2018 HAY SEASON Post your results here

[Sawyer Rob]

We have all of our first cutting "cut" and almost all of it baled. Anyway, I cut my little food plots a few days ago and raked them this morning,.

and got them all baled this afternoon, (I got 10 off that little field above)

The food plots aren't very big, but they produce fairly good,

I shoot a nice buck out of this "blind" every fall,

SR

 

[RPW]

Man it's so dry here. 15 4x5 bales off of about 16 acres. Wasn't worth the money on fertilizer. Really don't plan on any more this year unless we get some rain.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

Really dry here too, we "may" get some rain this weekend though?

The last field is getting baled right now and I'm glad it isn't me out there baling it!! lol

SR

 

[freedomlives]

Mowing was with two walk behind mowers-- a Goldoni Eco I got last year, but which is 30 years old, which cracked its drive mechanism half way through mowing the 5 acres, and a 5 year old Vari which near the end had the cutter knife bar crack in half. Not a good time with equipment!


I borrowed the hayrake from the neighbor to get the raking done. Much faster than years past with a 4 foot wide rake in front of the two wheel tractor, and less dusty for me.


A guy from a few villages away came again to bale for me this year. Big entertainment for my kids to watch. Not only did he bale the 5 acres I mowed, but also a hunter let me take the hay he'd cut on his 2 acre feed plot.


Best of all, I was able to lift bales without any extra weight on the rear, and I was just, just able to stack 3 high-- which will be especially good on space when I get them in to the barn. In total there are 18 bales between the two fields.

 

[RPW]

Unfortunately stacking rounds is not a good idea. To much rain will soak into the bales. Place them end to end for better shedding of rain. Also if you can get them off the ground you'll have less spoilage. I use a pallet under my rounds and after a year there's very little spoilage.

 

[cat fever]

Finished getting the hay done on my brothers place. The last 30 acre field produced 58 3X3's.

This is the first time I have sold hay. (always used everything I grew) I have sold all 40 3X3 bales and 270 of the small bales so far. It was hectic living apart from the field I'm growing/cutting. Moving equipment back and forth from where I'm living. Next year will be much better, should be in my new home. At least I better be.

 

[freedomlives]

Unfortunately stacking rounds is not a good idea. To much rain will soak into the bales. Place them end to end for better shedding of rain. Also if you can get them off the ground you'll have less spoilage. I use a pallet under my rounds and after a year there's very little spoilage.

Right now ten are still in the field, covered with two tarps (kind of improvised). Its rained this weekend, but when it clears up and the ground dries, I'm going to move them to the barn. Just... its about a kilometer drive and a steep downhill part where I need to see in front of me means I'm not going to try going with 3 at once (1 on the FEL, two in towed trailer) as I did with the six from a more distant, but better road access field.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I've been picking bales, and for you guys that like the old tractors, here's a pict. for you,

11 bales is a pretty good load, but the old iron was easily up to the task...

Anyway, here's where all the bales are going,

All the "first cutting" is now done...

SR

 

[Bigfoot62]

OK, I have a little catching up to do.
Three weeks ago, I finished the second cutting. 6/28/2018 Only got 51 rolls (4x5) from 52 acres. Worse than the first time. (72 rolls) Again, dry weather to blame.
But, this time, I put out 5 tons of fertilizer the day after I baled, and it started raining 3 days after that. 6" in the following two weeks. With only 3 weeks growth, I have more grass than the last two times!
I also have picked up a neighbor's small field, about 6 acres, and baled that Monday. Only 16 rolls, but hopefully with fertilizer, it will improve.

 

[mjw357]

So on top of our 900 squares, we followed that up with 30 rounds out of our 3 acre field. Our second year of hay production, we have sold some squares to friends and neighbors with plenty left for our use.