Hay Making on a Different Scale

[redman135]

Hay makers, if it is to wet to make hay why does noone make wrapped silage? Are there no silage customers? or no wrappers?
Where I am it is impossible to make hay when you have a surplus(late spring/early summer), so it is all bunker or wrapped silage. We transport wrapped silage like you transport hay.
Any hay is later 1/2 of summer and you play dogem with rain most years.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hay makers, if it is to wet to make hay why does noone make wrapped silage? Are there no silage customers? or no wrappers?
Where I am it is impossible to make hay when you have a surplus(late spring/early summer), so it is all bunker or wrapped silage. We transport wrapped silage like you transport hay.
Any hay is later 1/2 of summer and you play dogem with rain most years.

The OP wraps hay

 

[LHF2019]

Last weekend 50 acres of dry hay we baled. This weekend all last minute decisions and uncertainty. Doing a whopping 5 acres.

 

[LHF2019]

Didn't do any hay all week. Very unsettled. Mowed a fallow field to get it ready to spray on Thursday. Heavy rain came through..........................except for me. Did get enough that it would have shut down baling and ruined your day. The weather videos I watch say the same thing. Enough precipital water to make the atmosphere pop but the rain is hyper localized. 10 minutes north over a half an inch. 10 minutes south quarter inch. 5 minutes south over a tenth and me..............0.05. At least could somewhat measure it. Enough to get the tractor hood wet then end. Not making any hay and our lawn is starting to turn brown. Just depends on how lucky you feel with pulling the hay trigger. Plenty of moisture in the ground still but the srface is getting pretty dry finally.

 

[Hay Dude]

Same down here. Pop up thunderstorms are the norm every day.
Last year it was ZERO rain late summer.

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

 

[5030]

Didn't do any hay all week. Very unsettled. Mowed a fallow field to get it ready to spray on Thursday. Heavy rain came through..........................except for me. Did get enough that it would have shut down baling and ruined your day. The weather videos I watch say the same thing. Enough precipital water to make the atmosphere pop but the rain is hyper localized. 10 minutes north over a half an inch. 10 minutes south quarter inch. 5 minutes south over a tenth and me..............0.05. At least could somewhat measure it. Enough to get the tractor hood wet then end. Not making any hay and our lawn is starting to turn brown. Just depends on how lucky you feel with pulling the hay trigger. Plenty of moisture in the ground still but the srface is getting pretty dry finally.

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I don't and just like clockwork we got a half inch last night, right on schedule. That hay is all rank but it has to come off at some point and I'll most likely give it all to my cistomer for free. just to get the firlds clean and ready to spray.

Terrible year for me but now that I downsized, it's not critical, just a hobby for me now. Looking back at downsizing, less maintenace on the tractors and implements less road miles equal longer tire wear as well and new tires like everything else, isn't cheap. The guy who took my off farm fields, only runs small squares and he's been getting the same precip we are and I bet his hay is junk if he even cut it. When I gave them back, they needed fertilized and overseeded anyway and when I drove by, it apperared he did neither. Not my issue now I just observe. Have no idea who he sells them to and don't care either.

 

[RayIN]

Friggin rain here again, today. The way we are going, I'm gonna bale the lawn as well... Wierd weather. My buddy in Indiana is dry and has been.

Been raining hard here in Monroe Cy IN for about a hour, now slowing to a gentle rain. The contractor just today got my old pole barn down and some of the mess cleaned up. All that loose dirt floor will be a mud pit Monday morning.

 

[5030]

Got it here again this AM, 1/4" and supposed to rain tonight. Very frustrating. My cousin, south of Chicago told me he hasn't had any rain for a month. I'll cut it one way or another and it's rank so I'll give it away. It has to come off to get overseeded and fertilized. I have a forrest surrounding the farm presently. Lawn is about 6" high as well. Gonna be making cud windrows when it gets mowed.

Terrible year for dry hay, worst I can remember.

 

[Hay Dude]

I caught a break today and got a field baled. This summer, it’s more of just pure luck when you get a sunny day and you’re ready to bale.

 

[5030]

It seems apparent that the precip we get travels to you a day later. I have some really rank hay standing that needs to come off so I can fertilize the fields.

When I can get it off with the crimp rolls cranked tight, I'll do it and I'll give the bales away to my customer.

Been a terrible year to make dry hay.

If I had an available ditch to rake it into, I'd go that route. Problem is, I don't and I cannot bale it for baleage either.