# Iowa square bales per acre?



## Stitch (Jul 21, 2016)

It obviously depends on weather, soil, size of the bales, etc, but is it fair to expect 125 fifty pound bales per acre per year on average southern iowa ground on an average year? My past experience has been significantly more, but the ground i currently farm is above average, whereas some ground ive recently acquired is not. Im jusy trying to get an idea on exactly how many acres i need.


----------



## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

What variety? That would be a fair assessment for ground that had been mined for a few years.


----------



## Stitch (Jul 21, 2016)

Timothy and alfalfa. And no mined/reclamation ground.


----------



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

125x50 is just over 3 tons to the acre. That's a pretty low average for "here" and would be rotated out quickly. Especially alfalfa/Timothy mix.


----------



## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

I had between 3.26 and 4.31 tons per acre this year, across my fields, but I am on light sandy loam (8-10 inches of top soil). I can get 1 inch of rain over a 2 hour period and be driving on my fields within 6-8 hours later. Heavier soils in MY area can hit 6+ tons per acre however.

Then again, I have no timothy growing either.

Larry

PS Thought I would add, my tonnage is actual tonnage, I bought a set of beam scales this year, so I have been weighting my hay as it comes off the field. I find this better than the old guestimate or SWAG methods (Scientific Wild A$$ Guess).


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Stitch said:


> Timothy and alfalfa. And no mined/reclamation ground.


He is not talking mined like in coal mining,etc.

When talking mined ground a farmer is saying the previous owner/tenant did not fertilize the ground and mined all the fertility out of it.Then it costs a lot of money to get it built back up,get the PH balanced,etc.


----------



## Stitch (Jul 21, 2016)

Ok, we have a TON of old coal mines where im at and a lot of junk ground thats been "reclaimed".


----------



## cyclonic (Jan 16, 2015)

I'm getting, on the low side, 175 bales per acre. That is either on pure alfalfa, or alfalfa/OC mix. Steadily improving my yield with new hybrid varieties, and a little more management and fertilizer. I only see that number going up.

That is also assuming we have a good haymaking year. 2016 was rough for me. Way too much rain, humidity, and cloudy/hazy days.


----------



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Stitch said:


> Ok, we have a TON of old coal mines where im at and a lot of junk ground thats been "reclaimed".


Can't remember where exactly, maybe around Oelwein IA, there are a bunch of mines they store corn in. Saw it in 1995, they had over 40 million bushels stored in the caves. Was cool to see as a 13 year old boy watching corn be loaded into semis with payloaders.

Nothing to do with the initial post, just popped into my head when Stitch said old coal mines. Back to our regularly scheduled programming...


----------



## Stitch (Jul 21, 2016)

Not much cool like that down here, most are caved in, just gigantic ditches. Good for deer hunting, and thats about it. The reclamation grounds a joke, i went and looked at a farm that was claiming to be half tillable and very fertile. It looked great if you like farming gravel.


----------



## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Wow, I didn't ever think Iowa had coal mines, thanks Stack and Stitch I thought I had all the gravel here. I read somewhere that Iowa had top soil that you measured in feet, not inches like in MY area.

Larry


----------



## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

Our alfalfa/orchardgrass on the dairy near Bloomfield would consistently go 5-6 tons/acre. We could push 8 or 9 in a really good year. Fertilizer and control of potato leaf hopper was a big key. Phytophora root rot was also a big struggle for us with our moisture. Fields got manure every year.


----------



## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Stitch said:


> It obviously depends on weather, soil, size of the bales, etc, but is it fair to expect 125 fifty pound bales per acre per year on average southern iowa ground on an average year? My past experience has been significantly more, but the ground i currently farm is above average, whereas some ground ive recently acquired is not. Im jusy trying to get an idea on exactly how many acres i need.


As I was 'killing' some time today I came across this piece that speaks of tons of hay production per acre and some of the factors (and how much they can effect) regarding production. It also gives cures for the weak link (notice the first one, new farm).

One factor I read somewhere else (I think it was from Dan Undersander U of W), is that the difference in cutting alfalfa 1 inch higher could be 1/2 ton less per acre!!

Anyway, see attachment regarding possible yield factors.

Larry


----------

