Hay 2021

Aravo

Tileman wrote: »

Yea I had 20 bales of 2 acres but now have 12 acres for Glas. I don’t know whether I would sign up to Glas meadow again. 3 out of 5 years the good weather came before 1st July. It’s hard enough to make hay in Ireland without misssing out one the real good week in the year to make quality fodder.

Glas areas cut here today. Was getting hay in other fields so am happy. If I only had Glas areas left and missed this week, I would be disappointed. That's the weather in Ireland. The way things are going there will likely be more glas type schemes.

Aravo

Sami23 wrote: »

A lot of rain forecast for the weekend so if can get them in surely be better than leaving them out to get wet and be soaking up from the ground also

I have bales gathered in a few lines with a foot or two between them. So air can circulate all around. Will give the bales a one quarter turn every 4-5 days. Then into shed in about a fortnight. You may get a dirty look on the outside but it's not deep into bale and is superficial.
Round bales straight in after being baled and stacked are likely to sweat.

Let the bales cool down naturally, some wet weather will be of little affect when they are outside.

The rest of the field can get slurry in the coming days.

kk.man

kk.man wrote: »

What's the hurry bringing them in?.. Your field won't have grass for at least a month. I always leave mine out for a fortnight.

Next week looks very wet

Aravo

Deleted User wrote: »

Next week looks very wet

Some rain may not be a bad thing. I must admit I am not complaining the way things are. Stock looks happy.

105mm rain in May
8mm in June.

Aravo

Aravo wrote: »

Some rain may not be a bad thing. I must admit I am not complaining the way things are. Stock looks happy.

105mm rain in May
8mm in June.

No we need rain now, I might put them in lose ish and stack them proper next week

Cleaning a load of crap out of the way earlier from netting to plastic to fencing gear

Dinzee Conlee

I don’t understand why lads leave round bales of hay out? We only ever made small squares and that was a good while ago now.

But I would have though if it was fit to be baled surely it’s fit to be drawn in?
Or is it that the hay should really have gotten another day before being put into a round bale?

Or is it just cos the round bale is safer in the rain, that lads dont take the chance of heating in the shed, and leave them out regardless of whether they could be drawn in or not?

Bleating Lamb

minerleague wrote: »

Baled here today, cut saturday and sunday, savage heat around here last few days, had to stop tedding after 2 times. Had booked contractor for thur when cutting but could have baled yesterday. Very light crop. Very easy save hay when weather is with you. Glas meadows next up, not sure would I sign up to measure like it again.

The advent of ‘farming by the Calendar’ was a dark day for the farming community across Europe.Even in a country as small as Ireland you can find little microclimates that mean that some areas receive an excess of rain during the year and other areas can and often do experience relative drought conditions most Summers.
Based in the NW myself on average land so know all about the yearly struggles to get Silage made.Several neighbours are in the meadows measure under Glas and it was understandably frustrating for them seeing neighbours getting a lot of Silage and hay saved this week.

I have always felt that our Govt and farming unions were not and are not forceful enough to try and lessen the advent of ‘Calendar farming’ as it is not practical or good for nature to farm in this way across a lot of areas Ireland and across the E.U.
Here in Leitrim you quite literally have to make hay while the sun shines and farmers with Glas meadows which are ready to cut are looking at a weeks rain next week.It is also important to farm in unison with Nature and I am well aware that the protection of the Corncrake is a reason touted for not allowing for cutting of Glas meadows till July 1st whereas the reality quite literally on the ground is that one most corncrakes around here have fledged at this stage anyway.It is also a reality on the ground that any hay meadow ready for cutting last week had already headed out well so plenty of seed dispersal has taken place already to ensure the continued viability of different grass species.

Dinzee Conlee

Bleating Lamb wrote: »

The advent of ‘farming by the Calendar’ was a dark day for the farming community across Europe.Even in a country as small as Ireland you can find little microclimates that mean that some areas receive an excess of rain during the year and other areas can and often do experience relative drought conditions most Summers.
Based in the NW myself on average land so know all about the yearly struggles to get Silage made.Several neighbours are in the meadows measure under Glas and it was understandably frustrating for them seeing neighbours getting a lot of Silage and hay saved this week.

I have always felt that our Govt and farming unions were not and are not forceful enough to try and lessen the advent of ‘Calendar farming’ as it is not practical or good for nature to farm in this way across a lot of areas Ireland and across the E.U.
Here in Leitrim you quite literally have to make hay while the sun shines and farmers with Glas meadows which are ready to cut are looking at a weeks rain next week.It is also important to farm in unison with Nature and I am well aware that the protection of the Corncrake is a reason touted for not allowing for cutting of Glas meadows till July 1st whereas the reality quite literally on the ground is that one most corncrakes around here have fledged at this stage anyway.It is also a reality on the ground that any hay meadow ready for cutting last week had already headed out well so plenty of seed dispersal has taken place already to ensure the continued viability of different grass species.

