[Hayman1]

Better yield than I got. My best batch made 110 per ac, the others right at 100. I am just glad to be done

 

[Hayjosh]

Well, My very first cutting is in the barn. I got 62 bales out of the crap that came up, more than I expected, but gives me an idea of what I can expect once all the field is weed free and growing the right grasses. I guesstimate it should be 4 times what I actually got, so 240 bales per cutting is what I plan to achieve. Had baler issues that took up part of the day, but once I got them figured out the rest went well. I need to make another rake pass and clean up what is left, I can probably squeeze out 2 more bales with what is on the ground.

While I was out there cussing out the chain for the pickup reel, my neighbor stopped over. I may have another 4 acres to bale.

You won't get 240 bales per cutting. I think you'll get half of that on your first cut with some work into the field, and on your 2nd cut you'll have 60-100 bales and less on your third. Now I pull up to the field and tell the kids what we're going to have usually within an accuracy of 10 bales. THIS year you might have 30 bales or less on your second and third cuts. 62 bales from 3 acres is really low (that's bad yield for a single acre in a good field on first cut) so that tells me your field needs lots of work.

If you hog the nitrogen on you will be up to your eyes in hay, but it doesn't pay to use N this year.

 

[ACDII]

My friends neighbor just did 400 bales off their 4 acres. If I can get the majority of grass to grow like it did on the 3/4 acres, which yielded at least half what the rest did, I might be able to hit it. I still have a 1/4 acre uncut because it is blocked by a wood pile to burn. and the spetic area still has to settle and be backfilled with top soil. The other 2 1/2 acres hardly yielded anything. I screwed up planting the seed, drilled it too deep due to the soft ground, very little came up, and the areas I am trying to grow were very sparse and weedy. Fully developed I should get at least 3 -4 windrows, and I got one and a somewhat skinny one that barely produced a bale. May take a year or two to get there, but I have to set a goal, I may not reach it, but can try. I also have a couple stumps to remove which gets in the way for about 2/3'rd the width of the mower along with a tree that still needs to be removed, so working with what I got now, which isn't much, and it turned out I got 70 bales total after I was all done. I had gone around and raked what I missed which yielded 6 more bales.

There is a field up the road from me that has Alfalfa, they cut and baled it over the weekend and had at least a dozen rolled bales on less land than what I am doing. Have to have hope man, HOPE!

Yes, the fields need a lot of work, have 2,4D down and the weeds are wilting. I have a LOT of work ahead of me, but got to start somewhere

 

[Hayjosh]

Your cuttings are not all the same. First cut is the heaviest but it’s the lowest quality because it’s stemmy. Second and third cuts are very soft and leafy but yield is markedly lower than first cut.

 

[mstuck21]

Good looking hay Chris… my grass won’t yield like that no matter how much fertilizer and begging I add to it… keep going fellas bc if it doesn’t rain by us soon our area will have plenty of customers for you guys to ship hay to…it was dry 2 weeks ago but it’s been 95-100 for the last 10 days with only a pop-up 2 tenths and none expected in the next 10 days… Corn looks like pineapple fields … grass hay fields have minimum regrowth if they aren’t already brown

 

[Mellow]

Better yield than I got. My best batch made 110 per ac, the others right at 100. I am just glad to be done

I averaged 133 per acre on my OG. That wind over the weekend was terrible. Rake was only 200 feet ahead and still couldn't keep row on the high ground. Was out raking alfalfa at 6:15 am and baling by 8:45 am.

 

[Hayman1]

You must be living right. I did full P & K and 50# N. Deep well drained limestone soils, but really cold spring. However, you couldn’t have been that much warmer.

 

[Mellow]

You must be living right. I did full P & K and 50# N. Deep well drained limestone soils, but really cold spring. However, you couldn’t have been that much warmer.

I spilt my K and did 80# N as always. We were cold and it looked short but then shot out of it quick to finish strong. Second is looking good from first mowed and got rain last night to help the last mowed. Another week until 2nd alfalfa is ready to drop.

 

[Hayman1]

I spilt my K and did 80# N as always. We were cold and it looked short but then shot out of it quick to finish strong. Second is looking good from first mowed and got rain last night to help the last mowed. Another week until 2nd alfalfa is ready to drop.

Yeah, I was really surprised at the jump in the last 10-14 days.

 

[IH 1586]

Been some long days. Making good progress this year. Last couple weeks 100 acres covered.

 

[the farmer 3]

and a trapshooter too

 

[Sterling6.7]

All wrapped up with the support of my awesome wife and help from the 11 and 8 year old kids. I am hopeful for the 11 year old to be more involved next year so I can get some help driving tractor. Yield up about 70% over last year with almost 1800 bales total. Biggest crop ever on this property.