Hay Making 2021

[essexpete]

Same story here, but with 45 acres down. I am not convinced that hay will be plentiful as although certain areas have had a good time (Hereford mainly from reading a certain member on here!), plenty have had a really tough time. Myself and many of my neighbours won't be much more than halfway through

Kent seems to have had more rain than most areas.

 

[FG.]

Same story here, but with 45 acres down. I am not convinced that hay will be plentiful as although certain areas have had a good time (Hereford mainly from reading a certain member on here!), plenty have had a really tough time. Myself and many of my neighbours won't be much more than halfway through

45ac
Only 15ac of old over fit hay on the floor.
Chewy yesterday in the afternoon sun.
Chewyer today.
About 30ac of thick, flat old meadow grass left to cut. ( cut it for next wks predicted good week??????)

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Does he still want them

I can't see why not, better than no grub at all. Hopefully they've got them in!

 

[powerontheland]

Managed to snatch a bit last night after yet more unforecast drizzle in the morning. Packing a bit with a baron this afternoon, but my god the ground is wet.

 

[Handy Andy]

45ac
Only 15ac of old over fit hay on the floor.
Chewy yesterday in the afternoon sun.
Chewyer today.
About 30ac of thick, flat old meadow grass left to cut. ( cut it for next wks predicted good week??????)

I've got about 8 acres old meadow to cut as well. It's not in bad condition tbh, a bit more like late July grass. Will probably cut it after the rain at the weekend if the week ahead looks promising and get it round baled and wrapped if I can't get it for hay.

 

[Grassman]

When I remember back to haymaking before round balers and plastic its amazing how we actually managed sometimes.
It might not be environmentally friendly but plastic has saved so much fodder from being dumped on the muckheap like it used to be.

 

[onthehoof]

12 acres should go in small bales tomorrow, was cut Sunday but not turned until yesterday, managed to get 44acres big baled and cleared this week

 

[Devil's advocate]

We still have 4 acre to cut but got 30 acre quite well & although late in the season had been sheep grazed till Mid May it smells really sweet all little bales.

The 4 acre is a right mess & was not even sheep grazed.

With the windows been short & very hot I think many have gone for the big bales so I'm quite upbeat.

 

[Pan mixer]

Some might go tomorrow.

But now it is drizzling.

 

[powerontheland]

Managed to snatch a bit this afternoon, ground like jelly and damp by 1830 yet more unforecast rain as well overnight by the looks

 

[som farmer]

we wrapped ours yesterday, right decision, peed it down again today, totally not forecast.

 

[Goweresque]

When I remember back to haymaking before round balers and plastic its amazing how we actually managed sometimes.

Thats the thing, the vast majority of farmers working today will have had their working life start after 1960. And the period 1960 to the early Noughties was a definitely drier period in UK climate. I've looked at the stats and the summer average rainfall from 1960 to 2003 is 224mm (June/July/August). Whereas the average for 2004 to 2020 is 278mm. Thats a big difference, its effectively having nearly an extra months rain on average per summer. And you'd have to be pretty old now to remember (as a worker) trying to make hay before about 1960, you'd be about 75 at the very least. So when you think 'How did we manage?' the answer is 'Because it didn't rain so much'.

Everyone remembers the summer of 1985 being an absolute washout, and a disaster. Yet at 343mm it would fit in very well in the litany of wet summers we've had post 2003, when 8 summers have had over 300mm of rain. It would place 3rd, after 2012 and 2007, and just ahead of 2019. The reason everyone remembers '85 is because of what went before (and after) it - summer after summer of largely dry sunny weather. It was a such a contrast, no-one would forget it. Now it would be just another wet summer in the crowd.

 

[Devil's advocate]

Thats the thing, the vast majority of farmers working today will have had their working life start after 1960. And the period 1960 to the early Noughties was a definitely drier period in UK climate. I've looked at the stats and the summer average rainfall from 1960 to 2003 is 224mm (June/July/August). Whereas the average for 2004 to 2020 is 278mm. Thats a big difference, its effectively having nearly an extra months rain on average per summer. And you'd have to be pretty old now to remember (as a worker) trying to make hay before about 1960, you'd be about 75 at the very least. So when you think 'How did we manage?' the answer is 'Because it didn't rain so much'.

