# Cool, wet weather. Hay needs to be cut



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Anyone else suffering the ravages of "global warming" like we are in PA?
I've had 4 days of rain and temps in the high 50's. 
Even cutting hay in the rain is out, fields are like swamps. O grass is headed out real bad. 
Off to a rough start. Anyone else have bad weather?


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Yep, JD-same here. Made really pretty hay last week but had to work at it. tedding 4 times, then drying raked windrow over night. Still have my orchard-timothy mix field to go and all my mixed grass.

Thought we had lucked out with lodging but this is lodging weather supreme! Lots of stuff starting to go down. Had planned to cut this am but still foggy here with drizzle. Also not sure it will dry between now and monday. Guess I will cut a pasture that is being grazed next door. Can always roll it monday before the storms roll in. Cripes, it's the first of June-where are our 90 degree temps?


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Our weather here is probably normal for most of you guys, but wet and humid for us. Need to cut hay. I'm bored.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Feels like mid April here.


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## traden86 (May 16, 2013)

Here in SW AR we've had a cooler and somewhat wet spring. Have had only a handful of days that we hit 90 degrees, which is very unusual!! Have managed to put up @ 700 4x6's so far.


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## ETXhayman (Jul 19, 2012)

Has been unseasonably cool here. 80's mostly. Have rolled up 219 bales so far this year. We have only baled 4 fields this spring. Most fields are thin, too thin to try and mess with. You guys up in the northeast are more than welcome to send the rain down our way!


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

We've had two good windows so far, first one I was still socking seed in the ground. Have hay down now, Have till Sunday night to get it baled and off the field then it looks like the first two weeks of June are going to be wet.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

There's only been 1 real window to cut and bale here in NC so far this Spring. Last spring I think there was 2 windows of opportunity here. Wife says she's dropping the rest of the Oats this morning even if they are calling for a few showers this evening. Starting Tues. or Wed. of next week, depending on who you listen to, it's all down hill. Heck they don't even have all the Soybeans sowed here and at other farms around. She says now she wish she had dropped it all last week but even last week was iffy and everyone around here was gun shy to risk dropping too much.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

If most people are having to wait, it's not as if your customers are going to all flee in favor of spectacular hay being made elsewhere. Don't get too antsy.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

E-mailed some to Cy, don't know iffin he got it!  Can send you some too, if you'd like, just PM me!


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## whitmerlegacyfarm (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm putting down another 10a.c. this evening hop in to bale Sunday or Monday before pm rain moves in. I got a lot to get to. I also tended 4 times over the holiday weekend to get o grass dry enough to bale with preservative.


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## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

We are behind now. We were suppose to cut this week but got swamped with 6" of rain instead (won't complain) now we gotta start rolling next week on fields we can get into. Coastal is laying down and seeded out, it's ready to be cut. Have about 225 acres ready now


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Hayman1 said:


> Yep, JD-same here. Made really pretty hay last week but had to work at it. tedding 4 times, then drying raked windrow over night. Still have my orchard-timothy mix field to go and all my mixed grass.
> 
> Thought we had lucked out with lodging but this is lodging weather supreme! Lots of stuff starting to go down. Had planned to cut this am but still foggy here with drizzle. Also not sure it will dry between now and monday. Guess I will cut a pasture that is being grazed next door. Can always roll it monday before the storms roll in. Cripes, it's the first of June-where are our 90 degree temps?


They came over here. Only lost 3 degrees on the trip as it is 87 now. Grass is growing well. A bit too wet though. There will be lots of fallow corn ground here.

I just rode w/ neighbor planting corn. 8325R pulling I think a 2013 16 row JD planter. Nice rig.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Problem here is we get 3-4 days of sun and COOL temps (not enough to make hay) then 3-4 days of rain. 
Sad watching some really clean hay start lodging.
Dogbane oughta be dropping in for a visit in a week.


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## DSLinc1017 (Sep 27, 2009)

Forecast @ 5pm said 3 days of partly cloudy with low humidity, This would be my first window, if you can even call it that. Just laid down a measly 8 acres of high sandy ground. As soon as I was off the tractor the sky opened up.... Will be playing the tedding game all weekend. 
Been wet and chilly here too. Last year this same date was our first window as well, but put up at least 20 acres.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

We had perfect hay weather until this front moved in. Now the forecast is two weeks of rain with one day of sunshine. We baled last week with temps in the 90's.

I have 2 ryegrass fields that may not be worth cutting in two weeks.

So far our yields have been about half of normal. The colder than normal winter seems to have taken a toll.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

We have had 5 days of rain, and they are calling for 3-4 more days. I have hay I need to cut NOW. I have 60+ acres that are good to go just don't know when I will get the window.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

One field that got mowed today had part of it looked like someone ran a steam roller over part of the damn thing. Then got .6" of rain on top of all of it. Tedder will be working overtime over the next 2 days. After Tues. it's downhill again, chance of rain almost everyday.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

The other thing about cool, rainy weather is that grass isn't going to go downhill nearly as rapidly as hot and rainy. In addition to that, hay that you feel looks too old or stemmy coming out of the field almost always looks a lot better coming out of the barn in the winter when it's cold and there is snow on the ground. Sure, orchard grass is overripe here already, but if it's well fertilized there ought to be enough leaves to keep it looking good.

