the old lad cut 13 acres yesterday evening. The forecast is good, but he thinks it is a bit too leafy maybe. Worst case will just make bales of good quality silage. I'm nervous about all the good weather this early in the summer to be honest !!
Not according to -
https://www.farmersjournal.ie/news/schemes/schemes-update-extensively-grazed-pasture-and-low-input-grassland-761304
That's half right - you can cut LIG before 1st July but you just won't get the bonus payment.
Extensive must be after July 1st alright.
LIG and extensively grazed pasture cannot be mowed for hay/silage or topped before the 1st of July. The LIG bonus payment can be claimed up till the 31st of August.
When do lads think the next chance will be to knock a bit for Hay - next week looks a bit similar to this week in that looks like few hot days towards the end of it but not great early on 🤷♂️
Serious day on hay here at the moment,heat,wind and sun
sold a meddow to a neighbour for silage but his mower man got over excited last night and knocked the bottle field that I had saved for hay. Looks like I’ll be in the market for a few bales now
This window was and is still a gamble for many people. Fields were wet on the Sunday/Monday with rain coming Tuesday. Then if you didn’t cut Monday there was heavy rain forecast for Saturday, which went away but now there’s a temperature dip Sat and a big one Sunday with rain coming. It’s not a good high to finish on if your hay isn’t ready today.
Last year it rained twice during the high but it finished on two really good days leaving lads plenty of room to bale.
2023 we had a drought start of June leaving over 2 weeks off a high to make hay.
Rain seems to be disappearing from the forecast here in the South West. Getting a little cooler from Sunday for a few days until Wednesday when temperatures are looking like getting back into the 20's. If I had hay down, I wouldn't panic.
That would be common enough around here too if you know there's good weather on the way after the rain. Cut dry, leave in rows, wait out the rain and get tedding when sun is shining. It's always better to get rain the first day rather than the last day!
Sunday evening
When was that cut ?
this is a Hay thread, not a gathering fodder one. advising lads to cut hay with rain on the way - I’ll say no more.
YR proving very accurate unfortunately. A band of rain just crossing over. Hope it doesn’t become a repeat of last year 😢
Some thunder rain and lightning here in the Midwest a few hours ago. Woke the house.
same here. Hope the contractor can get to us today. He said it might be tomorrow.
Bone dry and no fog. That's a relief !
Talking about luck,got our hay baled yesterday evening. Raining at the moment. Unfortunately our neighbour's wasn't ready.
NNo I'm not. At this stage we are at the third week in June. Of you have not got fodder in the yard it's important to move rapidly. Grass is already gone to seed. There was always the chance that it woukd break again.
Most lads trying to save hay wait for "settled weather". There is nothing wrong with cutting it before it rains or with rain forecast just leave it in rows dot not turn it out. However most lads get a hard on to Ted ot put or go in with the hay bob.
The forecrest was good with threaten rain on Monday night, we got plenty of it Monday night. But the lad I advised left it in rows until yesterday evening.
Another trick is cut it with a mower conditioner even though my man cut it with his own drum mower. I was in a tractor with a contractor on Monday he was rowing oats for me to bale that evening.when a lad rang looking for to get meadows cut. The contractor had too much down and too much more booked in for this week to sort him out.
It about getting f@@king on with it now I am not trying to piss people off but if you have not got fodder in the yard getting fodder sorted is the priority not waiting for perfect weather.
Half what my friend was cutting is Corcass land. I say it was wet enough.
That is about it you have to gamble and get on with it.
I will get hay tomorrow was cut Sunday It was lashing when I cut it but I didn't get the rest of it cut until wed so turned it yesterday and just gone make silage out of it not worth the heart break when I fail to get it
I cut a bit Sunday evening. Was wet in the butt and never mind that it was not even fully dry standing. And it was heavy too - was thinking I was going mad to be at it and I should be leaving it till Monday at least to let it dry a bit.
Will bale it tomorrow hopefully.
it was like a scene from Noah’s ark here last Saturday. I would had need a boat to hit out on a field last weekend .cut Monday evening and should get it as hay Saturday or will wrap as Haylage Tomo night.
Only doable on dry ground. Land round me was still sopping wet Sunday evening after the rain, leaving a very short window for hay. Weather still doesn't look settled, but you can always wrap it if it goes wrong.
no need to piss off the lads that didn’t cut. It was raining in most places last Saturday and was actually still raining here with me Sunday morning. Luckily it took up a good day Sunday and a good few chanced cutting Sunday evening.
And it was still a chance as the forecast last weekend wasn’t looking that great for the week. Luckily it has changed for the better.
The time to cut was last Saturday or Sunday. A friend asked me Saturday night. I said best time was Saturday but next best was tomorrow. He is baling tomorrow and Saturday. He understood theorist was he might have to bale it as silage but outlook was good mid week.
had the hay bob out today
I think YR is a waste of time tbh as it always keeps changing.
yeah I’m hopeful it will not appear at all.
Half of ours cut as well. The other half was closed late so will probably be August for that. If we save this as hay I won’t mind wrapping the rest.
I don't bother much with the apps. I watch rye and BBC weather on telly, where you can see the rain moving along the country, it's showing that rain but who knows I suppose
ah that amount would probably disappear off the radar before it is expected to land. It’s giving a few sunny hours afterwards anyway.
It’s a pity it wasn’t a bit more settled last Monday Tuesday and everyone could have cut. I cut half of mine. 9 acres . Sorry now I did t cut the lot but is not baked yet either so maybe I’ll be glad.
Was going to mow the rest down and make Haylage as they’re is superb drying out for today Tomo but too tight a window now with potential heavy rain on Saturday.
yr forecasting rain here tomorrow. No sign of it on met Éireann.