Everyone remembers the summer of 1985 being an absolute washout, and a disaster. Yet at 343mm it would fit in very well in the litany of wet summers we've had post 2003, when 8 summers have had over 300mm of rain. It would place 3rd, after 2012 and 2007, and just ahead of 2019. The reason everyone remembers '85 is because of what went before (and after) it - summer after summer of largely dry sunny weather. It was a such a contrast, no-one would forget it. Now it would be just another wet summer in the crowd.

85 was a real struggle here, every crop really. There was a good window for hay mid June but then an unexpected thunder storm then wet till October, which was a superb month especially the last week.

 

[Steph-a-knee]

I've got 13 acres on the ground at the moment. Cut a week ago Wednesday, not turned till Saturday then twice Monday which was a glorious day here, in the vain hope of round baling yesterday. Then it got wet Tuesday morning. Not had much in the way of rain on it but it's just damp every day. Don't think there's much chance of getting it tomorrow despite the promised dry day. Proper rain coming at the weekend or so they say. It's not the best quality grass, past it's best and quite a few docks in it so not worth wrapping up. As I've no stock anymore it was destined for the trade, and as hay is apparently so cheap this year I don't think it's going to be worth bothering with even as bedding.

Same here. Our grass was a bit manky and with rain supposedly forecast for today we never bothered to turn it yesterday but started on the spring barley instead. So yesterday turned out to be a good haymaking day as was today later on but we thought we'd be sure to get some of those heavy showers which were forecast if we turned it today so i went straw baling instead and left dad to the combining and the showers never came. So we've really stuffed it up as its gonna be dry tomorrow but the hay certainly won't be. If it gets really spoiled Saturday i think we'll probably just leave it.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

We had some sunshine yesterday which did a lot of good but still turning up some green. Turned it again today, think it was near dinner time just 10 minutes after it looked like we could have a shower, came out ok, almost finished the last field and had a scud, folded up, 1/4 up the customers drive and beaming sun and wind, waited at the top for 10 minutes, turned around, went back down, felt the top, dry, finished what I'd left.

Popped back down a few hours later to check again and decided it was just good enough to bale, did one field and hit a new level of desperate in the next, only rowed up the best of the middle. baled 250 till it started going off again. Some of the bales were a bit iffy but they will keep. Probably going to have to turn over the rows we left or god forbid turn the bloody things back out.

Got 10ac still in mower swaths from last Sunday. Convinced the old man to just leave them rather than 'keep it moving'. Which I get to a degree and the theory does work when you're desperate but we just end up with dusty, tacky, well wilted hay and having to try and shake the wet out for an entire day to have such a short window later in the day to bale.

 

[ffukedfarmer]

I

Same story here, but with 45 acres down. I am not convinced that hay will be plentiful as although certain areas have had a good time (Hereford mainly from reading a certain member on here!), plenty have had a really tough time. Myself and many of my neighbours won't be much more than halfway through

I managed to bale 1800 yesterday before it got too damp just after half six. I’ll have another go today and hopefully get more done before the rain arrives on Saturday. Doubt I’ll get it all though

 

[onthehoof]

Got 12 acres done this afternoon, bellyfiller for something

 

[Pan mixer]

We did a similar amount, belly filler is how I would describe it too.

 

[Ali_Maxxum]

Turned the rows back out that we didn't bale the previous day, left it a few hours, nice drying wind and the sun did actually come out to crisp it up and we actually baled the remaining 300 odd yesterday, last bale in as you started feeling spits on your arms. Was probably the nicest stuff we've baled since that nice 2 weeks last month.

Obviously wet today, whether we will knock out what's been down a week tomorrow, we will see. Then move on to mow the next lot....

 

[Pan mixer]

Too damp for anything today, not much rain but 85% RH. Still got 33 acres down and 50 to mow.