glinka

With such wet weather what do you do when the hay is so high. I have a NH 589 haybine, NH 256 rake and Deere 14 T baler. I'm new, second year, at haying. Only haying a few acres. Should I cut with haybine part way down or what?

farmertim

Hey glinka, welcome to the forum, I have very limited experience with crops, there are quite a few people on here who should have an answer for you. If you have any photos of your gear please post them so we can all check them out.
Cheers

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Mickey

That was just normal spring time haying for me. Having an MC is a good thing. Cut as normal and keep a fairly narrow row of the cut grass so as to expose as much of the ground as you can. Want to expose the ground so it can dry out as quickly as possible. Give it a day or two until exposed ground is fairly dry before raking. When raking try and make the row fairly wide so as to expose as much of the grass to drying sun and breeze as possible. Should be ready to bale on 3rd or 4th day depending upon weather conditions. It helps if you don't use a side delivery rake as they'll rope the hay if it's long. A tedder sure comes in handy when drying conditions aren't favorable.

I started out using a side delivery rake and that lasted maybe a couple months. Lots of clover and alfalfa grown in the area and it real long and leggy come first cutting. Side delivery rake made it all but impossible to dry in a decent amount of time.

I had a rake like this (this is not my rake). Haven't seen one like this in yrs. Seem to recall is was made in Denmark. Did wonders for me. Also had a 2 row tedder.

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glinka

Should I cut with haybine part way down or what? I do have side rake, no tedder.

Mickey

I always cut at a height of 2-3 inches. A lot of technique is very regional in nature. What either works or doesn't works in one location may differ in another location.

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rsmith335

Wow, I think you might think about hiring it out. Your crop is big and I don't think you have the equipment to handle such a job. Unless you don't take complete swathes. But what do I know I'm just a plumber! We have some real farmers here and they will give you the info. you need.

Country Boy

If you have problems with wet weather, it may pay to set the guide shoes underneath the header on the haybine to a higher setting (extend them out), so it cuts longer stubble. That way it will help keep the cut hay off the ground for faster drying. I'd lower the haybine so it rests on the guide shoes when cutting. No point in cutting it extra high. You will probably have to drive in a lower gear so the haybine can handle the extra hay coming in. I like to lay the windrows wide for baling because that exposes the largest amount of hay possible to the sun for quick drying. I try to roll it when the stems just spring back when you scrunch up a handful of them. If its too dry when rolling, the leaves on the alfalfa/clover/etc will be knocked off and lost. They are the most protein rich part of the plant, and most folks pay for hay based partly on the protein content. If its too wet when rolled, the hay will take forever to dry. If you are concerned about the ground being extra wet, you could set the haybine to make medium width windrows, and just rake it an extra time. A tedder helps with drying, but I have never had one. My grandpa did, but he never replaced it when it broke.

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wass

Our hay is tall and heavy also. The first cutting is always a pain! I'll have to wait a couple days after the rain stops to dry a little, then cut with a wide windrow, ted to fluff it up the second day and use a rake or inverter when it's about ready ( or before it starts to mold ). The way the weather has been, I'm not cutting without at least a 6 day window and then not too much at a time.

glinka

The way the weather has been, I'm not cutting without at least a 6 day window and then not too much at a time.
Wass did you mean cut,rake and bale just part of field. LEAVE REST FOR ANOTHER TIME?

wass

Generally cut. If the window is there, I'll drop some and continue worrying about what's already on the ground. Last year we had a good looking 10 day window and dropped about 10 acres. Well, it rained about the time it was ready to bail and even with daily teding or inverting, it molded so I lost about 25 tons (that I sold to a not so picky beef farmer ). The year before, I lost more! It's a crap shoot no matter how careful you are, but sooner or later you have to do it. You know, that stuff won't even burn in the windrows if it's damp, even with a flame thrower! Welcome to the world of hay production! It's always satisfying to put up really nice hay, but it doesn't always happen.

Mickey

In addition to the normal equipment I had a sprayer system, trade name HAY SAVER, that I had mounted to the baler. Used a liquid containing propanoic acid which prevented the growth on mold so hay could be baled at higher moisture content than normal. Sometime made the difference between getting hay crop in over total loss.

Remember the first time I used it. Wasn't sure but with weather change if was this or no hay. Later that yr I asked the customer how the hay was after being baled at quite high moisture content, he said his son entered a bale at the county fair and walked away with a blue ribbon. Only had to use it a few times but it did the trick.

Propanoic acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Cub Cadet 3204
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Bolens 1257 w/36" tiller

wjjones

That sounds like a handy piece of equipment everyone is raking, and rolling around here this weekend.. Its tall as well but they are cutting right down to the normal height..

wass

We just had 2" of rain yesterday, nice today, chance of rain tomorrow and tomorrow night and then maybe a window. This clay holds the moisture pretty good! I've got to be patient.

glinka

Is there a site that is geared to haying weather nationally? I go to three different local weather sites and they ussually don't agree. I also look at neighbor dairy farmer, but he uses big round bales which I think can stand more moisture.

wass

I understand that you can get a book from your New Holland dealer that outlines all the info about hay production. The weather thing... as far as I know you get to analize all the info yourself and make your best guess. The big round bales actually have to be baled at a lower moisture because they can't breath like the small squares. They shouldn't be stored or stacked for at least 4 days due to a heating cycle they undergo due to bacteria cycling through. They can get hot enough to burn ( as the small squares can ). If you store them uncovered outside, they should be on high well drained ground with about 2 or 3 ft in between with the ends facing south so they can dry out in between getting wet. A temp probe is a good investment, as is a moisture one.

glinka

Wass, so are you saying if I see the farmer next to me mowing it might be good because he needs even more time to dry doing round bales than I do with sqaure bales. I always heard you could watch old farmers around you and see what to do. The problem it's the guy with round bales and another novice like me.

wjjones

May be time to meet the guy doing the round bales if hes been doing it awhile, and get some input. The ones around my area are doing both on the same farm they do round bales, and square bales. Usually the older farmers are all to happy to help with any info...