Advise needed for setting the flow rate on a Fertilizer Buggy

[blueriver]

At least with the CR, you always have refreshments on board:thumbsup:

I think you guys will be cutting and baling double tap the 1st go around. I went and checked the Bermuda Giant I had planted around my pond, I already have runners started and 2-3" green in spots

Refreshments on board and either an enjoyable time or grass left standing.

I, like many others am hoping for an excellent first cutting. I have plenty of ground moisture at this time ... am double clutching my preparing the hay fields.

Gophers are in abundance. I picked up 3 buckets of bait and will hit those hay fields with the gopher plow after this rain goes thru. My neighbor stated gopher bait went up to $130 for a bucket ... I told the co-op I wanted 3 buckets on the way home I asked the wife to check the receipt and tell me how much the bait was ... $99 a bucket I was pleased ... then I unloaded it and it was 33 lb buckets instead of the regular 45 lb buckets !!

 

[Bob Ha]

Refreshments on board and either an enjoyable time or grass left standing.

I, like many others am hoping for an excellent first cutting. I have plenty of ground moisture at this time ... am double clutching my preparing the hay fields.

Last year I got no cuts. Sprigged all my fields with either Coastal or Midland 99 and hoping most survived the drought. I can see lots of runners beginning to green up and take off.

 

[Western]

BR, this may sound "dumb" but you may consider building a few owl boxes and putting them around your fields. I had a neighbor do that and the owls took allot of the moles out. I thought he was "crazy", but you could tell a difference, especially when they where feeding the yougins. He put up one on each side of his 24 acre field bordering one of my 30 acre fields and it seemed to work compared to my lower pastures.

This is a good site i found a couple months ago, i will build a couple soon I hope.

http://www.scvas.org/pdf/cbrp/BuildingBarnOwlBoxes.pdf

 

[blueriver]

BR, this may sound "dumb" but you may consider building a few owl boxes and putting them around your fields. I had a neighbor do that and the owls took allot of the moles out. I thought he was "crazy", but you could tell a difference, especially when they where feeding the yougins. He put up one on each side of his 24 acre field bordering one of my 30 acre fields and it seemed to work compared to my lower pastures.

This is a good site i found a couple months ago, i will build a couple soon I hope.

http://www.scvas.org/pdf/cbrp/BuildingBarnOwlBoxes.pdf

That was a great article and fun to read thru ... my only concern was the part about poison ... everyone around me uses the gopher bait. But, my understanding of the gopher plow is that the gopher follows the plowed furrow and dies underground ... there of course is the chance one that has not yet could surface.

I believe I may very well try a couple on a 60 acre field. It would be fun to study them as well.

 

[blueriver]

Also ... so far perfect moisture for recent fertilize ... 6/10ths in the gauge this evening.

 

[Western]

Also ... so far perfect moisture for recent fertilize ... 6/10ths in the gauge this evening.

The way it's looking, you'd better make sure you have enough room for all that hay!!!

Talked to my brother, he's living in Ft Towsen OK. for now, he said their coastal is starting runners, though short.

 

[bigbull338]

man i feel for you boys throwing $100 an ac in fert out hoping to get enough hay pre ac to pay for the fert.just with fert baling an hauling your gonna have a min of $65 a bale in the hay.with $30 a bale alone in fert cost.an thats a 3 bale to ac cutting.

 

[blueriver]

The way it's looking, you'd better make sure you have enough room for all that hay!!!

Talked to my brother, he's living in Ft Towsen OK. for now, he said their coastal is starting runners, though short.

Well we are hoping. At this point this morning I have 1" in the gauge ... perfect rainfall so far. My 2012 goal is 5000 sq bales and 500 rolls.

 

[blueriver]

man i feel for you boys throwing $100 an ac in fert out hoping to get enough hay pre ac to pay for the fert.just with fert baling an hauling your gonna have a min of $65 a bale in the hay.with $30 a bale alone in fert cost.an thats a 3 bale to ac cutting.

Its always a crap shoot ... do you or don't you? You study the market, the forecasted moisture and hope for a strong cutting and a market... and really pray for a second cut.

Everything keeps going up, fuel, fertilize, twine, wire, grease, oil ... etc. Really have to diversify and manage. I think the days of cheap hay are over ... even with adequate conditions someone somewhere always needs hay.

What can we expect .... $65-70 rounds and $8-12 squares??

 

[Western]

With that rain and theses early temps, you should get a stellar 1st cutting!

I grew hay because I had to, for my cows. I always sold some depending on what I felt I wouldn't need. I found it was cheaper (at the time) to either hire it out or do it on the "halves". Hired out, it cost me $10 rd bale and 50 cents a square bale. So I alternated each year so I could fertilize to my expectations even though the guy I went in halves with fertilized the "odd" years. It also helper to burn off my fields every year.

How many acres are you cutting BR? I was cutting around 125 out of 376 and usually could get 3-4000 sqrs and several hundred rolls if I got 4 cuts. I screwed up and put 18 acres of bottom in "Cline grass"