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Anyone in cooler climates still trying?

10K views 107 replies 38 participants last post by  2ndWindfarm 
#1 ·
To make dry hay? I'm not talking baleage, just untreated hay?
I am, but having much luck. Ground is bordering on mud.
It rains quite a bit. Heavy dew wears off about 11. Sun is useless after 4. What little sun we get.
Have quite a few fields left.
 
#3 ·
Yep, will have some ready to bale tomorrow unless the paid liars lied again and its raining.

Opposite problem here, been dry enough I'm not even gonna bother with the last 50 acres, I could mow it all, rake at least 6 rows together and still have pissy rows, would be lucky to get 20 bales off the whole thing. So I'm laying hay on dusty ground, so much easier to get it to dry instead of fighting saturated ground, been there and done that more often than not this decade.
 
#4 ·
I'm about as far north in Michigan as you can go and right next to Lake Superior which has a surface temp in the 40's so its a cool and damp environment. This week is our best "hay weather" pretty much all year. High pressure parked overhead and although the temps aren't real warm (70's) the air is dry and the dew has been light. Short days mean you can only work is short increments, but I mowed 60 acres Saturday and should be able to get 1/2 raked and baled tomorrow and the other half Wednesday. Usually I would have no problem raking and baling 60 acres a day, but when you can only work from noon til 4 it puts a limit on things.

As for damp ground I put the duals on the tractor to mow and most of my hay is laying on mud or standing water (had something like 11 inches of rain in the 10 days previous to last friday). But with the dry air the hay seems to be drying ok.
 
#5 ·
If the forecast holds, we could be in the middle of a 9 day rain free window. Will stop cutting tomorrow, 225 acres down, (stomach churning amount),hope to finish baling Saturday. Predicting temps in the upper 70's. Been getting decent winds and humidity has been low. All the action is between noon and 5 p.m. Best baling weather all season for us.
 
#9 ·
To make matters worse, my fields are regrowing like crazy and so while raking, I'm tearing off green growth and it gets in the hay.
I'm running my rake at only like 310RPM and still tearing off new growth.
Can't get hay under 20%
Yeah, on my wheel rake I'll lighten it up a little even if it means leaving a little hay, I also raise the pickup a touch as well so not to pick up green stuff. Hasn't been much of a problem this year though.
 
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#13 ·
I should have another 1/4 section to hay yet. But its been dry. Very dry and very hot and windy. So nothing had really grew back since I cut it in july. I may or may not cut about 20 acres in the low lands. The rest of it just is not worth it. The alfalfa is green but only four to six inches tall and the grasses are brown.

We have been dry before but never for this long as far as i can remember. An old timer told me the last time it stayed this dry for this long was the early forties.
 
#15 ·
As ChevyTahoe said best hay week we have had in northern Wisconsin. Cut the most hay ever at one time and so far so good been chipping away at it every day supposed to rain Fri fingers crossed we'll be done Thur but again fingers crossed!
We're getting the remnants of Irma for the rest of the week. I sure hope your weather comes our way.
 
#17 ·
We got a 9" rainfall back in July in a 36 hour period. Then it seemed like it rained every 3 days. It was like a hurricane and I swear we never dried out from it.
You just described last August here. Was getting mighty dry then it let loose with a few inches, that was good, could have lived with it, then it dumped another 13" in 36 hours, then back to rain 2-3 days every week for the rest of the year.
 
#21 ·
The last of the hay I have is across the river in the next county. They just started construction. 3 projects on the same road. A widening project before the river, a bridge replacement shortly after crossing the river, and resurfacing. The only other way across is longer with more limited sight runs. Plus more traffic has diverted that way to avoid construction.

I think I'm done making hay for the year. I'll just let the place have a fall rest and Bush Hog it when things dry out.
 
#22 ·
Just scouted my mixed grass field for fourth cutting. Variable height, guess the longest is 12-14". With the heavy dew and occasional fog and temps maxing out at 70, you just can't get it dry enough. Think I will just hook up the bushhog and put the 2017 hay season in the books,
 
#24 ·
I put up about 46 rolls off of 5 acres last night. Mowed it last Friday, and planned to wet wrap all of it on Saturday. Got about half done, and it was too dry to make wet. Raked it Sunday, and probably could have baled it then.

Have been trying to put up some 2nd cutting small squares that I mowed last Tuesday and Wednesday. Was just a little too green on Sunday, and was at a different farm last night, so I'm going to try to put it up tonight before the rain. The full time job gets in the way a lot of times here lately.

We have quite a bit more that we plan on doing. Next week is looking pretty good around here.
 
#25 ·
Definitely not messing with the last 50 acres, I have another 30 I'm gonna make, but I'm betting it will be as disappointing as what I just baled. 13,000lbs off a new 9 acre field, 13,500;bs off a 12 acre field. Baled a 6 acre field wet, got a whole 3 bales, its already fed. Needed a few inches of rain over the last month.
 
#26 ·
I will be trying for the next several weeks if I get the weather. Thought I would be doing some this week, however, did not turn out that way. Original plan was bale last of 1st on Mon. and a batch of 2nd on Tues. Mowed the 1st on Sat and struggled the whole time. Left ruts, standing water, so decided to scratch 2nd and bale 1st on Tues. Let it sit 2 days and let ground settle and tedd on Mon. Made one time around said hell with it, still standing water so just going to leave it and if field drys later this year will just bale and dump over bank.

3 day window this weekend if they hold it, will try for some 2nd. Every 3-4 day window will take out a chunk and try to get it. If it does not dry will bale and wrap it.
 
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