Questions about Alfalfa.

[kensfarm]

I would say.. before you let failure be your teacher.. learn from those out there that are doing it successfully.. there are publications from universities that talk about the latest & greatest.. there are forums & farming publications on the internet w/ farmers sharing their experience.. farm magazines.. your farm service representives.. etc.

I think you've already started.. just use the information that is out there to give yourself the best start possible.. and avoid mistakes that are already known.. to save your time, energy, & $.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Woodbeef posted a bunch of links that will help on this same topic on Ag Machinery. Here is the link to that thread. (hope it works)

Ag Machinery

 

[rambler]

Here is also a link to some good advise for beginers, the FAQ on haying. (As well as pastures, & predator control.)

http://www.sheepscreek.com/rural/haying.html

They make hay moisture testers. Sure thing.

If you are going for top dollar and no spoiled bales (heh heh), probably need a baler with acid preservitive.

Here in my part of southern MN, no one uses lime - we have lots of limestone quarries & rocks & such all around.... But it very much needed in other parts.

A field of alfalfa lasts 30-35 cuttings at the most, (yes to all - I know there are 25 year old fields out there - but he wants top-dollar pure alfalfa....) and the ground needs 3 months to a year of rest between killing off the old & planting new seed, so you should plan a rotation where you are replanting a patch of hay every 5 years or so, plus 1 patch is growing something else.


Don't you all kind of feel sorry for someone who has never seen alfalfa sell for less than $3.50 a bale & wants to get into the business? Gonna be rough..... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

--->Paul

 

[cowboydoc]

Don't you all kind of feel sorry for someone who has never seen alfalfa sell for less than $3.50 a bale & wants to get into the business? Gonna be rough.....


You must be a mind reader Paul. I was thinking the exact same thing. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

 

[poorboy]

Plumboy, I'm here in the eastern part of the state. Boy I hope next year is better than this year. I didn't cut the first blade until the middle of June this year. The 22nd as a matter of fact. This was orchard grass and fescue and had gone way too far. But this was truly unusual.

Your well drained soil is great for that crop. You said that it has been farmed for several years. What in? If in tobacco you may not be in that bad of shape. Most of the tobacco growers I know usually keep the ph in at least a neutral range. The clover was just going back on the reclaimed tobacco fields here until I limed this year. Funny thing about the bluegrass region is that you guys have problems setting posts because of the limestone but have to spread it because of the ph of the topsoil.

Four to five dollars a bale is easy to get for low quality alfalfa hay here if you can keep the mold down. So many people in Kentucky think they have to have a horse.

But I think the fad is dying down around here because the prices are beginning to drop on the horses. Also the tobacco program is on life support and the farmers are converting the fallow fields to alfalfa. So I would look for prices to drop a little because of the larger supply. At least on the lower quality stuff.

Our climate makes for good growing but for some sorry harvesting. Most of the first cutting is made into baleage. And you have to be able to cut it and bale it when it is ready which can go from ready to too late in one week. And the weather window may not cooperate, hot and humid really stinks when dealing with clover and I imagine the same is true with alfalfa.

I would do it if I wasn't trying to take my cows trough the winter on just hay. Grass is so much easier to deal with and most years more predictable. I just don't have the time to deal with the squares. I also usually have enough trouble getting enough help with a 1000 squares I put up for myself and friends for sick or weaning stock. Any luck and the right advice you should do well. But it is a lot of work , it does take up any spare time and makes any vacation plans null and void. My last summer vation was seven years ago and my wife and I are both off work during the summers.

Patrick

 

[plumboy]

Guys thanks for the links and all info.Maybe I should have started off by saying this is not my day job.I would gladly give it away if it only brought a buck fifty.That being said I can respect the kind words of discouragement and gladly accept it from those that have been through it.The links are great.Poorboy my farm is in tollesborro,I'm from lexington and that is where this alfalfa will be unloaded.I sure hope we dont have another spring like last year either.The feild where in corn and soy and timothy/orchard for the last two years.I should have access to mexican labor during the summer as my neighbors put them up and I have gotten to use them between tobacco jobs.There is also a hay program here but I opted to use my money instead of the govt,its basically trying to help these tobacco farmers out.Patrick what county you in,if you dont mind me asking?

Mark.

 

[F350Lawman]

Here in NY I paid $5 a bale for nice alfalfa from a local dairy famer. He doesn't sell alfalfa, but since I help him out , I can get some whenever I need.

People with horses are more than willing to pay the $5 or more a bale here. There just aren't that many people selling pure alfalfa bales. My wife only feeds a little alfalfa and it's much easier to measure how much you're feeding with the straight alfalfa as opposed to the mix. Even though we have quite a few horses around here but I imagine the demand would be much higher near you.

This year the weather stunk with all the rain but even so the afalfa was MUCH better than the other hay around here.

Good luck, I am sure some of the local farmers will be more than happy to give you a little guidance on when to plant and cut. Or you could always just drive around and use the "monkey see, monkey do approach" and cut when they cut /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[poorboy]

Plumboy, I'm from Magoffin. Were right next to Morgan.

Patrick

 

[DAP]

F350 .. I too live in Orange, and have a couple of mares. I think, not unlike machinery for instance, that the price of hay or alfalfa is generally quite high in our immediate area compared to other regions. Most people I know that purchase hays and/or alfalfa for their horses rarely buy locally because of the high prices and the lack of competetive feed/farm services. With the building boom of the last 3 years in our area, we have moved much closer to a suburban region, and are losing our subrural/rural ness more and more. This alone has impacted our prices, from tack to feeds to machinery to vet services, etc.

We pay 3.25 for 60 squares of good timothy hay and 4.00 for a bag of Hancock wood shavings. A lot of people buy hay from north of Albany to get a decent price.

We NEVER give our horses alfalfa as they are not working animals anymore. A neighbor of mine has a thoroughbreed hunter/jumper, retired for many years, but still subsists on pure alfalfa and 6 quarts of sweet feed - rarely ever leaves his stall. Thank god his stall is iron and cinderblock! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[TresCrows]

There is an old feller down the road from me with a small Alfalfa farm. It is the neatest and cleanest little farm around. He cuts the stuff several times during the growing season. I see him out now repairing ares he will soon replant. He told me you can plant in any month with an "R" in it. I have been told that many times by old timers. I notice he plants his alfalfa in the spring and fall--reseeding. When I see him planting I usually go do the same thing. He is kinda my weather vane. When he cuts, I cut, when he seeds, I seed, when he fertilizes so do I. He has applied gypsum etc for PH. His PH is different on his field which has culitvated the alfalfa for years vs my patch that was used for wheat. I think it will take a while to get your place up and running but what else do you have to do? /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif J