Second Cutting?

[Hay Dude]

It’s ON!
Anyone else? I have a long way to go but pretty much started on the last weekend of August and have been going non-stop.
My son is back to college, so it’s me and very little help. Machinery breaking, leaking, failing at alarming rates.

But hey, it’s hay.

 

[ShilohfarmVa]

Same, finally got hay does over the wee

kend but breakdowns and help make things challg

 

[Doughknob]

cut then rained on for 2 days

 

[Hay Dude]

I’ve been baling some “pre-washed“ the past couple of days.
Tedder is getting quite a workout.

 

[Doughknob]

I’ve been baling some “pre-washed“ the past couple of days.
Tedder is getting quite a workout.

I could never figure out the purpose of a tedder. Doesn't it just 'fluff' the hay around dislodging the leaves in the process? Doesn't a rake do the same without such drastic flinging off of the leaves? I had always thought the leaves were the best part of the hay. I am probably missing something........

 

[LouNY]

Once hay gets wet it needs to be tedded to fluff it up and get it up off the wet ground,
that will allow the ground and the hay to dry out.
Some of the older side delivery rakes could be set to ted hay, if raked into a windrow while wet on wet ground it would never dry and cure. Just be a moldy mess.
Yes' the leaves especially on alfalfa have much of the digestible protein and nutrition.
Tedding has too be done with care.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I could never figure out the purpose of a tedder. Doesn't it just 'fluff' the hay around dislodging the leaves in the process? Doesn't a rake do the same without such drastic flinging off of the leaves? I had always thought the leaves were the best part of the hay. I am probably missing something........

We never could put up any hay down here in Florida if it weren't for a tedder.

 

[Raul-02]

We never could put up any hay down here in Florida if it weren't for a tedder.

There's an older Country song I heard once - just once - and the hook line is "Florida ain't nuthin' but the rain."
I've searched for that song several times since and never found it.
I've lived in Eustice, Tarpon Springs, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.
Went to school for spell in Sanford.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

This year there have been very few 3 day windows without rain and even fewer 4 day windows, my experience with NJ is limited to Superstorm or Hurricane Sandy back in 2012, I stayed up there for over a month.

There's an older Country song I heard once - just once - and the hook line is "Florida ain't nuthin' but the rain."
I've searched for that song several times since and never found it.
I've lived in Eustice, Tarpon Springs, Tampa, and West Palm Beach.
Went to school for spell in Sanford.

 

[Hay Dude]

I could never figure out the purpose of a tedder. Doesn't it just 'fluff' the hay around dislodging the leaves in the process? Doesn't a rake do the same without such drastic flinging off of the leaves? I had always thought the leaves were the best part of the hay. I am probably missing something........

A tedder, if operated properly will not damage the hay. Idea is not to tedder too harshly or when crop is dry. It’s designed to dry out rained-on hay, just like the rained on rank hay in your picture

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m well underway. did some steep stuff on Wednesday.

 

[Hay Dude]

Ripped the lid of this 40 acres today.
Hot & sunny!

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

We have an old tedder. Has these angled slotted arms. Have to twist the axles around backwards to fold it up. We just leave it like it is and set it on a 16' trailer, haul it that way.

 

[Hay Dude]

Teddered a bunch today.

 

[Rockbadchild]

poor farmers this year in our our region no good wether in July they had no choice doing hay in mid August, the hay won’t have much proteins this year…

how is the quality compair from the first cut to the second for you ? which one is superior?

 

[Hay Dude]

poor farmers this year in our our region no good wether in July they had no choice doing hay in mid August, the hay won’t have much proteins this year…

how is the quality compair from the first cut to the second for you ? which one is superior?

First cut on the stemmy side, but more tonnage and cleaner. Second cut weeds (spray), less tonnage, getting harder to get dry this time of year.
Pick your poison.

Heading home afther a day of baling in the Magnum with the Krone baler in tow.
She tops at at 24 as you can see in the A pillar, but I wouldnt want to go much faster on our junk roads.

 

[eagle628]

In recent years the strategy in my area, at least for the dairies that are really on top of their game, is to take the first cut off early by the end of May before anything starts heading out, and usually it becomes the highest quality forage made in the year. Second cut typically goes to seed faster than any other cutting so it becomes heifer/dry cow feed. Lot of fourth cut was done in the first part of September; we're into corn now. Last year was much less dry and there was actually a full fifth cut following corn, but this year it will probably just a final round of later third/fourth to fill out the inventory of heifer feed.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Been keeping an eye on my third cutting and sure enough had an outbreak of army worms, but I was ready for them and yesterday morning I mixed up a tank full of silencer and put them to sleep, I am going to let this cutting go until sometime in October and try to get as much yield as possible, so I will probably have to battle them one more time this year.

 

[Hay Dude]

Stacking double 1750 pound blocks ahead of some early afternoon rain with the Challenger. She handles 4000lbs easily on the bale spear and no need to use 4WD anymore.
Weight is your best friend on a Tractor with a loader.

 

[Hay Dude]

Still going!