Hay 2024

dryan

Forecast looking good out to next Tuesday - anyone going to chance it?

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058353513/hay-2024

happy to make silage…..hay be hard made with ground so wet underneath still.

mr.stonewall

Was looking at the charts, but no real heat there to help things along. Keeping a close eye on it to be at the ready. Very little rain in the forecast after Thursday

DBK1

I’ve one customer going to chance it anyway and I’ll possibly chance a small bit myself, you have to be brave when it comes to hay!

mengele

What day are lads going mowing it?

davidk1394

Have a bit stopped but it's too green just yet. It'd need a good week before It'd be fit.

Silverdream

With hay half the battle is to cut dry with dry ground underneath. With all the rain over the last week you need a few days dry before even thinking about it. Crops are still very leafy and that stuff is hard to save.

Neddyusa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122193358#Comment_122193358

Agreed, going to hold out here, as with current damp soil conditions you'd need 5-7 days drying after mowing, and that would really affect quality.

I'd much prefer 3-5 days, so I'll hold out to see how the forecast looks this time next week.

tractorporn

I have 30 acres of rough stuff to cut for bedding but the ground is saturated now and it would need a full good week before I would consider cutting it and then another full week of drying to get it fit. Hoping to make silage on other ground Monday or Tuesday

Austinbrick

Wait for Exam weather from June 5th onwards. Usually a good hay spell there , or, shortly after.

_Brian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058353513/hay-2024

weather might impove overhead but would ground under swarth not still be too damp ?? Genuine question we haven’t made hay here since mid 80’s

mr.stonewall

For the past few years it was all about getting out quick when the spell was there. Last year only gave 2 chances. Late may early june and early September.

We would all love to have the sun splitting the stones, but dry weather and time will get hay. Going to knock some stuff on Friday and chance it

roosterman71

Weather giving fairly dry from Thursday until Wednesday next week. Maybe even a bit of heat. On any wettish ground hay maybe a risk without more heat and wind and time. But lighter crops could manage to get hay

weatherbyfoxer

Walked hay ground here an hour ago and still seems to be alot of damp spots,even water laying in the odd wheel mark.Will review the situation Monday..its mad,i made really good horse hay this weekend last year

Tileman

it was the June bank holiday last year when the great weather came. I made the best hay I ever made. However the growth is so poor this year there is only toppings on it at moment

White Clover

No two years are the same. You can only play what's in front of you.

mahoney_j

5 acres of mss I was going to mow for silage but going to chance hay ….if not quite hay it’ll be savage haylage ….plan to mow tomorrow afternoon …ted straight away ….ted again Saturday and see how it’s looking Monday

Jimbo789

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122199221#Comment_122199221

Have you made hay from multi species before? How did it turn out?
I have just made some silage bales where it got too strong for grazing but had never considered hay because it always seemed very green and wasn’t sure what way the chicory and plantain would go when dried out more.

Neddyusa

Made the best hay we ever had, this week last year. Got it in 3 days, baled on 1st June.

Bullocks fed it in the shed and they looked like they were on 4-5kg meal a day from it!

Big difference this year is the ground!

The lads on about cutting must have both really dry ground and avoided the downpours over the last fortnight? I wouldn't even bring a tractor into most fields here this week, and we're on dry ground!

glanman

Re MSS Did it last year in sept after a cut of milage in late May. Good hay but the chicory etc really melted away. Dense and green but saved well. Heavy bales as it packed so densely but would have fallen apart if any looser. Not bales for selling! Got 100 or so small square off 1ha 🙈

kk.man

I wont chance hay yet, Next Tuesday looking dodge.

Mad about baa baas

I was always told to save hay you need to have hay....any fields here would be still very lush and green and would take an age to save id say..ground wet underneath too

glanman

How are those who went for it going? In hindsight cutting Thursday you could be baling tomorrow if not too heavy. Savage drying on Friday and Saturday with sun and wind down south anyway

BENDYBINN

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213298#Comment_122213298

not a chance, hay needs a week this time of year.

mr.stonewall

Cut 12 acres on Friday. 2 small meadows and a mix of grazing ground. Only turned it today for the 1st time. It's well on the way but will probably get a touch of rain on it. Plan to bale it later in the week. Worst case scenario is wrap it up as hayledge. Serious drying on grass since Friday morning.

Thursday here was damp and grass was wet some difference in the grass on Friday morning at 10.30am

Mitchells33

Baled 5 acres this evening,

kk.man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213298#Comment_122213298

I thought about it but in hindsight I'm delighted I didn't. Saw a light field cut not far from me but not going to be ready before the rain.

Tileman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213963#Comment_122213963

you would be better to wrap that this evening as Haylage . Once it gets rains it never ferments properly as Haylage. However if is half fit it will be much better tonight.

mr.stonewall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122216135#Comment_122216135

Balers all up to 90 around here. This stuff is destined for dry suckler cows to be mixed with silage. Have done it before leaving it down and it gets a bit of rain and worked out the finest for dry cows.

2smiggy

there is a lot of fields cut for hay here in north cork. Yesterday was not a good day weather wise, and this morning is worse again. The forecast is not great for the coming week either. Had 15 acres that my father thought about chancing for hay saturday, but thankfully he baled it for silage. there will be plenty bales of shite made over the coming week

emaherx

Had a bit of tractor trouble over the weekend so abandoned baling silage and turned it out with the little tractor, it got half an hour of rain today but forecast looks OK here for the rest of the week, not very warm but bright and breezy. I think it will be just fine myself, it's just a few strong paddocks that I wanted to clean off for the calves so won't make or break my fodder stocks anyway.