Haying trials and tribulations.

[kato]

Is anyone else having as much trouble making hay as we are?

[burnt]

our biggest problem has been getting enough dry, sunny days back to back. Seems to rain about every 3 - 4 days and the hay never cures.

Over half of our hay has been baled high moisture and wrapped. Kinda pricey but we got good feed that way. Wrapping costs run from $6.25 to $7.10 for a 4x5' bale.

We have one more kick at the cat for dry hay and then we are out of hay to cut. Good crop though.

[blackjack]

burnt...may i ask what percent moisture are the bales wrapped at...thanks

[kato]

We're having the same rain troubles. And one big field that is so wet, lodged, and rank that the mower conditioner just chokes on it. The moles underneath are having the best summer ever, and you almost need a chiropractor after you drive across it.

And we still have three quarter sections to go... and that's the first cut. I think we'll do the second cut next summer.

The only bright spot is that there is lots of hay, if we could only get to it.

[burnt]

I do not moisture test. We have wrapped anywhere from hay that is just a bit too tough for dry hay, to flowering alfalfa/clover/grass mix cut one day and baled the next.

The wrapped haylage that is almost dry enough for dry hay keeps very well and has a silage smell to it that the cows seem to love.

If we had the right weather, I would put up all dry hay just for cost and convenience reasons, but we don't always get that choice. I would rather spend the 6 or 7 bucks a bale and have good feed than unroll brown or black bales in the winter because I let it sit in the rain during haying season.

[SADIE]

Hello hay makers.

Just a concept that one learns when you have hay under irrigation. That is basically what most areas are like in western Canada this year. Not even started the pumps this year and don't intend to. Irrigation haying you have to invert the swaths. The inverter that is the most economical to us is the Matador (swift Current area). One inverts for 2-3 hours after the dew dries and then bale up what is inverted.

Best used on Alfalfa mix hay. Italian and annual ryegrass---much tougher but can be done.

Still tricky this year. Good thing I have a reverser on my haybine (crimper) now.

[smcgrath76]

Scared to comment, lest the haying gods
bring down their wrath. We are
generally content to relax and it has
been a good strategy so far this year.
Lots of people around here got ancy and
some have had several hundred acres down
for over 3 weeks at a shot. We cut our
first acres July 31st and have had
nearly a week of good weather. The
ground and undergrowth is really wet, so
we made our first bales last night.
Quite a bit ready to go today. Only a
couple of hundred acres left to cut...

[smcgrath76]

Scared to comment, lest the haying gods
bring down their wrath. We are
generally content to relax and it has
been a good strategy so far this year.
Lots of people around here got ancy and
some have had several hundred acres down
for over 3 weeks at a shot. We cut our
first acres July 31st and have had
nearly a week of good weather. The
ground and undergrowth is really wet, so
we made our first bales last night.
Quite a bit ready to go today. Only a
couple of hundred acres left to cut...

[wd40]

At least you got hay. In the South Peace area eveen the poplars are turning yellow cause the sun shines down the cracks to the roots. Crops are burnt up, 4th yr in a row for some. Cows goen to market cause there's no feed and no carry over.

[sagewood]

Haying here near Airdrie has been a trial for those who did not wait and watch the weather forecast. We had lots of heavy rains all through July and then got a stretch of 2 weeks from the middle of July that were hot and dry. The hay crops are excellent for those who waited for the hot, dry weather. Our ground was also very wet and it took over a week for the swaths to dry down. Lots of people raked and got to it faster that way. The early July hay got 'bathed' several days and lots looks very black. The later hay is green and good looking and sweet smelling. I got a few hundred square bales into the loft and the smell up there is heady to say the least (mind you one must enjoy the smell of fresh hay!!). A few around here will do a second cut if the weather holds, but the weather birds are forecasting rain and thunderstorms for next week again--could be a wet, rainy fall if it follows the summer pattern. My cattle will do my second cut for me--works everytime and no worry about moisture/snow etc. coming in on it. I feel so bad for the north country people--I have heard about the extreme drought there again. I have heard about some guys around here plugging their conditioners--I have learned from past experience that 1. slow down in the heavy stuff and 2. don't cut the full swath through the heavy stuff--swing the cutter in and take a smaller cut--works just fine and I just keep cutting along--slow and stady.

I have not had a hay crop of this quality and volume in years--maybe a nice way to bid adieu to the haying/cattle business and let some youngsters take over.

I will finish up here today, if the baler and tractor decide that I should continue on--rain is forecast for tonight and through the weekend, so I am hoping for a few good hours this afternoon to wrap it all up. Good luck to everyone else with their haying struggles--at least we have hay to cut and bale this year.

[Kathy]

We are getting close to two inches of rain a week.
Yesterday, another 9 tenths downpour which shut
down baling. We are playing a waiting game now
too, better leaving the hay standing than lying down
with these UNUSUAL downpours. I'm sure it will
improve. you know, last year, we were drier than a
fart until mid August, and then haying the ditches
all of September, into October. Cattle did very well
on this grass with some oats.

If you want to change a situation, change your
attitude.

[grassfarmer]

I often think that hay making is one of the great inefficiencies left in the Canadian beef sector. In 1985 Scotland had a record wet year in what is always a wet climate and it prompted the widespread adoption of silage making, usually in the round bale wrapped form. I know conditions are different here - more expensive machinery and custom costs relatively, bigger acres and distances but countered by smaller crops generally. Still I think once you make the move to silage you won't miss hay. The certainty of knowing when you cut a field that it will be cleared on a certain day to let the regrowth begin, to know you will get first class feed in almost any situation, to miss out on the wastage of hay stored outside, to be able to cut when the crop is at the right stage and of optimum quality rather than wait for "hay weather".
I sometimes get some funny looks from people because we often graze over mature grass with our cows and apparently "waste" some. Compared to the wastage of feed quality and yield you can get by making hay out of grass mechanically harvested off a tame, seeded pasture when the weather is against you I think I'm many dollars ahead.

[kato]

Silage requires a lot of money to put up though. Cash flow cash flow cash flow... At least you don't have to write a cheque to enjoy the aggravation of haying. LOL

We grow corn next to our yard, and we've done the math many times about whether to make silage out of it or not. We've come to the conclusion that it's better to just let the cows go out to the field and get it themselves. Saves using a lot of fuel on chores too. With silage, you're locked into starting that darn tractor every day.

I do think you're right about distance being an obstacle. We've got hayland rented that's ten miles from home. Not much you can do with that, except make hay. This is the price paid for raising cattle in an area where good grain land is jumbled up with good cattle land. Our neighbourhood has all kinds of different land and it seems to change every couple of miles. This means that everybody hauls something somewhere, whether it's moving cows or combines.

[ALLFARMER]

In the North East Peace it's been raining every 2 days. We have run 130 pairs 5 bulls made 470 bales on a half section this summer. This spring we were moving the herd every 2 days though.

[ALLFARMER]

Forgot to mention...One of the guys from Alberta ag once said at a meeting years ago to have your first cut done & baled by July 21st and we really try to stick by that. We seem to always get 2 good cuts and have had no winter kill problems...we cut at 10% bloom in the alfalfa.