What’s the solution though bleating?

Not having a go, but you need a system that’s workable and too many different dates isn’t great either.
No dates, and lads will cut whenever they feel like regardless...

Or should everything be results driven now, like the new scheme?
You get inspected and the planner tells you a score - and that’s what you get paid. If everyone has to get inspected, the planners will be busy so you might get inspected just after cutting your hedges/hay/topping - so you might get a bad score...

No system is perfect.

But, for the lads that had to wait til July 1st, they had an extra few hundred in their bank account compared to the lads that didn’t, 5 years in a row. Lot to be said for that too, when every year isn’t a hay year, you still have your GLAS money...

Mooooo

Misty drizzle here now, dunno if it'll burn off

Mad about baa baas

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

I don’t understand why lads leave round bales of hay out? We only ever made small squares and that was a good while ago now.

But I would have though if it was fit to be baled surely it’s fit to be drawn in?
Or is it that the hay should really have gotten another day before being put into a round bale?

Or is it just cos the round bale is safer in the rain, that lads dont take the chance of heating in the shed, and leave them out regardless of whether they could be drawn in or not?

I worked in france one summer on a stud farm. Round bales made the week before I arrived..every Thursday evening we were sent out to roll the bales..were.still out when I left after 3 months. 9inches of.grass around them.. I never.got an explanation only that's the way we do.it here

Dinzee Conlee

Mad about baa baas wrote: »

I worked in france one summer on a stud farm. Round bales made the week before I arrived..every Thursday evening we were sent out to roll the bales..were.still out when I left after 3 months. 9inches of.grass around them.. I never.got an explanation only that's the way we do.it here

ha - was in France myself years ago, and I saw farmers feeding round bales of hay brought in from the fields.
They were grey looking, and the top bit of the bale was prob a small bit shook.
But inside they were perfect, and the cattle seemed to eat every bit of it.

Be interesting to see if the bales would be ok left out in an Irish winter, I might get one to try for the craic...

Young95

minerleague wrote: »

Baled here today, cut saturday and sunday, savage heat around here last few days, had to stop tedding after 2 times. Had booked contractor for thur when cutting but could have baled yesterday. Very light crop. Very easy save hay when weather is with you. Glas meadows next up, not sure would I sign up to measure like it again.

Why you say that ?

Genghis Cant

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

Be interesting to see if the bales would be ok left out in an Irish winter, I might get one to try for the craic...

They'd be fine. We left bales out one winter and not a bother on them. A series of single rows with the bales not touching each other. They were perfect.

Base price

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

I don’t understand why lads leave round bales of hay out? We only ever made small squares and that was a good while ago now.

But I would have though if it was fit to be baled surely it’s fit to be drawn in?
Or is it that the hay should really have gotten another day before being put into a round bale?

Or is it just cos the round bale is safer in the rain, that lads dont take the chance of heating in the shed, and leave them out regardless of whether they could be drawn in or not?

Unless you have exceptional hot sun then grass going into a bale it's going to about 18% moisture at the very best. When that is compressed into a bale it is going to heat and that is why it is important to leave bales in the field until they stop heating.

Dinzee Conlee

Base price wrote: »

Unless you have exceptional hot sun then grass going into a bale it's going to about 18% moisture at the very best. When that is compressed into a bale it is going to heat and that is why it is important to leave bales in the field until they stop heating.

But what about small squares - if the same grass went into them, and they went into a shed, wouldn't you have the same heating issue?

I understand that sometimes you have to bale maybe a bit sooner than you'd like. But if you have the weather, would you not be better off to leave the hay down a day longer, than put into round bales and then have to leave them out?

Or, is there no way round bale hay wont heat, just cos of the size of the bale?

leoch

wat about if u put them into a good airy shed of sit on top of slatted shed floor thats empty and clean ??

minerleague

Young95 wrote: »

Why you say that ?

As others have said hay is dependent on weather ( and ground conditions in wet areas where my Glas meadow is ) Perfect hay weather this week but conditions could break now ( and may stay broken for some time like what happened in 2 previous years) My meadow is real old low lying meadow ground that farmers in the past didnt destroy despite having no-one looking over their shoulder. Loads of diversity in sward ( weeds to a lot I know :rolleyes: ) Its in worse condition now than when I went into glas with wheel ruts from missing cutting in those 2 years.
Understand what they are trying to do but those type of meadows are largely gone now anyway. Better maybe to pay for setting wildflowers and old grasses and no nitrogen. Anyway today is that day for relaxing knowing the hay is saved and all is well for next winter ( and the neighbours can say " top farmer that lad")
even though it no longer makes up 100% of winter feed

minerleague

leoch wrote: »

wat about if u put them into a good airy shed of sit on top of slatted shed floor thats empty and clean ??

