Hay guy cut and is not coming back

[Bubblehead751]

I have cut hay on the ground that is not being bailed. Has not been flipped or raked into windrows yet. The ground is pretty much covered with tall cut field grass

is it ok to leave the clippings as they are?

 

[RickB]

Yes.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I have cut hay on the ground that is not being bailed. Has not been flipped or raked into windrows yet. The ground is pretty much covered with tall cut field grass

is it ok to leave the clippings as they are?

Are you saying that someone was supposed to bale this hay and he's just quit in the middle of the job? Did he mow it with a haybine or discbine? Not a bush-hog?

If you plan to continue to make hay in the field, you'll want to get this cut hay off it. If it's not been rained on for days and ruined, could still make good hay. Maybe.

Around here, the easiest thing to do in your situation is to get someone to come in and round bale it. They'll probably do the job for the hay, if it's decent. At least you'll have this cutting cleaned up.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have cut hay on the ground that is not being bailed. Has not been flipped or raked into windrows yet. The ground is pretty much covered with tall cut field grass

is it ok to leave the clippings as they are?

It’s a good thing he left it that way, cause if he raked it into windrows, it would kill the grass underneath.
Hay that has been cut and laid is usually spread out enough for the existing stand to push through.
My guess is he got sick, his equipment broke, or it has rained too much to bale

 

[Gee Ray]

Hay left in the field will recycle itself in time. Depending on how heavy the grass is it may also cause problems in the next cutting. It may clump and clog up a sickle bar mower or just become mixed with the fresh cut using a disk mower. Also you may pick up some of the old grass with the new and make for a poor quality hay crop.

If it has been rained on and is of no value I would rake it and dispose of it. There are a couple of ways to dispose of it.
1. Burn the windrows.
2. Rake it into windrows. Then tip the front end loader bucket up and using the float position push the hay into piles to burn or into push it into unfarmable areas of the field to decompose out of your hay field. If you have one you could push together the windrows and gather them with a grapple to clean up the field.
3. Bale it in large soft round bales that are easy to move and burn or stack in unused parts of the farm.

 

[Jstpssng]

Run a rotary mower down it?

 

[RickB]

Run a rotary mower down it?

If it's laid out in thin, wide, even swaths that will make it worse, not better. If he's not going to take it off the field he should leave it alone.

 

[Cycledude]

Almost unbelievable how the original post leaves out way to much information for anyone to give a good answer !

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Almost unbelievable how the original post leaves out way to much information for anyone to give a good answer !

Yeah... but that has never stopped us !

 

[RickB]

OP says the hay was cut and left in wide swaths pretty much covering the whole field. Not tedded or raked. That's pretty descriptive to me, based on that info I responded and a couple others have as well.
I'm good with that.