Saving hay in September

trabpc

Seen a few small fields with what looked like hay being saved.

Is it possible to save hay this late in year?

Never seen hay so late in year!

Reggie.

trabpc wrote: »

Seen a few small fields with what looked like hay being saved.

Is it possible to save hay this late in year?

Never seen hay so late in year!

Seen it myself but it wouldn't look like the best stuff.

Greengrass1

trabpc wrote: »

Seen a few small fields with what looked like hay being saved.

Is it possible to save hay this late in year?

Never seen hay so late in year!

Doubt you would save hay now. Too much dew and not enough heat

onyerbikepat

Some people have to learn the hard way, I guess.

_Brian

Seem a field with maybe 20 round bales saved in Cavan. Baled over weekend.
Have to say it's very dull brown looking stuff. It sat on the ground for a long time and got some serious over night dews on it.
It's feeding, and saved the price of wrapping but I'd wonder how good feeding it is ??

trabpc

onyerbikepat wrote: »

Some people have to learn the hard way, I guess.

Im guessing small square would be ok. Better chance to breathe but round not so sure.
By the time due lifts after lunch there would be little drying. However it has been very good weather last 2 weeks.

simx

Lad down the road made 170 odd bales of hay last week, said there was a good dew in the morning alright still got it made, if say quality would be poor though

_Brian

It's been good weather but not hay weather.
Any hay saved here in resent weeks would be questionable and definitely better if it had been wrapped as silage.

Reggie.

_Brian wrote: »

It's been good weather but not hay weather.
Any hay saved here in resent weeks would be questionable and definitely better if it had been wrapped as silage.

Would the grass quality even be worth anything at this time of the year

Username John

Reggie. wrote: »

Would the grass quality even be worth anything at this time of the year

Ah the quality would hardly be that bad would it?

Surely good, young, leafy grass would still make very good silage, even though its Sept?

einn32

It's not hay weather. Soft squares might be ok when in the shed. Rounds could go off.

Reggie.

Username John wrote: »

Ah the quality would hardly be that bad would it?

Surely good, young, leafy grass would still make very good silage, even though its Sept?

Silage yes but I was on about hay

farmerjj

trabpc wrote: »

Seen a few small fields with what looked like hay being saved.

Is it possible to save hay this late in year?

Never seen hay so late in year!

I made hay in October back in 2012,it was a old meadow so didn't take to long to turn, turned out fine for drying off cows but would not be great stuff for cattle. Don't think it would be possible if it was leafy grass.

kay 9

It beats having nothing but snowballs to throw at them but I agree, wouldn't be great stuff.

restive

Round bales of hay made near me at the weekend. It was down about a week.

bogman_bass

Know a lad in Offaly who saved callow hay last week

Sam Kade

Username John wrote: »

Ah the quality would hardly be that bad would it?

Surely good, young, leafy grass would still make very good silage, even though its Sept?

I saw 60 acres green grassy hay being baled in round bales last week on the Mallow Mitchlestown road. They were turning it at 7pm the evening before, it would have made great silage. If it heats it will be some mess.

_Brian

Sam Kade wrote: »

I saw 60 acres green grassy hay being baled in round bales last week on the Mallow Mitchlestown road. They were turning it at 7pm the evening before, it would have made great silage. If it heats it will be some mess.

If it wasnt turned on the day of baling I'd be worried, heavy dew a nights would be hard to see current weather drying through swarth before baling..

Genghis Cant

We made the best of hay 0n 17th sept 2009. It was new grass that was grazed earlier in the year and left up to get a cut of silage in early Aug. The weather didnt play ball and it was Spt again we could get to mow it.
It was great stuff, sold it to a stud farm for horses.

TheFarrier

We baled about 11 acres for hay maybe 10 days ago. Not the best of stuff, by any means, but nothing desperate about.
Made it to clean a rough paddock more than anything else

sea12

TheFarrier wrote: »

We baled about 11 acres for hay maybe 10 days ago. Not the best of stuff, by any means, but nothing desperate about.
Made it to clean a rough paddock more than anything else

We made hay in sept I think 2012.

Also remember making it when the ploughing was on another year maybe 2010. Was ok quality

Username John

There are a number of threads on here, about what lads will do this year, how to reduce costs, whether they should reduce stocking levels, etc

Silage seems to be one of the more expensive jobs on the farm, so would lads ever contemplate making hay instead of silage? Even if the quality might be a bit less than the same grass would make in silage.

Now - I know that you need storage for hay, so it wouldn't suit everyone.
But I see lads now say that good silage should be turned at least once.
If you got the weather + turned it twice more, you would have hay...

The points I see being made every now and then on here are
- What people will do( this year especially) to reduce risk / costs (lower stocking rate, etc)
- Making silage to sell, is often loss making (in financial terms)
- Making silage to sell, is often loss making (in P&K terms)

I will add, I dont make hay or silage, so I know its easy to talk, when you dont have the worry of hay on the ground.

But I dont get why lads seem to be very against hay?

mahoney_j

Username John wrote: »

There are a number of threads on here, about what lads will do this year, how to reduce costs, whether they should reduce stocking levels, etc

Silage seems to be one of the more expensive jobs on the farm, so would lads ever contemplate making hay instead of silage? Even if the quality might be a bit less than the same grass would make in silage.

Now - I know that you need storage for hay, so it wouldn't suit everyone.
But I see lads now say that good silage should be turned at least once.
If you got the weather + turned it twice more, you would have hay...

The points I see being made every now and then on here are
- What people will do( this year especially) to reduce risk / costs (lower stocking rate, etc)
- Making silage to sell, is often loss making (in financial terms)
- Making silage to sell, is often loss making (in P&K terms)

I will add, I dont make hay or silage, so I know its easy to talk, when you dont have the worry of hay on the ground.

But I dont get why lads seem to be very against hay?

Only reason I'm against hay is because it's a rarity we get REALLY suitable weather to make it and even then some still make a balls of it by baking too early..I'd really question making hay this time of year ,silage is a better and safer bet

Capercaille

I had my first cut on 25 acres done on September 13th. 137 bales of Silage, 100 bales loosely packed hay and 300 small square bales.

Western Pomise

In years gone by before the advent of fertiliser use nearly all hay was made in September/October!!....granted that was pre silage times but the cows still eat it:)

Capercaille

Western Pomise wrote: »

In years gone by before the advent of fertiliser use nearly all hay was made in September/October!!....granted that was pre silage times but the cows still eat it:)

They probably thrived away on it too, which hardier breeds.

Temtation

saved hay last week in deep county wexford, 2nd crop after may silage
making hay every other week since june due to run of weather
dew in mornings but probably some of the best hay made this summer in 6' sq (coffin) bales
expect to sell it on

wet summer of 2012 all hay mowed down on 30 Aug and lobbed in shed by hurling final in september, looked poor crop standing but perfect and sweet when baled up