Hay quality rubbish

[onthehoof]

we are finding this year the grass is rubbish even before we try and make it into hay, no colour, no smell can only think it was all the rain we had in June, never known it this bad before, anyone else in the same boat

 

[bobk]

We were spoiled last year , key to making big crops of grass is make it quick , plenty on here saying being down 2 weeks ...... waste of time and diesel

 

[Werzle]

Grass grew too well early on and went old, add to that the people that like to tedd it to death and you end up with funny ole stuff

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Made some decent stuff this year...made it in 5 days and tedded twice
Not a patch on last years...but it never would be

 

[Al R]

This is the very reason the west and north stopped making hay in any quantity years ago apart from this year and last year we’ve had 10-20 years of awful weather in May/June/July so could never make green hay.

Ironic that rain is due for a few days after a month of drought now that the “environmental hay meadows” are legal to be cut

 

[michael N123]

My pits never been so full.. a dairy man would cry at the feed value but it’s more than good enough for keeping sucklers full all winter

 

[Derrick Hughes]

we are finding this year the grass is rubbish even before we try and make it into hay, no colour, no smell can only think it was all the rain we had in June, never known it this bad before, anyone else in the same boat

Was it grazed over the winter and when did you shut it up .what grass variety?

 

[GAM]

we are finding this year the grass is rubbish even before we try and make it into hay, no colour, no smell can only think it was all the rain we had in June, never known it this bad before, anyone else in the same boat

Do you Know, I was only saying the same thing to my Son, usually once you have tedded a couple of times, you start to get that freshly made hay smell, not this year, it was most peculiar!

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Winter growth in 60% of hay I seen so far, half rubbish .if a farmer has stock in his fields he more than likely has good hay

 

[bobk]

Winter growth in 60% of hay I seen so far, half rubbish .if a farmer has stock in his fields he more than likely has good hay

Top hay will be mega money this year .

 

[S J H]

Winter growth in 60% of hay I seen so far, half rubbish .if a farmer has stock in his fields he more than likely has good hay

We made some I think it took 5/6 days to make, turned it once, and it's beautiful and green, grazed it til end of march.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Top hay will be mega money this year .

It won’t be

 

[andybk]

Good hay here sheep grazed but could have been better cut 2 weeks quicker

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Sheep are the key to good hay . Graze it hard till the end of March

 

[Werzle]

Sheep are the key to good hay . Graze it hard till the end of March

Yep nothing encourages the herbage more than sheep

 

[Henarar]

Sheep are the key to good hay . Graze it hard till the end of March

if ours had been grazed hard with sheep till the end of march last year we would have cut feck all, as it turned out it was fine

 

[Pennine Ploughing]

made some lovely hay here, cut Thursday late afternoon, tedded out Saturday, baled sunday late afternoon

 

[Northeastfarmer]

if ours had been grazed hard with sheep till the end of march last year we would have cut feck all, as it turned out it was fine

You don’t use fert though do you?

 

[andybk]

Yep nothing encourages the herbage more than sheep

And keep fert till bakers pulled out

 

[neilo]

Haven’t cut mine yet, but then one field was grazed until early May, and the others grazed bare at the end of May. About ready now, just hoping the weather changes after the end of this week.