# Returning to Hay



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Hay and Forage on one mans thoughts on the future of hay(alfalfa).

Regards, Mike

http://hayandforage.com/alfalfa/he-s-getting-back-hay


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## hayward (Jan 26, 2012)

Good read, i need to bale some hay an sale it fast lol! Do you grow alfalfa in e tenn.? Kinda wondering bout trying some over in sw ark. Far as I can remember I've never seen anyone around here growing it. Does it do well in the south? Are seeds so high I'd need to plant a thousand ac to be worth doing it? Never planted any kinda grass, lord bless us with plenty I guess ( rye, Bermuda, Dallas, vescu, bahia, clover,crown vetch,an o yea, golden rod)


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

hayward said:


> Good read, i need to bale some hay an sale it fast lol! Do you grow alfalfa in e tenn.? Kinda wondering bout trying some over in sw ark. Far as I can remember I've never seen anyone around here growing it. Does it do well in the south? Are seeds so high I'd need to plant a thousand ac to be worth doing it? Never planted any kinda grass, lord bless us with plenty I guess ( rye, Bermuda, Dallas, vescu, bahia, clover,crown vetch,an o yea, golden rod)


Yes, I am growing Alfalfa here in E TN. It does seem to grow better than I expected...I am growing round-up ready alfalfa which makes it easy about keeping a clean stand. Seed is not cheap and then you pay a technology fee to Monsanto on the seed so it gets pricey...but you can do pretty well growing only 15-20 acres of it but more is better. Alfalfa is much more time consuming than grass hay.

Regards,Mike


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## hayward (Jan 26, 2012)

Time on harvesting, just put in 4 days on 100 ac grass, cuting tedding baled 60 ac today, better than norm, but only 131 rolls, part of rest gona thinner small pert be thicker. What'd you the it'd cost to plant per ac 50-100 ac?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

hayward said:


> Time on harvesting, just put in 4 days on 100 ac grass, cuting tedding baled 60 ac today, better than norm, but only 131 rolls, part of rest gona thinner small pert be thicker. What'd you the it'd cost to plant per ac 50-100 ac?


Guess that's the difference in area, around here if I made sixty acres and only got 131 rolls time to tear it out and plant corn. Last year even with the drought I had a new planting of leaf hopper resistant alfalfa and OG go a touch over 2.5 tons/acre or a little more than six 800lb bales/acre on first cutting. For the year it made a little over 5 tons/acre with the drought.


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## hayward (Jan 26, 2012)

How tall does alfalfa get? Read on hear somthing about planting a stand and that it would grow for around 8 or so yrs then you had to plant somthing else or till it up, that right? Ended up with 212 rolls, I'm pretty sure I could B off on my hay ac lota woods an other stuff that take up lota ac, it was pretty thick grass . It was as tall as back wheels on 5410 jd lol


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Vol said:


> Yes, I am growing Alfalfa here in E TN. It does seem to grow better than I expected...I am growing round-up ready alfalfa which makes it easy about keeping a clean stand. Seed is not cheap and then you pay a technology fee to Monsanto on the seed so it gets pricey...but you can do pretty well growing only 15-20 acres of it but more is better. Alfalfa is much more time consuming than grass hay.
> 
> Regards,Mike


Mike how is alfalfa for you more time consuming then grass hay? For me in my area it's opposite. Takes much less water. Don't have to fertilize every cutting. Bales faster. The only thing is needing the right dew for baling it good.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Teslan said:


> Mike how is alfalfa for you more time consuming then grass hay? For me in my area it's opposite. Takes much less water. Don't have to fertilize every cutting. Bales faster. The only thing is needing the right dew for baling it good.


Here it takes 1-2 days longer for Alfalfa to dry than grass and the bugs eat the heck out of it so it must be sprayed once a month with insecticide. It must be babysitted about monitoring for sulfur and phosphorous....here. One must be careful about it not getting too dry to bale(leaf shatter)which is not often but can occur....here. And our heavy dews bleach it terribly so its best not to touch after tedding out the first time until you are ready to rake so that you can keep green under the top.

Regards, Mike


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