Growing hay

[nosliw]

Hello,

I own 20 acres in Western Washington that was used for 70 years as horse pasture. The field is comprised of flowers, grass, and big patches of golden wheat/hay.


Since I already have the 'good stuff' growing out there, can I have it baled as-is? It's very high now, and neighbors are getting theirs baled. Is it okay to have flowers/grasses/other plants in the mix? If it all has to be the same specie of grass, what does one do to ensure that? Lots of questions, I know!

Thanks for any and all help, this is my first plot of land out in the 'country' and am slowly learning how things work.

 

[Mike120]

Not sure what you mean about the "good stuff".....certainly not what I would call a hay field. However, if you round bale, it will proabably be fine for cows...they can eat anything.

 

[nosliw]

What I mean by 'good stuff' is golden hay/wheat/whatever it is. It looks like what a person would want to grow. The other stuff is wispy flowers and other thin plants that give the field a deep purple color.

What's the difference between the big round bales and the small rectangular ones?

Thanks for your reply

 

[nosliw]

Here's a definition of hay:

"Hay is a generic term for grass or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal feed, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, goats, and sheep."

And here I thought hay was a specific type of grass. So technically, since what my field is comprised of is very attractive to livestock (neighbor has same field composition with animals), it is all ready to bale-up and keep for feed. Is that correct?

I love to have a guy come do that instead of having to mow the thing and waste it all.

 

[Willl]

The other stuff is wispy flowers and other thin plants that give the field a deep purple color.

Clover ?

 

[LBrown59]

Hello,

I own 20 acres in Western Washington that was used for 70 years as horse pasture. The field is comprised of flowers, grass, and big patches of golden wheat/hay.


Since I already have the 'good stuff' growing out there, 1*can I have it baled as-is? It's very high now, and neighbors are getting theirs baled.
2*Is it okay to have flowers/grasses/other plants in the mix? If it all has to be the same specie of grass, what does one do to ensure that? Lots of questions, I know!

Thanks for any and all help, this is my first plot of land out in the 'country' and am slowly learning how things work.

1*Can he.?
2*Is it?

 

[Therios Pendragon]

Take some pictures and post them. I would bet that your stuff could be identified quite easily.

As you can see I am in Rainier. I only have 5 acres. three of those are horribly neglected and have feed grass of some kind, clover, swamp grass, thistle, blackberries, sage, and the worst of all... Tanzie...

you want NO Tanzie... it is toxic and prolific. It is a bienial and seeds can lie dormant and viable for 15 years. It looks like parsley when small but shoots up 3' tall stems with yellow flowers. The Cinabar (spelling?) moth is its ony natural enemy. The moth is red/black and pretty. The caterpillers that it lays on them eat the seeds. They are cool looking yellow/black. That is the dead giveaway as to what the stuff is.

Livestock won't eat the stuff unless they are out of food. It is a horrible poison and is still toxic when dry. You cannot have ANY of this stuff in your bales.

I am sure that I am not completely accurate or just a little panic stricken... But this is the best information that I know. I have a ton of this "stuff" in my field and have been pulling it as much as possible as mowing is NOT a control.

 

[LBrown59]

LB definition of hay :

Bailed weeds.

 

[nosliw]

I don't have my digital camera here with me (this is a weekend place). I'll get some up next weekend, though.

Thanks for all your input, I'll try and consult with my neighbor and tell you guys what is all out there.

 

[piller]

Like most things there is a lot more to hay than one might imagine at first glance.
Sure, you can probably bale whatever you have growing. Hay quality declines if not harvested at the correct stage of production.

Do you have equipment or will you have someone else do the work? What do you plan to do with the hay? How do you plan to store the hay? How will you move the hay? Will you have a forage analysis performed on your hay to determine the protein levels and quality?

We bought a farm a couple of years ago. We did not have a tractor or hay equipment so we had friends/neighbors make hay the first couple of years on halves (they took half and we kept half). We sold some hay and used some for our animals.

I took some courses through our local extension office and even attended a grazing conference if you can believe that. I've since decided that we will no longer make hay on our property.

If you do a "proper" analysis (or take a look at a hay analysis budget available from your local extension office) you will likely see that making hay is pretty much a losing proposition. You need hay fields. You need a lot of expensive equipment. You need a proper storage structure. Then you need to factor in operating costs, fuel, labor, equipment depreciation, etc. Then you need to think about your inputs, soil testing, fertilizer, lime, weed control, seeding, etc. You will be removing nutrients from your farm, your soil quality may decline if not managed properly.

I'm not suggesting that you don't make hay, just be aware that there is more to it than meets the eye.