# Bales pre acre square



## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

What can you pull per acre with good fertilizer, N after each cut and spray for weeds? Cutting coastal Bermuda.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Very good harvest...probably too mature..... 100 bales +-, normally around 70 at maturity......bales are 40-42" 65lbs avg.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I suppose you ask in order to figure out if yu can make money at that rate....the answer is yes.....BUT.....you need equipment and lots of it, or help and lots of it....prolly easier to get the equipment.....and storage, you'll be amazed how much storage one needs to put up any real quantity of squares.

Here's how it breaks down....fertilizer costs per cutting.....130 per acre. Lime costs.....35 per acre. herbicide costs.....15 per acre. Insecticide costs ...25 per acre......fuel costs 10 per acre

So about 210-225 per acre in direct out of pocket expenses.....70 bales x $5= 350
Now back out labor costs and equipment costs.....
Start eating a lot of samiches......but with round rolling, I couldn't even afford the bread....


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

I have a 100hp case, 45hp Mahindra 575 new Holland baller. have a 30x70 barn. 499 NH hay bine, 8 wheel rake. Oh and 2 kids. Putting in 25 acres of Bermuda got the soil sample done 25 tons of lime will be here on Thursday chicken litter on Friday. I have the $ to put in on the front end to make quality horse hay. I have guys say they cut 250 plus here with fertilizer. I have the means to make good hay.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

yarnammurt said:


> I have a 100hp case, 45hp Mahindra 575 new Holland baller. have a 30x70 barn. 499 NH hay bine, 8 wheel rake. Oh and 2 kids. Putting in 25 acres of Bermuda got the soil sample done 25 tons of lime will be here on Thursday chicken litter on Friday. I have the $ to put in on the front end to make quality horse hay. I have guys say they cut 250 plus here with fertilizer. I have the means to make good hay.


There's no way they are producing that much, no way.....well, if they're making 20lb bales maybe....

Why the chicken litter now?

1 ton per acre of lime? What did the soil tests reveal?

Regardless, don't go in thinking you'll get that kind of yield, it ain't gonna happen, not of horse quality hay. Horse quality Bermuda should be harvested on a 29-31 day cycle, any longer than that, it begins to loose digestibility and protein, depending on what type (btw what type) it can become stemmy and unmanageable for squares. Watch those P values with extended use of litter.

What about a sprayer? Gonna need a sprayer of some sort, absolutely a must have.

Accumulator?

How old are them younguns? Gonna need to have strong backs to handle a decent quantity of squares. That 30x70 will hold about 4k bales depending on height and stacking, that's around two cuttings of 25 acres....

Oh, and don't be set for any horse hay this year if you're sprigging the field this spring, may have a cut worth making in sept. depending on Mother Nature.....


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

yarnammurt said:


> I have a 100hp case, 45hp Mahindra 575 new Holland baller. have a 30x70 barn. 499 NH hay bine, 8 wheel rake. Oh and 2 kids. Putting in 25 acres of Bermuda got the soil sample done 25 tons of lime will be here on Thursday chicken litter on Friday. I have the $ to put in on the front end to make quality horse hay. I have guys say they cut 250 plus here with fertilizer. I have the means to make good hay.


We're growing timothy, orchard, mixed grass and teff. We don't topdress since by July we have the heat rolling in with no water unless huricanes till sept if then. I am damn tickled when we get 125 bales per acre. Must be nice to get 250. I'd rent you my wife for that! In the last 10 years probably only 3 had enough to take a machine out for second or third cutting.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

Got a sprayer for the farm, And accumulator. The other barn is going up in April. The soil sample call for 3500lbs acre of lime. . If you don't buy the litter now you want get it latter. Got a 13 yo that runs a tractor all day. No hand hauling have a grapple. Not going in thinking of getting that this year. We work a farm we raise Show hog and goats.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

They are growing Tifton 85


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

We cut 3-4 cuts for cow hay every year.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Is yarnammurt asking about total yield/ac. per season or per cutting yield/ac.?

Regards, Mike


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

Either or total per year or per cut.


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

I have had some pretty thick timothy and or orchard and 3 to 3.5 ton/ac on first cutting is about the best I have ever seen.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

Vol said:


> Is yarnammurt asking about total yield/ac. per season or per cutting yield/ac.?
> 
> Regards, Mike


What part of East TN? I was born in Crossville, Tn


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Sevierville.....The little woman and I go to the Cumberland Co. Playhouse in Crossville several times a year...and enjoy eating at Halcyon Days Restaurant located at the winery.

Regards, Mike


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Vol said:


> Is yarnammurt asking about total yield/ac. per season or per cutting yield/ac.?
> 
> Regards, Mike


Ya know mike....I went out to eat with the fam and couldn't help but think that same thing......I'll revise my figures to reflect whole year harvest.

Yarnammurt, that's a weird name, what is it? Anyway, couldn't help but think about your response, and I think your buddies were talking about per acre per season....not per cuttin, I may have misunderstood....

