# New to growing hay



## threewatt (Jun 27, 2010)

Friends of mine bought a new house the guy before grew hay on about 7 of the 10 ac. I have tons of ?'s to ask anyone wanna help me?








1. How many sq bales should an acre yeild
2. Triple 19 should it be used on the hay field in the fall
3. If the hay field is over 7 years old and has alfalfa in the field should it be replanted
HELP!!!


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## BCFENCE (Jul 26, 2008)

Question 1, It all depends on what kind of forage you are raising. If it is alfalfa/ orchardgrass i would guess around 200 to 250, This number will depend upon the weather, as in how much rain you get and growing season.Small bales.
Question 2, I would pull a soil sample and put what the tests say, I like to put ferdlizer on in the fall.
Question 3, Yes it most likely should be played out or right on the verge of it, Around here you need to plant something else in it for a year or two, This helps to control weeds and also here you cant sew alfalfa in an existing stand because the toxins in a existing stand will kill new growth alfalfa, Thats the reason for planting something diffrent for a year of two.


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## sedurbin (May 30, 2009)

> If it is alfalfa/ orchardgrass i would guess around 200 to 250


I want some of your fields, BCFence, A good cutting for me is ~100 bales/ac @ 55 pounds per bale that is about 36 bales per ton and a heavy stand here might produce a little more than 3 tons per ac. (Usually less)

In answer to the Q. about Fertilizer, I agree about getting a soil sample.


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## BCFENCE (Jul 26, 2008)

Ive cut twice allready and will cut atleast 5 to 6 times in a season. Ive allready baled 85 bales to the acre average so far with at least 3 to 4 cuttings left, This will depend on rain fall i should say.


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## threewatt (Jun 27, 2010)

*First let me thank you to all that have replied*
My Name is Linda am in Michigan the weather has been poor for cutting hay lots of rain! They got part of 1st cutting (only 110 sm bales) off about 2 of the 7 ac.
The field has alfalfa, timothy and clover with weeds! lol
The guy that cuts their field only wants to use triple 19 in the fall and not redo the field! The Watts (homeowner) are wondering if it's worth replanting or should they just buy hay for their horses and pasture the land off. 1) What would the cost run to redo the field? 2) Cost to use triple 19 on 7 ac
Horse hay here in Michigan goes for $3 to $5 per bale they have 4 Tennessee Walkers! 
Again THANK YOU ALL for your support! 
Linda


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Linda:

First, welcome to one of the two businesses where you can make a small fortune! But only by starting with a large fortune! (The other business is horses!)

I apply only potash and DAP (diammonium phosphate) to fields which have legumes, clover or alfalfa, in them. DAP provides 18 units of nitrogen (N), the legumes supply the rest. I had been applying about 300 units of potassium (K) and 70 units of phosphorus (P) in late winter because of pricing, but this year I am switching to a fall application (late September/early October).

On pure grass fields, I apply 100-120 units of N in late February/early March just be green-up. I then apply another 80-120 units after first cutting.

For reference, potash is 60% potassium (K) or 60 lbs potassium per 100 lbs of potash. Therefore, to get 300 units of K, I need to apply 500 lbs of potash. 300 units/.60 lbs per unit = 500 lbs of potash/acre.

DAP is 46% phosphorous, so the equation becomes 70 units/.46 lbs per unit = 152 lbs of DAP/acre.

For this amount (7 acres) you might talk to your local fertilizer dealer about having them spread it for you--you can get a bulk rate and don't have to move 2-4 tons of bags yourself.

This is probably way more than you ever wanted to know, but I hope it helps you understand fertilization a little better.

I would think that 7 acres is hardly worth the trouble of cutting and baling and that they might be ahead of the game by splitting the field into two pastures--graze one, let the other rest, then switch. Being in Michigan, I would guess that a cool season grass mix of orchardgrass/timothy/alfalfa would give you about 6-8 months of good grazing for 4 horses each year.

If it is just being used as pasture, then 50-100 lbs/ac of 19-19-19 would probably be plenty - but get a couple of soil tests just to confirm.

Ralph


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