hobbyfarm Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Tedded my hay 3 different times. Such a heavy dew this morning that it never even burned off in the shade of the trees. Filled one wagon load of questionable hay put through the 311 late afternoon. Thrower broke some bales. Played with thrower then slip clutch on pickup started causing issues. Chain must have jumped a link, clutch got hot, and then just kept slipping. I tightened the springs up one turn but still causing issues. Jammed the pickup full when clutch slipped. Gave up and called the baler wrapper guy for tomorrow. Wasted a ton of time tedding and raking. Tomorrow I'll pull 2 rows into 1 and get er done. What a waste of time. No more small bales until next season. I should have none better but I have a guy buying small squares weekly at a good price and I won't make it through on them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkandcattle Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I was dealing with really short not worth cutting grass that did not want to feed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandhiller Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 Back when I had way more cows than hay. I would hay just about anything, even little blue stem in pastures. When the boys went to school my hay crew shrunk down to just me. I have hayed on Halloween day and brushed a skiff of snow off the M mower tractor seat and went to mowin' Glad those days are over. Haying this late is no fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db1486 Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 It's beautiful haying weather here right now. Been getting in to more sloughs since it's so dry and the hay is drying like it's July. I've been trying to bale straw the past few days. Such a struggle. So little straw and so short. As soon as you touch it it crumbles in your hands. Been trying to catch a dew and bale during the night but it's been windy and no dew every night. Finally today it was not as dry of a day and it drizzled last night and I was able to finish it up. I think it went 4 acres per bale lol. Oh well, this weather is great for harvest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted September 21, 2021 Author Share Posted September 21, 2021 6 hours ago, db1486 said: It's beautiful haying weather here right now. Been getting in to more sloughs since it's so dry and the hay is drying like it's July. I've been trying to bale straw the past few days. Such a struggle. So little straw and so short. As soon as you touch it it crumbles in your hands. Been trying to catch a dew and bale during the night but it's been windy and no dew every night. Finally today it was not as dry of a day and it drizzled last night and I was able to finish it up. I think it went 4 acres per bale lol. Oh well, this weather is great for harvest Aren't you in Canada? Wild weather swings. You guys must be bone dry. Opposite here still lots and lots of wet spots to go around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rrr4quality Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 I had a small field that I cut last Thursday that has trees on every side except to the north. On Saturday morning I started at the fourth row in and raked to the center of the field, making two double outer rows, tedded it shortly after. Got it out into the sun, tedded again Sunday after the dew was off. Turned out nice thankfully! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Hillbilly Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 With the heavy dews and fog this time of year, hay here looks like it's been rained on when you do get it up. We only lack 6 or 8 acres. I'm ready to be done! Second and third cutting yields have been kinda disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHF Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 i have about 10 acres left 6 of that was flooded thanks to ida it's covered with mud i don't think anything will eat it i'm close on small squares so i'm thinking i will rotary mow it and leave it lay. if we run short we can feed round bales to kids sheep and goats. pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaredT Posted September 21, 2021 Share Posted September 21, 2021 We got 20 acres off Sunday after tedding it twice. Still 18 to 26 moisture hoping the preservative saves us. Was supposed to rain yesterday, it didnt thankfully but it still didnt dry at all, the humidity is too high. Yields have been amazing, hoped to get 4-500 bales at 65 to 70 lbs, got 850 bales. It really didnt look luke that when we cut it. Still have 60 acres to get dry, gonna be tough. Might help if we get a frost, but that isnt anywhere in the near forecast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
db1486 Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 On 9/21/2021 at 5:22 AM, hobbyfarm said: Aren't you in Canada? Wild weather swings. You guys must be bone dry. Opposite here still lots and lots of wet spots to go around. That is correct. I'm in Manitoba and yes it seems like it's either too wet or too dry. Tha past 4 years have been getting dryer and dryer. This fall has been dryer than normal though. Usually have to quit by 9 for the heavy dew and can't get going till 4 or 5 in the afternoon. This fall can go 24 hours and not get tough most days. It is kinda nice not needing to carry tow straps in every tractor though lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted September 22, 2021 Author Share Posted September 22, 2021 Thanks for sharing all your experiences. As troy dairy would say we made marshmallow bales. We just have one 3 acre patch and the sudangrass left to go. This will all be baled and wrapped. The sudangrass should yield really good. Would have liked to make more dry hay this year. We will have plenty of baleage to liquidate over winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacka Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 25 minutes ago, hobbyfarm said: Thanks for sharing all your experiences. As troy dairy would say we made marshmallow bales. We just have one 3 acre patch and the sudangrass left to go. This will all be baled and wrapped. The sudangrass should yield really good. Would have liked to make more dry hay this year. We will have plenty of baleage to liquidate over winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacka Posted September 22, 2021 Share Posted September 22, 2021 One thing for sure no two years are exactly alike in farming.I had years in drought here on the east coast that I had to bale alfalfa hay at night after milking that was mown in the morning so it would have leaves on it for small squares and years that I fought through monsoons in August just to chop it for the silo. My dad always said if farming was easy everyone would do it. