2015 Hay Season

[foreman Etexas]

Right now Eddie it's mainly the Rye grass was trying to get cut,warm grasses are there and would help yields but just not that tall. Warm season grass will come on if get some sun and warmer temps at night. Hay should be plentiful this year just need get the windows to get it cut and baled up.

 

[Lawnman TX]

We got another 4" this weekend, up here in ntexas. Hardly anyone got their Sudan planted, rye and wheat are going to pot. Our news said this morning we had rain 20 of the last 26 days of May. I need a break

 

[Mistyridgefarm]

I am sorry for the folks with too much rain. It is my fault since I put out a lot of fertilizer($$) this year. Every time I do, it either rains too much or stops raining for a month.

We have been pretty wet here, with another 10 day wet forecast ahead. I did manage to get one small field done this last weekend and made 300 pretty small squares. Had to ted it twice but the dry wind helped a lot. All the equipment worked as it should so it was a good test. I'm afraid my first cutting will be poorer quality since it is past its prime. Will be looking for a new tedder($$$) soon, the old, used one I bought four years ago is on its last leg. I sell some small squares to help the boys make some money but I swear it isn't worth it. I'd have to charge $10 a bale to put any money in my pocket!

 

[farmer2009]

Hay here is ready to cut. But with a rainy 10 day forecast it won't happen. Some baled last week but boy was it wet. It turned off cool cloudy and humid and didn't dry. It'll all get baled sooner or later. And everyone here will tell you, even lower quality hay beats the h3ll out of snowballs.

 

[Grateful11]

We've had 0.25" of rain in the last 4 weeks. Wish y'all could send some this way, we'd take some of it.

It's a start but if we don't soon get rain, cows are going to need 2 bales a day, won't last long at that rate.

 

[PMA]

We finally got some rain today, around 3 tenths. Take all we can get.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[wmonroe]

We've had 0.25" of rain in the last 4 weeks. Wish y'all could send some this way, we'd take some of it. It's a start but if we don't soon get rain, cows are going to need 2 bales a day, won't last long at that rate.

What are you using to stack bales 4 high?

 

[Grateful11]

What are you using to stack bales 4 high?

This year the MX5100 with the newer LA1065 loader. Those bales are just a couple inched shy of 4' which helps but it's still a stretch. We used to do it with the L3940 but it wasn't easy.

Here's a quick video of the L3940 stacking 4 high.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFptd6nZD5Q

 

[KiotiKowboy]

OMG it is raining AGAIN! My 3500 feet of new drive has been dozed and is now mostly mud. My new house is on hold now for months. They hay is sitting in soggy fields. I am VERY frustrated!

 

[wmonroe]

This year the MX5100 with the newer LA1065 loader. Those bales are just a couple inched shy of 4' which helps but it's still a stretch. We used to do it with the L3940 but it wasn't easy. Here's a quick video of the L3940 stacking 4 high. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFptd6nZD5Q

Nice! I didn't realize that either of those tractors would reach that high.

 

[Grateful11]

Nice! I didn't realize that either of those tractors would reach that high.

Well you just about have to leave the two lower little spikes in and spear them a little below center to get them up that high and they need to be very dense bales, soft cores would just go everywhere.

 

[Grateful11]

Here's something that pulls a little harder on a disc mower and tractor, Oats. These Oats made about 3 1/2 tons of hay per acre. He cut it off about 3-4" high using High Stubble shoes on the DiscBine. The 5065M had trouble pulling the older mower they had a Kuhn FC243RTG in Oats this thick, it was a 7'10" cut.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbE5xjvFRTY

 

[cat fever]

It seems most of you have been getting the water you need. (in some cases more than you need) here in Utah it has also been very wet. This is not the norm for this area. My own field is looking better than it ever has. I now have all the equipment I need to take care of my own place so I'm really looking forward to cutting and bailing within a week or two. The weather will decide when I cut. The bailer and swather are old but I have gone through them, replaced everything that even looked worn, adjusted belts and chains, greased and lubed everything that moves. I did not repaint them. So hopefully it all works like it should. Best of luck to all of you.

 

[DT86]

It's been so dry here in our part of Southwest Virginia. The kicker is that there has been 30% - 80% chance of rain about every day for the past two week and the next 10 days don't look any different, still no rain.



Being tired of waiting for a good forecast I decided to heck with it and mowed some tonight. I must say this is the first time I hope it does get rained on. We need it bad.

 

[foreman Etexas]

Hope things work out DT.

I was going to start getting equipment out today but wife had other plans for me so tomorrow going to get everything out,service it and see what need pickup to be ready before I go back to work. Pastures going to need a week at least before try it,good weather in the forecast.

 

[Grateful11]

Same here DT86. We were getting good rains up until the middle of April and since then we've had 0.25" total. It's terrible, pastures are burned up and eaten down. If the corn doesn't get rain within a week it's going to be lost at 12" high. They are already feeding the herd here 2 round bales a day and that's what they normally get in the dead of winter.

 

[mattv1]

seems like it rains every other day here, very humid as well....and temps at night dropping to the lower 50's -- all a mixture for NO hay cutting.

Grass fields are 4 or 5 feet tall....can't believe it. Just had another neighbor stop by yesterday asking if I'd 'take care' of his 15 acres. Fertilize and keep the weeds down and I can have the hay for no cost. That puts me up to around 70 acres I'll do this year.

 

[Creamer]

It seems most of you have been getting the water you need. (in some cases more than you need) here in Utah it has also been very wet. This is not the norm for this area. My own field is looking better than it ever has. I now have all the equipment I need to take care of my own place so I'm really looking forward to cutting and bailing within a week or two. The weather will decide when I cut. The bailer and swather are old but I have gone through them, replaced everything that even looked worn, adjusted belts and chains, greased and lubed everything that moves. I did not repaint them. So hopefully it all works like it should. Best of luck to all of you.View attachment 427368

that is some pretty country! Nice pic but you realize that orange doesn't go very well with red - right?

 

[Creamer]

Rained hard here over the weekend but now the forecast is for a dry week so my hay will be going down later today. I hope the forecast is correct!

 

[RPW]

Finally looks like I'll be able to get into the fields in a day or two. Going to try and get the mower hooked up tonight.