Nothing as disappointing and looking at the counter when you are done. 469 bales from 8 ac with a major fertilizer bill to boot. 720 from the same piece last year and it was an off year. It is beautiful hay but beauty only gets so many dollars..., or at least in the hay business.
2023 Time To Rock and Roll
Looks like our first window of The year starting tomorrow. Of course, I’m at a horse show supporting my wonderful wife but cutting Monday should be fine. Temps only getting to high 70s but very low chance of rain to Saturday afternoon. Ya gotta take advantage of the opportunities you get and the normally available Memorial Day run looks like a washout
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Baled 52 big squares for the nephew. Hay was bone dry today no preservative used. They also did 2 bale racks full of small squares for his sister. They had a lot of hay left over from last year. May need it this year
We could use a good 1 inch soaker. 7 day forecast dry. Could also use some rain for herbicide on row crops.
We could use a good 1 inch soaker. 7 day forecast dry. Could also use some rain for herbicide on row crops.
Rick I feel for you and I’m surprised at your yields as I thought y’all caught more rain than we have down here. So far, somehow, our yields are turning out by far the best since at least 2020. Definitely not record yields but I’d say back to average for early first cut (five 4x5/acre). We just got lucky I guess with timing of fertilizer in April and litter in March and the 2” rain we had a couple weeks ago. Up until that, stuff looked awful and even until the last week or so when it finally took off some. Hope your second cut turns things around. I’m still worried it’s shaping up for dry summer #3 in a row.
TW- you folks got a bunch of rains that skirted NE up the east flank of the Alleghenies just west of me. Topdress n going on tomorrow but not much rain in the forecast to wash it in. I will cut a second batch Saturday morning to see if I can improve the chance of rain on Sunday 😁
I'm expecting the same lower yield from looking at my fields. I dropped a few acres on Monday that will be ready to bale this afternoon. Wanted to run in some new to me iron on just a few acres before going big.
Not only is my early grass short, but the Timothy has yet to push heads. Things are really dry here too, so it's stressed in multiple ways.
Not only is my early grass short, but the Timothy has yet to push heads. Things are really dry here too, so it's stressed in multiple ways.
I’m waiting to see what next week and the forecast at that point looks like before we top dress for 2nd cutting. Dry hard ground is great for getting hay dry but doesn’t bode well for the rest of the year at this point.
I went on a 2 week vaca to Texas and when I got back, most of my field was knee high. I didn't even have the equipment pulled out yet! I have repairs to the 1209, one guide kept falling out, welded a new bracket on last night, so thats fixed, have one tire flat, fix that tonight and grease it up and if enough time will get out and cut tonight. Still have to get the tedder and baler out of storage along with the second tractor and rough cut for the borders, and have to take down a tree branch before I can mow. Thankfully the weather is good, no rain expected and I had broadcast Timothy, Orchard and some Clover early last month and I have much more grass than weeds for the first time in ages. Hopefully next year will be weed free.
Need to pickup dry fertilizer and liquid and give it a good blast after cutting and baled. Since the local coop has ignored me once more on fertilizer, I guess Tractor supply will get a visit, they have some pasture fertilizer that will suffice and for the 8 acres should cost less than $400. I still need lime and have not had luck on that either. No one wants to bother on only 8 acres.
Need to pickup dry fertilizer and liquid and give it a good blast after cutting and baled. Since the local coop has ignored me once more on fertilizer, I guess Tractor supply will get a visit, they have some pasture fertilizer that will suffice and for the 8 acres should cost less than $400. I still need lime and have not had luck on that either. No one wants to bother on only 8 acres.
Yeah, all the rain chances have disappeared. I canceled the urea and will cut insteadI’m waiting to see what next week and the forecast at that point looks like before we top dress for 2nd cutting. Dry hard ground is great for getting hay dry but doesn’t bode well for the rest of the year at this point.
Put up 400 bales from 6 acres on Monday night. Definitely the earliest that I can remember putting up hay and it is greener than a dollar bill. Just finished cutting another 8 tonight. That ground stays wet a little longer and the grass seems to be about the same condition as the 6 acre field. Yield is down from last year‘s records, but I would say close to average.
IH, looks just like ours. Nice green bales, but not enough of them.
We cut and baled our main fields, finishing yesterday. Nitrogen going down today in advance of a soaker rain coming. Looking for a high yielding clean second cutting.
Must be nice to be done for the most part. Well then, you have help and you are younger than me so I will just go back to being satisfied! 😁We cut and baled our main fields, finishing yesterday. Nitrogen going down today in advance of a soaker rain coming. Looking for a high yielding clean second cutting.
In the FWIW category, I was successful in cancelling yesterday's top dress because when I cancelled the rain had vanished. They have now changed the forecast at least twice each day (they must have bought the American models with Euros and nothing is working.... Could have cut more on wed pm or Thurs am and made it today or tomorrow. However, on Thurs am it was forecasted to be overcast all today (not, bright sunshine) and raining before 2 pm tomorrow (now partly cloudy). Monday now looks like a washout (before it was 30-35%) and tues may have lingering showers. There must be someone somewhere we can file suit for on this-right?
Wound up with 75 small squares on about 2.5 acres. The Kentucky bluegrass doesn’t make much hay. Baler is work, had a knot hang up and broke 3 bales but no problems after that. a few tractor issues and the boy rubbed a gate post pretty good with the bedside of the pickup but we made some hay and sold it all out of the field. The Kubota did a great job and I’m liking that [email protected] tor more every time I use it
I forgot-what baler do you have?Wound up with 75 small squares on about 2.5 acres. The Kentucky bluegrass doesn’t make much hay. Baler is work, had a knot hang up and broke 3 bales but no problems after that. a few tractor issues and the boy rubbed a gate post pretty good with the bedside of the pickup but we made some hay and sold it all out of the field. The Kubota did a great job and I’m liking that [email protected] tor more every time I use it
What size bales are you making? Your last year figure had you producing 90 bales per acre. I'm assuming you are not talking 4x5 rounds.Nothing as disappointing and looking at the counter when you are done. 469 bales from 8 ac with a major fertilizer bill to boot. 720 from the same piece last year and it was an off year. It is beautiful hay but beauty only gets so many dollars..., or at least in the hay business.
Small sqs. @ 47#
Hay man a JD 224T we also picked up a NH 269 but haven’t tried it out yet also have a JD 375 to test out
You need 3 balers for 75 bales? I’m confusedHay man a JD 224T we also picked up a NH 269 but haven’t tried it out yet also have a JD 375 to test out
Nope don’t need 3 balers for 75 bales have more to do. The NH is going to be a back up and the 375 is a round baler that he just bought and we have some fields to round bale
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