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pt756 Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 our neighboring amish bale a lot of small squares here in central wis, they have a bale wrapper that they put 8 small bales in at a time, really squeezes then tight, i would guess about 30 to 40 percent moisture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U-C Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 On 9/20/2021 at 10:31 PM, hobbyfarm said: Tedded my hay 3 different times. Such a heavy dew this morning that it never even burned off in the shade of the trees. Filled one wagon load of questionable hay put through the 311 late afternoon. Thrower broke some bales. Played with thrower then slip clutch on pickup started causing issues. Chain must have jumped a link, clutch got hot, and then just kept slipping. I tightened the springs up one turn but still causing issues. Jammed the pickup full when clutch slipped. Gave up and called the baler wrapper guy for tomorrow. Wasted a ton of time tedding and raking. Tomorrow I'll pull 2 rows into 1 and get er done. What a waste of time. No more small bales until next season. I should have none better but I have a guy buying small squares weekly at a good price and I won't make it through on them. here would be an idea to put up hay when the weather is questionable Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted September 23, 2021 Author Share Posted September 23, 2021 34 minutes ago, pt756 said: our neighboring amish bale a lot of small squares here in central wis, they have a bale wrapper that they put 8 small bales in at a time, really squeezes then tight, i would guess about 30 to 40 percent moisture I've seen Amish baling high moisture green alfalfa like that. Never got to see how they wrap it though. Can't imagine the small square baler likes all that wet crop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted September 23, 2021 Author Share Posted September 23, 2021 6 minutes ago, U-C said: here would be an idea to put up hay when the weather is questionable Wish I could understand what they are saying. I like all the old videos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U-C Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 26 minutes ago, hobbyfarm said: Wish I could understand what they are saying. I like all the old videos. Ya forgot to warn ya about it being in german lol, its about different set ups to hang up either partly ground dryed hay or fresh cut grass hanged up on wire or on them fence with boards. The idea behind it was to keep the hay off the dewy ground and when it rained it wouldn't spoil it. This type of haying also called tripod haying was a common way to hay back in Switzerland, parts in Germany and even in Sweden. My grandfather did it this way back when he farmed and my parents did it one year that was wet as well and the hanged up hay turned out to be quality feed and the stuff on the ground not so much. The positive was only two or three steps: mow, hang up and haul it home. Negative part it takes a while to set up. -Urs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
495man Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 I'd been up the creek without a wrapper this year. Was next to impossible to make dry hay. The cost of plastic is minimal compared to stress of making junk hay that molds or gets rained on several times and is brown before you bale it. Best crop in years and June & July had hardly any haying windows, rain every 3 days, fields soft. Was able to get mine done though. Did get some lucky stretches of 3-4 days of sun for a bit of dry hay. August came in dry and Sept has been warm. Still people cutting and baling, saw rolls made today on one farm, that is late in the year for here. We have had a dry spell, but yes, heavy dew and cool nights don't help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbyfarm Posted September 24, 2021 Author Share Posted September 24, 2021 3 hours ago, 495man said: I'd been up the creek without a wrapper this year. Was next to impossible to make dry hay. The cost of plastic is minimal compared to stress of making junk hay that molds or gets rained on several times and is brown before you bale it. Best crop in years and June & July had hardly any haying windows, rain every 3 days, fields soft. Was able to get mine done though. Did get some lucky stretches of 3-4 days of sun for a bit of dry hay. August came in dry and Sept has been warm. Still people cutting and baling, saw rolls made today on one farm, that is late in the year for here. We have had a dry spell, but yes, heavy dew and cool nights don't help. Looks about like some of our fields. I left a lot laying where it was just too wet. I agree on the plastic. Hopefully I can sell off as much as I need to. I told the wife today that if I can't sell all this wrapped hay we will have to fill the barn with some cattle next summer while the cows are all out on pasture. 😁 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scraglycat Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Army worms got a good bit of my 4th cutting alfalfa. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missouri Mule Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 Yep. I love making baleage in the fall. Easy peasy. Nice and cool, 1/2 the stress on equipment due to heat. And it only makes things better than it would have been feed wise. If only by a small percentage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Hillbilly Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 On 9/24/2021 at 12:03 AM, scraglycat said: Army worms got a good bit of my 4th cutting alfalfa. Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN Hillbilly Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 On 9/22/2021 at 10:28 PM, hobbyfarm said: I've seen Amish baling high moisture green alfalfa like that. Never got to see how they wrap it though. Can't imagine the small square baler likes all that wet crop. Saw some putting individual bales in 55 gal trash bags one time. They would just fold the open end under the bale and stack on the wagon. Don't know how well it worked for them, but they did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stronger800 Posted September 25, 2021 Share Posted September 25, 2021 Crossing my fingers again. I need to remember to wash these windows too 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.