Biggest Hay Weekend in the USA!

[jwcinpk]

5 years later that Vermeer Rebel roller is still baling my neighbors out of jams. Rolled for myself and 2 close neighbors yesterday. Rain was coming and the old square balers just couldn't get the job done in time.

 

[WTA]

We got a bunch of new (used) equipment this year that I am really itching to go use now but we've been held up by weather too. We saw 6 inches of rain a couple weeks ago and all this week it's been 30-40% chances but not a drop so far. I'm irrigating again. As soon as I see 5-6 clear days in the forcast I'm going to be out cutting myself. My Bermuda is going to hit the 28 day mark for cutting in about 4 more days and my alfalfa in 2 more days.

We're behind on the rest of you this year I guess. The last two years we got hay in on the first week of May. This year stayed too cool for it to really start growing untill then. I got 6 cuttings off our Bermuda last year but this year is only looking like 4 or 5. That sucks.

The new equipment we got is a New holland 116 16 foot swather and a Hesston 4570 baler. I have them both ready to go now and shouldn't have any problems. I've never used a baler like this before or one that used string so I hope it all works right.

 

[mark.r]

We got a bunch of new (used) equipment this year that I am really itching to go use now but we've been held up by weather too. We saw 6 inches of rain a couple weeks ago and all this week it's been 30-40% chances but not a drop so far. I'm irrigating again. As soon as I see 5-6 clear days in the forcast I'm going to be out cutting myself. My Bermuda is going to hit the 28 day mark for cutting in about 4 more days and my alfalfa in 2 more days.

We're behind on the rest of you this year I guess. The last two years we got hay in on the first week of May. This year stayed too cool for it to really start growing untill then. I got 6 cuttings off our Bermuda last year but this year is only looking like 4 or 5. That sucks.

The new equipment we got is a New holland 116 16 foot swather and a Hesston 4570 baler. I have them both ready to go now and shouldn't have any problems. I've never used a baler like this before or one that used string so I hope it all works right.

Be sure to get a few pictures if you can.

 

[chetlenox]

Just a note: I'm really enjoying all the feedback from the hay farmers. It's fun to see the different cutting schedules, crops, and techniques from folks in different parts of the country.

Keep up the "cutting reports", I enjoy them.

My report is: 1st cutting sold out this weekend, 505 bales off 13.5 acres. We'll be cutting our 2nd this week, probably toward the end of the week once the chance of rain has dropped off (they are saying 5+ days of sun after Thursday).

Chet.

 

[mark.r]

Just a note: I'm really enjoying all the feedback from the hay farmers. It's fun to see the different cutting schedules, crops, and techniques from folks in different parts of the country.

Keep up the "cutting reports", I enjoy them.

My report is: 1st cutting sold out this weekend, 505 bales off 13.5 acres. We'll be cutting our 2nd this week, probably toward the end of the week once the chance of rain has dropped off (they are saying 5+ days of sun after Thursday).

Chet.

Interesting. You got about half of what Jimg got from his 15 acres. Obviously there are lots of variables that affect the end results which I find very interesting. Where are you located?

EDIT: Also, if you don't mind saying, what did you sell you squares for in your area?

 

[WTA]

We're selling ours for 6.50 a bale right now off the farm. These darn feed stores are getting over 10 now. It got to over 12 a bale this winter.

Here's pics of the "new" equipment we just got.

This is the NH 116 swather:

It's in good shape NOW. It already had a lot of new parts on it, including brand new cutters and almost all the moving parts on the right side. The left cover is missing and the conditioners have seen better days but it's good to go now. We had to grease everything the mechanic at the dealer missed, fill up the hydraulic and motor gearbox and shim a lot of the gears the right way but I am glad we did it all ourselves instead of waiting on that mechanic.

THis is the new baler.

I haven't checked the serial number yet but I think it is less than 5 years old and it's been pretty well taken care of. The sheet metal by the left side gauge wheel was messed up and the wheel bent but we fixed all that and got it all ready to go. I have some of the header taken apart right now replacing some broken teeth. I'll have it all done tonight.
The dealer put two rolls of twine in it and after what I've seen I'm wondering if it is strung right. I've never used a string machine before, only worked on a few. I have a manual coming in the mail for it so hopefully I will be able to read it before I start baling.

I had to make a drop hitch on my drawbar for this baler. The pictures in my tractor manual all show one on it to put it at that standard 15 inch height but mine is 18 inches and the dealer said they don't sell the drop drawbar in this country. I don't know why, but I made one. I cut a regular old receiver hitch with the right drop height and welded it on so now I can run the baler level. On my drawbar like it was I couldn't get the pickup teeth down low enough without flattening the baler tires.

 

[mark.r]

We're selling ours for 6.50 a bale right now off the farm. These darn feed stores are getting over 10 now. It got to over 12 a bale this winter.

Your in Texas, correct?

 

[WTA]

Yes, West Texas. Horse hay isn't too easy to grow around here. Not unless you are irrigated at least. Most of it gets trucked in and that's not cheap these days. I give up selling to feed stores locally because they never want to pay what I have in it even. We're spending almost 1000 dollars a month on electricity for the well and fertilizer for the Bermuda. This year we should be pulling in about 1000 bales a month as soon as I get my first cutting in and can bale all of it. I ran out of hay a few months ago and have been grazing my horses on half of our bermuda.

 

[chetlenox]

Interesting. You got about half of what Jimg got from his 15 acres. Obviously there are lots of variables that affect the end results which I find very interesting. Where are you located?

EDIT: Also, if you don't mind saying, what did you sell you squares for in your area?

Oh yeah, I'm new to this (and a slow learner overall) but I can tell there are quite a few variables. By Jimg do you mean WTA? If so, I believe his field is irrigated, so that makes a huge difference in yield. I'm in North Texas, relatively arid, and not irrigated. So I'm very weather-dependent. I also don't fertilize for my 1st cutting, which is just winter grasses (mostly Rye grass) that I sell for ~$4/bale. My 2nd and 3rd cutting are fertilized Coastal Bermuda, which I'll probably sell this year for around $7-8/bale.

Chet.

 

[WTA]

I do irrigate ours as much as I can. Normally I just do half our normal rate of fertilizer for the first cutting too. 60 pounds nitrogen per acre is usually what our soil and forage samples call for but I did 30 this time. I ran out of hay and was going to graze half of it and didn't want to kill my horses. 60 pounds on new growth is way too much to graze on.