Tried that one year with small bales, didnt work at all, heated where they were in contact with concrete. maybe if you had timber pallets

Base price

Dinzee Conlee wrote: »

But what about small squares - if the same grass went into them, and they went into a shed, wouldn't you have the same heating issue?

I understand that sometimes you have to bale maybe a bit sooner than you'd like. But if you have the weather, would you not be better off to leave the hay down a day longer, than put into round bales and then have to leave them out?

Or, is there no way round bale hay wont heat, just cos of the size of the bale?

If you let the hay get too dry which is not normally a problem in Ireland, then it gets brittle and breaks. Small square bales are no different than rounds and in fact are more dangerous when stacked into a shed as they will heat faster due to not having any air to circulate. I have seen hay boiling in a shed and you can smell it. People stacked bales (in sevens) in fields for years until they settled and for good reason. Many a hay shed went up in fire cause bales were stacked in too early. Leaving bales out in the field for a week to ten days after baling gives the hay a chance to breath and makes for better quality hay.

Base price

leoch wrote: »

wat about if u put them into a good airy shed of sit on top of slatted shed floor thats empty and clean ??

I would never put/stack bales into a shed that haven't been allowed to make in the field for a week to ten days. If putting them into a slatted shed make sure that the tank is empty and clean otherwise the hay will draw moisture up through the slats.

Base price

minerleague wrote: »

Tried that one year with small bales, didnt work at all, heated where they were in contact with concrete. maybe if you had timber pallets

Hay should never heat in a shed. If it heats then it has gone into the shed too early and wasn't left in the field long enough to cool. There is no point in making good bales of hay and rushing them into a shed in order for them to heat and spoil or worse combust and go on fire.

tabby aspreme

I stacked fresh baled hay 4 high in a shed years ago, the moisture rose up through the bales and the upper half of the top bale rotted, everything under that was perfect, was told afterwards if I put a row of small square bales of straw on top, the top bale of hay would have been fine. Hope ye all get it baled, there was heavy rain around here ''West Wicklow '' yesterday evening for about 2 hours

minerleague

Base price wrote: »

Hay should never heat in a shed. If it heats then it has gone into the shed too early and wasn't left in the field long enough to cool. There is no point in making good bales of hay and rushing them into a shed in order for them to heat and spoil or worse combust and go on fire.

I think there was lots of rain forecast at the time, hay was not fully ready either but thought if stooked ( like in meadow ) on slatted floor it would be ok. Remember father telling of times past when putting in loose hay ( pikes ) they would sometimes fill a big hession bag ( like outside of big bag fertilizer) with hay and pull it up as the hay got higher to make a chimney in the middle of the column of hay

Sami23

Base price wrote: »

Hay should never heat in a shed. If it heats then it has gone into the shed too early and wasn't left in the field long enough to cool. There is no point in making good bales of hay and rushing them into a shed in order for them to heat and spoil or worse combust and go on fire.

So is the general feeling that it's pretty normal for round bales that are left out after baling to heat to a certain extent but it won't affect them quality wise long term ?

Or obviously better if they didn't heat at all

Base price

Sami23 wrote: »

So is the general feeling that it's pretty normal for round bales that are left out after baling to heat to a certain extent but it won't affect them quality wise long term ?

Or obviously better if they didn't heat at all

That's it but the same for squares as well.

Leave them in the field and let them cool before going into the shed. Unless we get very, very wet continuous rain then they will be fine. When heavy rain was due we used to thatch stacks of squares in the field with loose hay to allow the rain to run off and prevent damage. It was time consuming but well worth it.

Base price

Coolmore Stud make 80,000 square bales of hay every year. Here is a video from a few years back showing the process. They have special air dryers that pump air into the sheds to stop the bales heating and bring the moisture content down to 12%.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQdhU21iOzw

Aravo

The rain arrived this evening. Tis the end of hay fever for me for 2021.

Too_Old_Boots

Sami23 wrote: »

So is the general feeling that it's pretty normal for round bales that are left out after baling to heat to a certain extent but it won't affect them quality wise long term ?

Or obviously better if they didn't heat at all

Eh no
if the bale is heating then it was not fit for baling that's the long and short of it. Y
When you get that heating smell from the bales it's bad news. Pull some hay out from the center, if it's hot after only a day or two then expect at best dusty mold, and at worse bales of dung
You can get away with a small bit of heating by leaving the bales out for a week but by then you need to move them to the shed as they would be drawing moisture from the ground.
With square bales slightly unfit hay will be ok as long as they are not put into a shed too early as they are loose compared to the round bale.
As for round bales, you need well saved stuff, and if possible try not to make bullet hard bales

JustJoe7240

Taken from Instagram, Is it just me or is that still way too green to bale?

Genghis Cant

JustJoe7240 wrote: »

Taken from Instagram, Is it just me or is that still way too green to bale?

Looks good to me. If it's dry enough it's good June hay.
The stuff I made last Wednesday was as green.