Wait or cut?

   / Wait or cut? #1  

Southernspeed

Silver Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2020
Messages
161
Location
Central Virginia
Tractor
Massey Furgeson 2850M
I have a question ... or two (as usual!) , first time making hay, stupid kind of questions!
I blinked and I missed the boot stage. Some of it (mixed grasses) is just out of boot, some have good seed heads. It's only about 12-18 inches tall so I wasn't paying much attention. We had a lot of rain today, likely get some tomorrow then 'should' be clear until Friday PM although a couple of weather apps say there may be showers Wednesday. Temps generally in the 70s, maybe touching 80 degrees, pretty breezy. But then, they didn't forecast the rain today! The following week is looking very wet.
So ... would you wise folk cut Monday and hope to get it baled by Thursday evening or wait at least two weeks and have stemmy hay? Will it even dry on wet ground with high humidity? How detrimental is it to leave it another two weeks or more?
Please don't be shy to state the obvious, all I know about haying is what I've read here and seen on youtube!
Thanks for any info!
 
   / Wait or cut? #2  
It's always a best guess but a 5 day window with a maybe in the middle is a go for me, you win some and you lose some so go ahead and prepare yourself to be disappointed because sometimes you just get some wet, them weathermen will sometimes change forecast mid-stream of your window. Do you have a fluffer? Sometimes that can make the difference getting it dried a little quicker when your weather window seems to be closing on you.
 
   / Wait or cut?
  • Thread Starter
#3  
It's always a best guess but a 5 day window with a maybe in the middle is a go for me, you win some and you lose some so go ahead and prepare yourself to be disappointed because sometimes you just get some wet, them weathermen will sometimes change forecast mid-stream of your window. Do you have a fluffer? Sometimes that can make the difference getting it dried a little quicker when your weather window seems to be closing on you.
Four, maybe five day window but the forecasters for this area are only 80% right about what happened yesterday let alone the week ahead!
I have a Tedder but not the fluffer.
I hear what you’re saying, really don’t want to lose my first ever hay but what can you do!
At least this isn’t my livelihood, that would be far too stressful!!
 
   / Wait or cut? #4  
I guess it all depends on how you look at it. Would you be able to handle moldy hay if you end up taking a chance and baling it early?
Strange as it is to say, most people expect 1st cut to be on the stemy side. I was just in VA and didn’t think it was quite ready. We aren’t even close here in PA unless it was cover from last fall.

I’d probably wait and up my tonnage. Someone will buy it. Me and a buddy of mine have sold 2,000 small squares of stemmy from 2022 1st cut and only one guy with baby goats complained lol
 
   / Wait or cut?
  • Thread Starter
#5  
I guess it all depends on how you look at it. Would you be able to handle moldy hay if you end up taking a chance and baling it early?
Strange as it is to say, most people expect 1st cut to be on the stemy side. I was just in VA and didn’t think it was quite ready. We aren’t even close here in PA unless it was cover from last fall.

I’d probably wait and up my tonnage. Someone will buy it. Me and a buddy of mine have sold 2,000 small squares of stemmy from 2022 1st cut and only one guy with baby goats complained lol
That was on my mind too. Long stemmy stuff I could maybe sell as cow hay ( we have horses) or at worst, brush hog it. But if it all spoils on the ground, I have no idea what to do with it. Bale it all and dump it in the woods? 🤷‍♂️
This was one field yesterday.
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   / Wait or cut? #6  
Understanding everyone’s situation is different, might be able to sell (stemmy) is a lot better than moldy- unable to sell.

One thing I have learned about hay that took me a while is having to have patience. If you let your desire to attack early get the best of you, you can end up worse-off.
 
   / Wait or cut? #7  
Looks like you have some un sprayed pasture land there. Plenty of mix of grasses & some weeds.

Hay is so local/regional.
Everyone’s situation is different.
You’ll always have a uniformed clown telling you what you are doing is wrong. Most times they live 1,000 miles away in a different climate or serving different customer base.
 
   / Wait or cut? #8  
If the worst happens bring it to me.
I use as much mulch as I can get in my orchard and garden.
Sell it to the green folk that try to garden naturally.
 
   / Wait or cut?
  • Thread Starter
#9  
Looks like you have some un sprayed pasture land there. Plenty of mix of grasses & some weeds.

Hay is so local/regional.
Everyone’s situation is different.
You’ll always have a uniformed clown telling you what you are doing is wrong. Most times they live 1,000 miles away in a different climate or serving different customer base.
I know, this wasn’t sprayed last year as it wasn’t going to be hayfield. Other fields are better but even those have a small amount of buttercup in them. I just can’t get rid of the damn things!
I’ve got four REALLY bad acres that I’ll kill off and reseed in the fall. Everything else is getting over seeded. But the buttercups….. might have to go nuclear on those!!
 
   / Wait or cut? #10  
That was on my mind too. Long stemmy stuff I could maybe sell as cow hay ( we have horses) or at worst, brush hog it. But if it all spoils on the ground, I have no idea what to do with it. Bale it all and dump it in the woods? 🤷‍♂️
This was one field yesterday.
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While putting it up dry is the goal , if it gets wet all is not lost, it can be fluffed or tedded same thing, and still put up dry and utilized for cow hay, it won't have much nutritional value but when combined with liquid protein it will help get cows through the winter, and you would just be honest with the buyers and let them know it's not horse quality and not barn stored and price accordingly. Down here in the deep south it's rare to go all hay season and not get some wet and a field that is in grass on black bottom land is going to need an extra day to dry verses a high sandy field, so a 4 day window is needed and fluffing daily required to get it under the barn dry.
 
 
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