How's the silage ground traveling this year?
Grazed off? Slurry out? Fert spread?
Or is it like a bog at the moment, a good year for rewetting.
There is a very good rain radar on the BBC site.
Cut on Sunday and baled this evening
Rain got in the way yesterday
I cut dry yesterday afternoon, and of course it got wet last night as expected. The day was slow to dry up here around so I waites tol this afternoon to tedd it. Hopefully it should be good tomorrow to bale before the rain.
A bit seedy but there's a nice clover butt so an average it should be good. I wouldn't want to leave it another week though.
I knocked near 20 acres this afternoon. Tedded it out once I had it cut. Very surprised to see that it wasn't soaking wet when being cut and was drying away well before the tedder even got to it. Could tell by the wheels of the tractor which weren't really wet going around with the tedder. Hopefully be in good order tomorrow afternoon. Heavy crop, gone to seed but grand for the the man who is buying it.
Grass that was soaking wet this morning is well dried now, hopefully next week will come good, it’s badly needed.
Should have gone when the weather was good, but didn't think this wet spell would last so long without a break. Rang the contractor on sunday night and booked him for lunchtime today to cut silage for sheep, need it dry over quality as I'll compensate with meal but I can't abide wet bedding and lame sheep during housing from wet silage.
Heavy rain here yesterday from 4-8pm but a good northerly wind all night had it partly dried by 8 this morning when I walked it, ground was still wet though. Told him to come on ahead for lunchtime and now the sun is shining and a decent breeze on it as he's mowing it and will tedd it out later and again tomorrow and row it up and bale about 6pm tomorrow as there's heavy rain from midnight. Got a few hundred bales made last week for the cattle in a 24 hr snatch and grab operation, which are starting to sag. Thankfully no-one else was looking for him today, but lots are looking him for this weekend, which doesn't show as much sunny or warm weather. Hopefully second cuts will make up for it.
I use this link. I have it set up for Limerick but put.in some big town near you. Usually very happy with it. Short forecast gives you a good idea of first 36 hours it's using your judgement on the longterm one
https://www.bbc.com/weather/2962943
I don't think I'm too far from you. Good few bits knocked around yesterday. Great view over hedges in the tractor to see what's happening. Other side of the mountain and on up to Westmeath there's little or nothing down. Seems lads south of the mountain reckoning it's gonna be dry enough.
If I can organise someone to mind chaps I'm gonna knock 20 acres today and shake it this evening and maybe in the morning too. Try bale tomorrow evening.
Would the sugars be way down in grass in this weather?
Would there be more lads using additives ?
Neighbours laughed at me in mid-may cutting but same as yourself second cut is walking it. While the good is prob dwindling in the neighbours stuff starting to lie also. Anyway hopefully it picks up next week as I have a few paddocks to take out be nice to get some hay but that’s optimistic 🤣
Shite day here. Stove was on since middle of the day.
No chance of getting silage done this week. Fields are red with headed out grass. Trying not to get annoyed about it as it is out of my control.
Always think about the saying something mentioned in here a few years ago - something about a fella who said when he made good silage it didn't make him a millionaire and when he made poor silage, it didn't bankrupt him.
We’ve had an awful evening. Lucky enough we cut silage mid May and the second cut is flying it. There are meadows lying in some mess round here this evening and no real sign of a couple of good days together.
I cut yesterday. Decent day. Today not so much. Misty all day. It’s fine and wet now. Hopefully tomorrow is better.
I did, dull all day a small mist this evening but other than that grand giving no rain till Wednesday night so hopefully I’ll get it
knocking a light 11 acre meadow tomorrow. 24 hour wilt. Need the grass off so I can reseed
did you cut? Fair drop of rain here in Meath in the past couple of hours
with such a narrow window of dry weather it’s goi g to be next to impossible to cut it dry tomorrow and bale dry Wednesday - very wet evening here in the midlands
Its salvage operations around here couple of 100 acres knocked locally this morning/evening and the heavens opened up then for a good hour
Giving wet here tonight and early morning and then just a shower till Wednesday night. I've no child minder for a few days so going at grass isn't really on this week
When in seed too much stem(fibre) not enough leaf(energy) probably mid 60s DMD depending on how far gone.
Ok for sucklers/dry cows but won't flatten/milk off it.
Why is grass with seed heads useless
just i from knocking 30 acres fingers crossed , dont really care as its gone to seed anyway ,cut and start again…..
Temperatures are coming up a bit more tomorrow and Wednesday, might be a good window available for people.
no showers here till Thursday
do you think you’ll get that long of a dry spell?
Going cutting tomorrow, thinking of tedding out and bailing Wednesday, too long of a wilt? Some new grass more old
Have to find the link but I have this in a document I downloaded
I would spread the lime, pH of 5.2 is putting a restriction on growth.
Always apply lime to silage fields after 1st cut here. Never had an issue. Do it quickly after cutting there is no leaf there and majority of lime is falling directly on to soil
ground conditions usually much better than autumn for loading in field as well.
Gran lime is an expensive waste of time
You should wait until after second cut. You will not get the volume of rain to wash it IMO. Significant difference between a few showers we get now and the volume of rain we get during the winter. If you get contamination you could lose the complete silage crop. I have heard of lads losing crops where it was spread the autumn before.
If I had been.in your place I would have spread a bag an acre of granlime in the spring. In low ph ground it'd the cheapest fertlizer you can spread other than lime itself. It's usually not much more expensive than ordinary lime but will bring ph up slower
Got 295 bales off 20 acres. The last 40 got that heavy thunderstorm. They’ll be grand for the week of frost and no water. Quality looks good.!