Serenity now


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I still have standing water. Rain comes back Monday night. Ground too damp to cut. 
Serenity? Uhhhhhh, ok.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Serenity now:


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

8350HiTech said:


> Serenity now


You got it!!!






I can sing the hell out of this song. On the tractor, by myself!!!


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Grateful, exactly! But I will accept bonfire's response as well


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## pengs68 (Jul 3, 2009)

Same cool and wet pattern here in Upstate NY. It is real frustrating when you have some nice fields of Orchard grass hay that is prime, and know your not getting on that field for 2 weeks. I see why my father started planting more Brome grass. That still looks good in a bale in late August.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

pengs68 said:


> Same cool and wet pattern here in Upstate NY. It is real frustrating when you have some nice fields of Orchard grass hay that is prime, and know your not getting on that field for 2 weeks. I see why my father started planting more Brome grass. That still looks good in a bale in late August.


Sounds like a great idea. Do horses like it?


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## pengs68 (Jul 3, 2009)

Yes our customers like it. We have some with more timothy mixed with the Brome. They really like that.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

That's the hay business guys. Not getting horribly late yet, least not here. A few years ago I custom mowed a guys first cutting in August, that was only two months late. One field in the area never got cut at all in the area (not mine).


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

I put up around 1000 bales of late cut 1st crop last year, only have around 125 bales left, and only took a 50 cent per bale hit on it! I think that the winter we just had might have been part of it!


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## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

Seen this driving along the fence line this morning in one of the patches that is ready now, guess this is the only down side of rain cause now I got another problem


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

Colby said:


> Seen this driving along the fence line this morning in one of the patches that is ready now, guess this is the only down side of rain cause now I got another problem


What the heck caused that and what is it?


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

looks like wild hogs-is that what did that?


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## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

Yes it's hogs they come in this patch bad


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Time for the neighborhood pig roast.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

pengs68 said:


> Same cool and wet pattern here in Upstate NY. It is real frustrating when you have some nice fields of Orchard grass hay that is prime, and know your not getting on that field for 2 weeks. I see why my father started planting more Brome grass. That still looks good in a bale in late August.


Havd a field of bromd and orchard grass makss beautiful hay cows like it. Usually try to have a good mix of fields seeded with different grasses with or without clover. Not a good idea having all your eggs in one basket. Some years are better for some mixes than others.

Start in may chopping and can bale the last of first in august depending on weather


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

Im in the same boat here in NW IL. My only window was last week. Couldn't cut it because I sold my old deere 1219 and had a deal worked out with a local guy. He likes that im a young, smaller farmer, willing to take on the big boys in the area and wants to help me out as much as he can. He is renting me his new deere cutter, problem is, it was being used that day, go figure. And I was on shift Saturday with rain coming sunday and Monday, so I couldn't cut Friday. Ahhhh the joys of working FT off the farm, and trying to make a go of farming on the side. LOOKS like this sunday is my next window. If so im dropping my 50 acres of hay and the 30 acres of custom work that Ive picked up. Its getting all rolled up, so Im gonna be busy busy busy all week, or atleast I hope to be!


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Yesterday I had a great drying day for some grass hay. I was planning to rake the windrows together this morning and bale and stack this afternoon. Only to wake up to heavy fog!. No signs of lifting either. (sigh).


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Now for the fun part here, I might have a three day window after today, but temps will be 72, 74, and 77 then rain 50% rain Saturday night and Sunday. If the temps were in the 80's like normal I'd drop it. Also going to depend on how much rain we get today, this is on lighter ground, but we've had 7" of rain the latter half of last month, even sand can only take so much.


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## whitmerlegacyfarm (Aug 26, 2011)

I'm putting more down this evenin even though call in for rain. I'm gonna Ted away. I have a buyer that says cut away he needs it. I got to keep plugging away I'm only 18a.c. into 100ac of small squares.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

whitmerlegacyfarm said:


> I'm putting more down this evenin even though call in for rain. I'm gonna Ted away. I have a buyer that says cut away he needs it. I got to keep plugging away I'm only 18a.c. into 100ac of small squares.


What's your buyer going to do if you get 6" of rain tonight?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Last time I mowed with a slight chance of rain, took two weeks to finally get it off the field.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

I'd be giving the buyer the "I'm the grower and you're the buyer" speech.


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## rajela (Feb 15, 2014)

He would be giving me an advance on the pay.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

8350HiTech said:


> What's your buyer going to do if you get 6" of rain tonight?


Good question! That's what I was thinking.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Forecast isnt that bad for central PA. AM showers tomorrow then clear. i am knocking some down tomorrow night. Wrap some on sat and bale the rest dry monday.


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## nanuk (Aug 29, 2011)

cold and wet up in central Saskatchewan

snowed a couple days ago nearby.... lows of 2C overnight

And more rain in the forecast.

at least my lawn is growing fast


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaMike said:


> Forecast isnt that bad for central PA. AM showers tomorrow then clear. i am knocking some down tomorrow night. Wrap some on sat and bale the rest dry monday.


We getting our AM "showers" right now. 
Looks more like AM downpours lol
I can feel my bank account getting smaller with each passing day.


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## Liberty1 (Jun 17, 2014)

It's hot here in south central Kentucky. 90, 91, today was 95. But wet weather caused a field of fescue n orchard grass to get over ripe because I couldn't cut it. But I just got it done over the last 5 days, alfalfa too.


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