What have you done in preparation for the 2020 hay season?

Bigfoot62 · Apr 3, 2020

Thanks for sharing the pics.
It's so interesting to see how other parts of the country produce hay. Down here, there are no rocks or snow in my hay fields!

Peter, are you producing or buying the big squares?

I brought my baler home last week. It's supposed to be ready to go. Also managed to bush-hog the Bermuda patch. The native winter grass needed clipping. The cows are clipping the other 40 acres right now.

We're maybe 4-6 weeks away from the first cutting.

Grateful11 · Apr 5, 2020

They've already rolled about 6 acres of Abruzzi Cereal Rye here. There's another 10 or 11 acres on the ground now to be baled tomorrow, weather permitting. It was a little thin this season due to record rainfall over the Winter. A few these first bales tested a bit high on moisture but son were basically out of hay so you gotta do what you gotta do.

powerscol · Apr 7, 2020

Grateful11 said:
They've already rolled about 6 acres of Abruzzi Cereal Rye here. There's another 10 or 11 acres on the ground now to be baled tomorrow, weather permitting. It was a little thin this season due to record rainfall over the Winter. A few these first bales tested a bit high on moisture but son were basically out of hay so you gotta do what you gotta do.
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Nice looking hay. I noticed the rounds looked a little soft - probably good if moisture is high. Can your round baler be tightened up? Around here they are rock solid and if soft like yours don sell well. Just curious.

powerscol · Apr 7, 2020

Well to get ready I drag harrowed with weight on it this year. Did a cross pattern too. But before I did that I placed about 20 yards of composted horse poo on the fields to level out any dips and low point for better irrigation water flow. I then reseeded some areas. The harrowing got the seed into the ground.

I still need to fertilize but will wait for weather pattern to change - were in a dry spell right now.

Peter 315 · Apr 7, 2020

Bigfoot62 said:
Thanks for sharing the pics.
It's so interesting to see how other parts of the country produce hay. Down here, there are no rocks or snow in my hay fields!

Peter, are you producing or buying the big squares?

I brought my baler home last week. It's supposed to be ready to go. Also managed to bush-hog the Bermuda patch. The native winter grass needed clipping. The cows are clipping the other 40 acres right now.

We're maybe 4-6 weeks away from the first cutting.

I buy it out of Vermont..... sorry missed your question back then.....

Hay Dude · Apr 7, 2020

I fertilized back in December. Applied 200 tri axle loads of compost to my fields with the Hagedorn terd hearse :laughing:

NC419N · Apr 8, 2020

Applied 50 tons of Lime, 8 loads of chicken litter (manure) Bought a Vermeer TM610
All we need now is Rain to help it grow!!

PROFarms · Apr 10, 2020

Stripped down and rebuilt the cutter bar on my disc mower, currently working on the old drum mower replacing a couple bearings, made and fitted new gates for the haybob, serviced the old Massey 703 baler and got some work to do on the New Holland 68 baler. New drive belt and pulley on the belt rake. Waiting on new parts for the 4 rotor Tedder to replace some tines. And that’s just the work on the machinery!!

In the field we’ve put out slurry, nitram fertiliser and lime, brushhogged the Sh!te that didn’t get cut end of last season and then cut the hedges