Just multiply everything by 4.....you'll arrive at the correct figures...normally I don't cut Tift 85 for squares....but we do occasionally, and when we do, it's got to be done on time or early (I shoot for 25 days) if it gets beyond 37-40 days, it can be a pita and looks like hell in a square bale. You would be well advised to look into something a little less forgiving (and finer bladed) for horse hay. Tift 85 was primarily designed for cows...although horses readily eat it and do very well on it, it's the customer that buys it that you have to please, most of my customers want a finer bladed grass. Some want a few bales of Tift 85, but primarily they want Alicia, Tift 44, maybe some of the other hybrids fit the bill as well. One good thing about Tift 85, it will outyeild all of the other Bermuda grasses....so I think you can expect 280-300 bales per acre per YEAR....make sure to adjust those inputs and multiply times 4.....

If your plans are to put down litter at the first of the year, you'd have to haul in truck load after truck load of litter....bear in mind I don't know what the analysis of that litter is, but Bermuda grass that is actively growing can use up to 3 lbs of N per day....you can tell easily when it doesn't have enough by the color....I use 90 units of N after each cutting for the next cut, potash requirements are very high as well, skimp on potash and your stand will suffer.....especially if you have a drought. I shoot for 400 N and 300 K per season....hth


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## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

Potash is very important for growing and maintaining hay.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Bob M said:


> Potash is very important for growing and maintaining hay.


You are absolutely right Bob, I'm sure you know a few who don't use it, I do too...they'll spin some N out and be done with it....

Couple of years ago I had a friend that has a Tift 85 field, bout 30 ac. He's notoriously cheap with amendments....not the N, just K and lime, I don't even think they cut the field two years ago it was so poor....he said he thinks the drought got it....he's right, but it coulda been prevented by adding potash (K) during the preceding seasons. Potash is absolutely essential for deep root growth and a vigorous healthy field.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

Not putting down litter now just have to get it now. I can get it to the farm for $35 ton. Latter on in the season it will be $55+.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

somedevildawg said:


> You are absolutely right Bob, I'm sure you know a few who don't use it, I do too...they'll spin some N out and be done with it....
> 
> Couple of years ago I had a friend that has a Tift 85 field, bout 30 ac. He's notoriously cheap with amendments....not the N, just K and lime, I don't even think they cut the field two years ago it was so poor....he said he thinks the drought got it....he's right, but it coulda been prevented by adding potash (K) during the preceding seasons. Potash is absolutely essential for deep root growth and a vigorous healthy field.


Drought is when it will really show up if one neglects Potash and lets the "levels" get low.

Regards, Mike


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

yarnammurt said:


> Not putting down litter now just have to get it now. I can get it to the farm for $35 ton. Latter on in the season it will be $55+.


You're gonna need some type of analysis for that litter, gotta have some serious N....did I understand you to say that you will be sprigging this field this spring? Heres what I would recommend before sprigging.....first (1) how level is that field? I would get it as smooth as a baby's butt if I could....it'll pay dividends later...(2) is there a large market for Tift 85 small squares......you can produce about 8k small squares on that size field (not that it would ever happen that way). (3) what's the PH on the field? Get it as high as possible, this means incorporating the lime into the soil rather than on top, this will be your last chance, do a good job of tillage to get it right (this kinda goes with nmbr 1). (4) Buy a bunch of 2-4d it's about the only thing you can do other than a pre emergent herbicide (can't remember the name) to control weeds and unwanted grasses. The stand will still need copious amounts of amendments throughout the season, despite the fact you won't be cutting any hay. A rotary mower will pay dividends during the early stages of growth. (5) sprigs, how are you going to obtain them, a nearby field? How are you going to put the sprigs out? (6) you need a round baler....can't remember if you had one, if not get one, you will need it....

keep in mind, if feeding up this hay for your animals is the purpose for the hay making..... You'll enjoy it......if you're trying to make some extra money with it, it's gonna take a while.....it's easy as hell from the road, tough to make it all come together tho...

The round baler is a must....when it rains and you can't get that 85 harvested on time, you'll be struggling to rake it and you will be wanting to get it off the field ASAP, if you don't have one you'll be SOL.....unless you have a friend close by with one, my recommendation is to buy one....

I would really put some thought and research into the market for the 85....not saying there isn't one, just make sure there is one.....in small squares that is....

Enjoy yourself, it'll be frustrating at times.....well, it's frustrating MOST of the time....but a bad day making hay is better than a good day doing nothin...


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## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Fairly typical is a ton of hay for each 6" of useable rain.

With care and fertilizer a ton of hay for 4" of rain.

If you work at it a ton of hay on 3" of rain.

But  it is also fairly common to yield a ton of ay on 12" of ran.


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## yarnammurt (Jan 1, 2014)

Ive been disking the field for the last 4 months. I run the chisel plow first than the disk. I have put down round up and will do it again before spring. I am going to disk in the lime before we sprig.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Bear in mind, roundup is only going to work on weeds and grasses that it comes in contact with, not for pre emergence. Have you already incorporated lime whilst doing that tillage?


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