret is to only turn once a day in the early afternoon while the sun and drying is at its strongest. I’ve saved a lot of hay in the last week by doing the following

Day 1 cut
Day 2 turn
Day 3 turn
Day 4 turn
Day 5 row up and bale a few hours later

Straight into the shed then when I find the time

Exact same motto here.

Bottom line is the weather. In bad to middling weather hay is a nightmare. Remember years ago befor the days of wrapping, hay could be down 2-3 weeks in bad weather. It’d end up being baled but wouldn’t feed a cat.

Say my name

Have a feeling the secret to quality hay is Brix.

The higher the Brix, the higher the sugars.

People cutting grass with a Brix of 3 giving out about hay having no feeding while their neighbour cuts grass with a Brix of 15.

Article about Brix.

https://www.nourishingdays.com/raw-milk-garden/

Lime Tree Farm

here's another interesting one I read yesterday, on Brix.

https://onpasture.com/2017/09/11/heres-why-we-dont-use-brix-to-measure-forage-quality/

Bass Reeves

johnnyw20 wrote: »

Lads love complicating hay making especially in this weather. The secret is to only turn once a day in the early afternoon while the sun and drying is at its strongest. I’ve saved a lot of hay in the last week by doing the following

Day 1 cut
Day 2 turn
Day 3 turn
Day 4 turn
Day 5 row up and bale a few hours later

Straight into the shed then when I find the time

IMO you should let it in rows for two days and even three in slightly broken weather. This also gives the option of round baling it if weather breaks. If cut with a conditioner you might only need to turn it out once and row it to save it. I be on no hurry putting May hay into a shed. It needs time outside. Do not pack bales to much but no point in baling air either.

It the same with all these lads turning silage out to dry. Leave it in the rows and when it is rowed for baling 6-8 hours pre baling it will dry if the weather is right. Too many lads cannot leave a job alone

Say my name

Lime Tree Farm wrote: »

here's another interesting one I read yesterday, on Brix.

https://onpasture.com/2017/09/11/heres-why-we-dont-use-brix-to-measure-forage-quality/

Quite a negative article.
Still it shows the importance of not cutting first thing in the morning or with cloudy conditions.
You'd get from it if you swing that article around why cattle kill out like lead feeding on pasture with high brix in droughty blazing hot Sun conditions.

johnnyw20

Bass Reeves wrote: »

IMO you should let it in rows for two days and even three in slightly broken weather. This also gives the option of round baling it if weather breaks. If cut with a conditioner you might only need to turn it out once and row it to save it. I be on no hurry putting May hay into a shed. It needs time outside. Do not pack bales to much but no point in baling air either.

It the same with all these lads turning silage out to dry. Leave it in the rows and when it is rowed for baling 6-8 hours pre baling it will dry if the weather is right. Too many lads cannot leave a job alone

I’ve just an ordinary disk mover and find the grass lies very flat on the ground after cutting. I find that if I turn it the following day after cutting that it puts the cut ends of the grass facing upwards and off the ground and that it dries out the grass quicker

Castlekeeper

johnnyw20 wrote: »

I’ve just an ordinary disk mover and find the grass lies very flat on the ground after cutting. I find that if I turn it the following day after cutting that it puts the cut ends of the grass facing upwards and off the ground and that it dries out the grass quicker

You're right, you'd gain a day in that circumstances. 2 turns and a row is enough unless your trying to save a silage crop. You'd want to turn it twice and save it quick in this weather, there's a lot of brittle burnt useless hay made.
I'd say it'll be for nothing.

Western Pomise

So are round and square balers busy today making hay?....looking at forecast there is rain coming into the north west tomorrow and moving easterly tomorrow evening.

Robson99

Have made a decent amount of hay here down through the years.
There is hay and there ****e.
Lads cutting old meadow that has not been grazed since last October are only making the feed equivelant of straw.
You need good ryegrass to make good hay same as silage.
Weather saves hay and not machines.
Weather like this is great. Cut dry and ground durty as a cork. I like to turn it the day after cutting with a disc mower then leave it alone for a day. 3 turns should be adequate. Ryegrass saved in 6 days. Leave it out for a couple of weeks once baled.
Problem there is at times is lads using haybobs and leaving part of the rows behind them and then there are green damp bits being baled up.
Haybobs were ok after 5'6" drum mowers. Hard work after a 7' or 8' disc mower

Robson99

Jjameson wrote: »

Agree with all above bar the rye grass element robson. Any variety of grass makes quality feed if got at the right stage of growth, Timothy makes lovely sweet hay as does meadow fescue if young and growing.

Fair point. Always like Timothy and rescue in hay but more for horses than feed value for beef or milk.
But a lot of old meadows have a lot of poor quality grasses and weeds

jimini0

Any one in the West with hay down or goin to cut soon? I'm half temped to cut monday

Water John

Check the agri forecast at 1pm RTE tomorrow, not sure has the 'hay window' passed. Long range forecasts suggest might be a window in early July.

jimini0

Water John wrote: »

Check the agri forecast at 1pm RTE tomorrow, not sure has the 'hay window' passed. Long range forecasts suggest might be a window in early July.

Ya I was too late with fertiliser. Hasn't grown much lately. Might just cut Monday and see. Sure I can wrap if weather turns

Sami23

Anyone else with Hay on the ground hoping for weather later this week to get it baled.
I wrapped the headlands on Saturday and possibly should have wrapped it all but left it to try and save some Hay ?
Anyone optimistic the weather might be ok from Wednesday on

lakill Farm

round baled hay for a lad on Saturday evening in north Westmeath . it was light enough but he said he needs it all he is way down on fodder

Same lad bought 100small square bales I made in late May 2020 off me.

