Hay Making 2021

[som farmer]

definitely need to change the mindset of horse women, big bales, or haylage.
we 'converted' our livery to big bale hay, with the bitching that occurred, to start with, wondered if it was worth it, but they settled down, when l pointed out, it was cheaper. Must admit, never missed the yard, when we closed down, that decision wasn't hard either - relief.
Timing, weather feels more settled, forecasters keep changing their bloody minds, 14 acres of 2nd cut to do, well past best now. One thing about hay, that grass isn't going to make good silage, but converted to hay, stock will love it, the elusive sun, has a magical ability, to turn 4th class grass, into nice hay.

 

[Pan mixer]

definitely need to change the mindset of horse women, big bales, or haylage.
we 'converted' our livery to big bale hay, with the bitching that occurred, to start with, wondered if it was worth it, but they settled down, when l pointed out, it was cheaper. Must admit, never missed the yard, when we closed down, that decision wasn't hard either - relief.

I do about half my horse hay in big bales, bit of a PITA though as they are forever arguing about 'who took a wedge off my bale'? etc. In dodgy times the big bale hay needs a bit longer in the field before baling and definitely competing with straw this year for the attention of a baler.

 

[som farmer]

like l said, really do not miss the yard, only the money. The bitching wasn't to bad, they got on together, or out. Hay, it was either, to good, not good enough, to dusty, to dry, wrong type of grass, not enough in a bale etc etc. Some girls would spray paint on 'their' bales, so no one else, could pinch any. All the moaning stopped, when l included hay, in the livery charge, overnight, funny that ! Gave up selling outside of the yard, just too much hassle, l wasn't very fit, son was to young, just not worth it. Son got older, horses went, cows came back, and never regretted the swop.

 

[powerontheland]

That is the train of thought that lead to my magnificent hay above. Hoping to bale today and maybe mow some more?

Mowed 30 acres at Billericay yesterday, ground will only just travel, had to leave one field for now as standing water……………

 

[essexpete]

Mowed 30 acres at Billericay yesterday, ground will only just travel, had to leave one field for now as standing water……………

But have fairly floaty tyres on the tractor?

 

[robs1]

like l said, really do not miss the yard, only the money. The bitching wasn't to bad, they got on together, or out. Hay, it was either, to good, not good enough, to dusty, to dry, wrong type of grass, not enough in a bale etc etc. Some girls would spray paint on 'their' bales, so no one else, could pinch any. All the moaning stopped, when l included hay, in the livery charge, overnight, funny that ! Gave up selling outside of the yard, just too much hassle, l wasn't very fit, son was to young, just not worth it. Son got older, horses went, cows came back, and never regretted the swop.

I've always included hay/haulage and straw in our liveries as most of the yards I sell into are always having fallouts if they have to buy their own hay.
Have a fair balance of customers that want little, big square or round bales then some want hsylsgexwhich we only do in rounds, getting older now so want less little ones to hump about, might do everything in round haylage and just sell it by auction, less profit but much easier

 

[Goweresque]

I've always included hay/haulage and straw in our liveries as most of the yards I sell into are always having fallouts if they have to buy their own hay.

Doesn't that just encourage waste? I did it to start with with my few liveries, until I noticed good hay being tipped on the muck heap. Turned out they were filling massive hay nets each night and if it wasn't eaten the next morning just chucking it out. So I went over to them buying their own bales as they needed them, strangely enough as soon as they had to pay by the bale the consumption dropped by about 50% overnight

 

[onthehoof]

Cut 22 acres yesterday, still green in places but a fair bit of dead in it, hoping to bale Sunday but weather forecast a bit iffy again

 

[onthehoof]

Buzzard was happy

 

[Daddy Pig]

Doesn't that just encourage waste? I did it to start with with my few liveries, until I noticed good hay being tipped on the muck heap. Turned out they were filling massive hay nets each night and if it wasn't eaten the next morning just chucking it out. So I went over to them buying their own bales as they needed them, strangely enough as soon as they had to pay by the bale the consumption dropped by about 50% overnight

I defiantly can encourage waste, all our liveries empty haynets onto a separate pile and it goes to my daughters ponies or the sheep

 

[theboytheboy]

Mowed 30 acres at Billericay yesterday, ground will only just travel, had to leave one field for now as standing water……………

Dad mowed everything we had left today. Lost count of how many times he's told me he's never cut grass for hay with so much water on the ground.

 

[robs1]

Doesn't that just encourage waste? I did it to start with with my few liveries, until I noticed good hay being tipped on the muck heap. Turned out they were filling massive hay nets each night and if it wasn't eaten the next morning just chucking it out. So I went over to them buying their own bales as they needed them, strangely enough as soon as they had to pay by the bale the consumption dropped by about 50% overnight

They get told they can put as much as they like into a hay net but once in it has to be eaten and not chucked on the muck heap, the bit that can annoy me is when they don't finish one bale cleanly before starting the next, however not having to deal with putting out separate bales and dealing with arguments about somebody using another's bales is worth putting up with a bit of waste for. Also if I get a bale of haylage that isnt perfect they use up what's good so save on dumping it

 

[Pan mixer]

Baled up the hay from hell entry today, bit moist in places.

What a waste, 200 bales.

Undaunted went on to cut some more. Doesn't look too bad.

Till you look underneath.

 

[powerontheland]

@Pan mixer , could be worse? Doesn’t look black and slimy underneath?

 

[Plopper]

Any of you boys that make hay in north yorks/north east want some sheep bringing at end of October ?

 

[onthehoof]

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Finally knocked out all the grass (mowed sunday and monday) that had the non forecast rain on it (less than 15% chance) yesterday, the one place was looking very nice and fluffy, would go today with the exception of a few headland bales. More non forecast rain has landed. I'm sure these forecasts are just getting more inaccurate and unreliable every season,

 

[ffukedfarmer]

If I could I would change the thread title to " Hay 2021 - Group Therapy"

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

On todays therapy session; still turning hay that has been down a week now, rightly or wrongly more mowed yesterday. One plus we baled, hauled and stacked just over a thousand little bales on Saturday. Does this count as a 'wet' year or just extremely inconvenient and frustrating.

 

[ewald]

Baled the nicest hay of the year on Saturday - unfortunately it was a roadside, for someone else (only 200 bales), but it had 5 cloudy but dry days - lovely colour and smell.
Good end to a difficult season.