Hey All,
Krumps and SRSU I too think there is money in haying. Since the baler makes the salable product there is more money in this than in mowing or raking/tedding. No different than in many products. But as a package I think there is money in haying.
The key is how you calculate the economics. One poster listed a large cash outlay and came to the conclusion it isn't economical based apparently on an assumption that you need to pay it all off in a hurry like one year. Who says so? LoneCowboy apparently sees it as uneconomic due to travel as it is obvious that that is the basis for much of his business. It may be that in a circumstance like that it is uneconomic based on time availability and/or cash flow. The key in my mind is to carefully separate the issues of economics and cashflow - they are not and should not be considered as the same. However if you can't make the cashflow work it is uneconomic - for you - but not necessarily for somebody else with different economic circumstances or a willingness to find a way.
That said - the point about hay removing nutrients is correct but how much and what kind is the critical point. A good grass/legume mixture should not need much nitrogen fertilizer (if any) but sulphur, potassium, phosphorus and perhaps some micronutrients may be needed from time to time. I know of very few producers who actually sit down and pencil this out - taking into account nutrient requirements (and nutrients offered for harvest at different times and stages of maturity) of different species/species mixtures - too bad as it does result in economic losses.
A cow or any herbivore for that matter if managed right should result in your tractor being parked most of the time. She is a forage harvester - a fertilizer spreader - can be a weedeater and seeder and provides you with a salable product and is a salable product herself. All you have to do is know how to drive her.
-Ed-
Krumps and SRSU I too think there is money in haying. Since the baler makes the salable product there is more money in this than in mowing or raking/tedding. No different than in many products. But as a package I think there is money in haying.
The key is how you calculate the economics. One poster listed a large cash outlay and came to the conclusion it isn't economical based apparently on an assumption that you need to pay it all off in a hurry like one year. Who says so? LoneCowboy apparently sees it as uneconomic due to travel as it is obvious that that is the basis for much of his business. It may be that in a circumstance like that it is uneconomic based on time availability and/or cash flow. The key in my mind is to carefully separate the issues of economics and cashflow - they are not and should not be considered as the same. However if you can't make the cashflow work it is uneconomic - for you - but not necessarily for somebody else with different economic circumstances or a willingness to find a way.
That said - the point about hay removing nutrients is correct but how much and what kind is the critical point. A good grass/legume mixture should not need much nitrogen fertilizer (if any) but sulphur, potassium, phosphorus and perhaps some micronutrients may be needed from time to time. I know of very few producers who actually sit down and pencil this out - taking into account nutrient requirements (and nutrients offered for harvest at different times and stages of maturity) of different species/species mixtures - too bad as it does result in economic losses.
A cow or any herbivore for that matter if managed right should result in your tractor being parked most of the time. She is a forage harvester - a fertilizer spreader - can be a weedeater and seeder and provides you with a salable product and is a salable product herself. All you have to do is know how to drive her.
-Ed-