# orchard hay cuttings



## bunkhouse (Aug 10, 2013)

Orchard cuttings west central illinois. Hope to cut hay 2nd. week of june !!! Rain next 5 days. Grass has headed out . Need to apply- N- after baling. Should I cut 2nd. cutting last week of August and maybe 3rd. cutting 1st. week OCT. ? Our area orchard grows good in October. If I wait till last week of August when heat starts to subside will grass be really stemie ? Advice welcomed.

Thanks

JOHN

Bunkhouse Alpaca Ranch


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Give up trying to pinpoint a week you will be cutting. Let it grow and when it is ready and the weather is right cut and bale. By the way do your alpacas get along good with your 1st cutting? The alpaca people around here don't like it as the stems get in the alpaca's eyes.


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## whitmerlegacyfarm (Aug 26, 2011)

All the alpaca farms I sell to the alpacas won't eat anything stemmy. they buy only 2nd n 3rd cut from me and pay good money. I get 3 cuttings on my pure o grass fields. Little behind this year but typical for me is 45 days or so depending on if we get the rains. Usually let it go till starts to get a little stem rust/tips start to Brown due to heat.


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

What kind of yield can pure o get?


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I'm in west central Illinois also.

My OG plan is simple: Cut anytime I can seen a clear 5-7 day window of dry weather afer May 15th (for Potomac OG). I look at weather.com, NOAA, etc., then look out the window. Factor in temperature, ground moisture, sunshine, wind, make a SWAG and go for it.

You'll either be right---or wrong.

Ralph


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## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

rjmoses said:


> I'm in west central Illinois also.
> 
> My OG plan is simple: Cut anytime I can seen a clear 5-7 day window of dry weather afer May 15th (for Potomac OG). I look at weather.com, NOAA, etc., then look out the window. Factor in temperature, ground moisture, sunshine, wind, make a SWAG and go for it.
> 
> ...


The SWAG method is sometimes more dependable than the weather forecast.


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## Don Pine (Feb 2, 2012)

A word of caution on an October cutting of O grass; it takes a -lot- longer to cure hay that late in the season. Makes it tough to get enough of a good weather window to get a cutting up.

This is the last year I intend to bale orchard grass. Of the last 8 years, there's only been 1 year that we could get a first cutting done in May. I have a grass fed herd, and O grass cut this late in the season is so deficient in nutritional value, that it isn't worth baling. Check out OSU's analysis:

http://beef.osu.edu/beef/beefJun0414.html

I'm going to roll up the first cutting whenever it dries out, plow under the O grass, and plant millet.


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## bunkhouse (Aug 10, 2013)

to many spot storms here north of st.louis area. No good weather to dry hay. Alpaca's do not like stems, they push to the side and stems tear up there fleece. You can force them to eat some but not much. Waste it and laying on the ground

when I go out to feed next day. I wanted to have it cut MAY 5th. time frame had good days to dry, but farmer that cuts and bales was finishing up corn. I seed the fields, have them sprayed and fertilized, haul bales out of fields and store. That is my share of work and getting my fields managed. I don't have equipment to do the rest or I would. I guess the brushog and

and disc will get sold and I will check out some used toys.

john

bunkhouse


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Don Pine said:


> A word of caution on an October cutting of O grass; it takes a -lot- longer to cure hay that late in the season. Makes it tough to get enough of a good weather window to get a cutting up.
> 
> This is the last year I intend to bale orchard grass. Of the last 8 years, there's only been 1 year that we could get a first cutting done in May. I have a grass fed herd, and O grass cut this late in the season is so deficient in nutritional value, that it isn't worth baling. Check out OSU's analysis:
> 
> ...


Planting a late season O-grass would help on it over maturing.Also adding alfalfa and having mixed would increase protein and tonnage for the yr.


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## Don Pine (Feb 2, 2012)

swmnhay said:


> Planting a late season O-grass would help on it over maturing.Also adding alfalfa and having mixed would increase protein and tonnage for the yr.


Well, here in central Illinois, whether it be early or late maturing orchard grass, the end of June is too late to harvest. And rank alfalfa doesn't help much. And looking at the weather forecast, it looks like the end of June -again- this year.

O grass hay is hard to beat - if you can get it put up on time. But in the past decade, when weather permitted timely first cuttings here only one, possibly two years, out of 10, you've got to ask yourself why you keep fooling with orchard grass.

Now if I was in the hay business, and I was selling idiot cubes to horsey folks, most of whom don't have a clue as to nutritional value of hay (which probably doesn't matter anyway since they keep Rural King in business buying feed), that would be OK. As long as I can say "it was never rained on" and it looks good they'll buy it. But I grow hay for a cow/calf herd, and nutritional value means everything.


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

If just growing hay for cow/calf heard, why not wrap the first cutting to get things done timely?


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## Don Pine (Feb 2, 2012)

OhioHay said:


> If just growing hay for cow/calf heard, why not wrap the first cutting to get things done timely?


Well, if I or the neighbors or anyone else in the county had the equipment to wrap, that would probably be a good option. But I think instead of buying more iron to make the most of the O grass, it would be a wiser choice to grow a crop more conducive with now typical weather.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

Most anybody feeding cattle, dairy or beef, in this area is making either silage or baleage with their 1st crop. Very little dry 1st crop put up unless for horses! The rational is get the 1st crop off so you can get a better 2nd/3rd crop for dry hay.


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## Dill (Nov 5, 2010)

Especially since most horse owners are convinced that their lawn ornament needs 2nd crop.


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