Sami23

lakill Farm wrote: »

round baled hay for a lad on Saturday evening in north Westmeath.

Jas when was that cut ?

White Clover

lakill Farm wrote: »

round baled hay for a lad on Saturday evening in north Westmeath . it was light enough but he said he needs it all he is way down on fodder

Same lad bought 100small square bales I made in late May 2020 off me.

What kind of Baler have you got Lakill?

lakill Farm

Sami23 wrote: »

Jas when was that cut ?

No idea, he asked me Thursday about baling it

lakill Farm

White Clover wrote: »

What kind of Baler have you got Lakill?

Jones M12 square baler and JD578 round baler

White Clover

lakill Farm wrote: »

Jones M12 square baler and JD578 round baler

Fair play. You're well set up so. Them John Deeres are a good Baler.
Westmeath is a great county for the machinery!

lakill Farm

White Clover wrote: »

Fair play. You're well set up so. Them John Deeres are a good Baler.
Westmeath is a great county for the machinery!

No issues with the JD yet thankfully but only 11000 bales on it since new so will do me. Its grand doing my own bit and baled a few hundred bales for others so far in the evenings.

davidk1394

Hoping to cut 30ac for ourselves towards the end of the week. Got no fert so it should save quick. Have a lot of other hay to cut for other farmers around the area too

White Clover

lakill Farm wrote: »

No issues with the JD yet thankfully but only 11000 bales on it since new so will do me. Its grand doing my own bit and baled a few hundred bales for others so far in the evenings.

Jeez, how did you fall across that gem? Was it farmer owned?

Dickie10

i have 5 acres of hay down since thursday night im not touching it tomorrow because of raiin given, its not far off now, very green, should bale friday

Tileman

Dickie10 wrote: »

i have 5 acres of hay down since thursday night im not touching it tomorrow because of raiin given, its not far off now, very green, should bale friday

Did u turn it out

Sami23

Dickie10 wrote: »

i have 5 acres of hay down since thursday night im not touching it tomorrow because of raiin given, its not far off now, very green, should bale friday

What part of country are you located and do you think you will get enough sun to save it this week ?

Reggie.

Sami23 wrote: »

What part of country are you located and do you think you will get enough sun to save it this week ?

Hope so. A local fella here has 20 acres down

Sami23

Reggie. wrote: »

Hope so. A local fella here has 20 acres down

Forecast doesn't look good at all - feck all sunshine in it

_Brian

Reggie. wrote: »

Hope so. A local fella here has 20 acres down

Jeez that’s optimistic.
I’d be rolling and wrapping it given them forecast is very variable at present.

Sami23

_Brian wrote: »

Jeez that’s optimistic.
I’d be rolling and wrapping it given them forecast is very variable at present.

Agree - next week now looks broken too

Dickie10

its turned 4 times since last friday, twice friday, once saturday and once sunday, got a drop of rain sunday night so didnt touch it yesterday and a bit of rain forecast today so wont go near it. its not far off now, giving no rain here from tomorrow on,

SouthWesterly

I'm still waiting on my field to be cut. He was hoping for fine weather from last Friday. Had rain up to Thursday and mixed ever since.

I believe July 29 2030 is looking promising

Reggie.

_Brian wrote: »

Jeez that’s optimistic.
I’d be rolling and wrapping it given them forecast is very variable at present.

Hard to know this fella does be lucky enough. Grass was half dead when he cut it

BENDYBINN

What’s the obsession with hay?
Surely well wilted silage is better feed value than hay and far less stressful on the farmer and his machinery? It doesn’t take up shed space either.
Seems some farmers like hardship..

Tileman

BENDYBINN wrote: »

What’s the obsession with hay?
Surely well wilted silage is better feed value than hay and far less stressful on the farmer and his machinery? It doesn’t take up shed space either.
Seems some farmers like hardship..

For people selling a bit extra meadow there is decent money in hay if you get it. Deck all money in silage but I agree there is allot less hardship with silage than going demented looking at weather apps. Unfortunately the weather is not as settled as us like. Still they are giving Wednesday and Thursday to be warm and dry so if people have it down a few days it should be ok for them . Nothing as missed able as looking at wet hay on the ground

Reggie.

BENDYBINN wrote: »

What’s the obsession with hay?
Surely well wilted silage is better feed value than hay and far less stressful on the farmer and his machinery? It doesn’t take up shed space either.
Seems some farmers like hardship..

This man is a horsey fella

Sami23

Tileman wrote: »

Unfortunately the weather is not as settled as us like. Still they are giving Wednesday and Thursday to be warm and dry so if people have it down a few days it should be ok for them. Nothing as miserable as looking at wet hay on the ground

Will there be enough sun on those days is the question ?

As the saying goes "make Hay while the sun shines....."

lakill Farm

White Clover wrote: »

Jeez, how did you fall across that gem? Was it farmer owned?

Went up on donedeal at 930 on a Friday night . I called him and he called me back 10am next morning. bought by 1130am.

Yes farmer owned from new, he was moving to pit silage and had put in a brand new slab. Its in very good condition in fairness to him. Yard was well kept and saw a few bales he had made with it.

the week before I bought a 11000 bale McHale BE wrapper so all sorted myself

lakill Farm

BENDYBINN wrote: »

What’s the obsession with hay?
Surely well wilted silage is better feed value than hay and far less stressful on the farmer and his machinery? It doesn’t take up shed space either.
Seems some farmers like hardship..

you should try square bales of hay. however your getting a premium price for the product . working out at approx. €50 per round bale if not more

Sami23

lakill Farm wrote: »

you should try square bales of hay. however your getting a premium price for the product . working out at approx. €50 per round bale if not more

On average how many square bales would be in a round bale of Hay