Haying Techniques with Draft Animals

[near horse]

For you guys in the east (that’s pretty much anyone east of the Mississippi), while I know this has been a year of incredible precip, you all still get decent amounts of rain through out the summer. How do “arrange” or organize your haying? I suspect that you put down smaller amoutns and then tedd, bale haul – before the next rain. Is that correct?

The reason I ask is because in my area a lot of guys will swath huge amounts of ground (usually everything in a field say 100 ac or more) and mob ve to the next field and do the same. Then turn it w/ inverter and bale all of it – before the dreaded T-storm hits. My point is this – that what you guys do makes more sense (if indeed that is what you do). You then can end up with at least some good hay. In our system it’s the gamble – all your hay is likely to be similar – good or bad.

[Donn Hewes]

Geoff, Remember, I lived in Wa State for 17 years before NY. I understand about the weather out there. With the incredible drying that is available to you all summer, it doesn’t make sense to mow more in one day than you want to finish in one day. Depending on all the varables that may often be the next day. Don’t let the 100 ac. guys lead you astray. We do the same here, (only mow what we can put away). It just takes a few extra days sometimes. Also remember, getting rained on won’t ruin hay. It won’t be as good as it was but a shower in a dry climate with quick drying afterward isn’t a big deal. Donn

[Gabe Ayers]

Farmers grow grass, but weather makes hay.

Broken record here too Joel. Of course we have to remember we sometimes are talking to people that don’t even know what a record player is…. and a skipping disk player is not the same as a skipping record, were you can hear the words over and over…

Given the reality in the east, that seldom are there stands of one pure species or variety of grass or legumes – it is often difficult to get all the forage ripe at the same time. So we just try to base the harvest on the dominant species or one that comprises the greatest amount of the forage that will be saved by making hay out of it.

I agree with mowing in the afternoon to capture the sugars and also get the greatest quick drying of the hay during the best time of the day. The idea is to get the forage dry enough to preserve it under roof and that requires the right weather.

I think of the timing on the ripeness to be when the crop is at 3/4 maturity and not completely ripe. When it is ripe or completely mature the seeds all fall out in the handling of getting it into the barn and there goes all the digestible nutrition back out on the ground.

I also agree that a little rain just after cutting doesn’t hurt the hay as long as you can get it up off the ground and dry quickly after the rainfall. The problem with rained on hay is more about getting it dry enough to bale without it molding before packing it tight in a bale. It also is important that the hay not be in a windrow when it is rained on because the spiraling of the grasses that occurs when using a side delivery rake, makes it hard to dry the center of the windrow after it gets partially dry and then soaked with rain. So rain on a swath is not like rain on a windrow.

Our approach is about do as little as necessary to get the grasses dry and baled with as few passes over the field as possible. Look for a high pressure weather system approaching, mow it down in the afternoon, rake it the next day after the dew is off the top of the swath and bale it that afternoon. I don’t have a tedder and don’t want one. It is just another manipulation that is unnecessary given the right weather for mixed grass hay.

Another comment is that when you stack your hay in the barn put the cut edges down on all your bales and overlap them first one way and then another. This will allow some air movement in the hay mow or loft and will cure the hay to a stable moisture content without any further molding or degrading of your primary feed for the winter and use for working horses that may be on hay all the time.

I think an important consideration is thinking of this work as capturing solar energy in the form of dried grasses and legumes that provide the fuel for
biological power units that convert that captured solar energy into applicable power extracted from their movement under our direction. This view puts the traditional approaches in alignment with the new buzz word wheelers concerns over “sustainability”.

It always aggravates me when so many new comers to the “sustainable” community of interest are ignorant of the proven practices of the past that were more sustainable that most the hoopla of the current thinking about human presence on this living earth.

It flat out pisses me off when they dismiss what animal powered people are doing as “anachronistic” or old fashioned, backwards or stuck in the past. It really is an expression of the ignorance of history that many modern people have.

Here’s to hoping that all your bales be bright, tight and light.

PS – I guess most of you saw the photo posted on this thread of our hay beside the barn. I have an elevator but we only use it for the third floor loft and otherwise the elevation is human powered.

[near horse]

First, Jason, I hope this wasn’t directed at me because it is then most certainly misdirected.

It always aggravates me when so many new comers to the “sustainable” community of interest are ignorant of the proven practices of the past that were more sustainable that most the hoopla of the current thinking about human presence on this living earth.

It flat out pisses me off when they dismiss what animal powered people are doing as “anachronistic” or old fashioned, backwards or stuck in the past. It really is an expression of the ignorance of history that many modern people have

What I now have is about 250 bales of hay that are drying out in the field from a heavy duty T-storm.

Donn, I know you spent time here in the NW and maybe you recall that at least in E.WA and N ID there’s only enough precip to get 1 cutting of hay – so once it’s cut, it’s over. I still like the idea of “taking small bites” of the hay crop rather than trying to “wolf down” the whole thing at once. (Does that even make sense?). Unfortunately, by the time I wrote the original post, I was already committed to the latter – hence the bales in the field.

And I was sooo close to getting by except my hay hauling crew decided to no show (and one was my own son). That left me hauling in by myself and I came up short.

Oh, well. Thanks for the input. Joel – we used to question what was worse over ripe hay or rained on hay? The local forage guy said “If you choose to let it get over ripe, then you guarantee a loss in quality while if you try and harvest and risk rained on hay, you at least have a chance of getting quality hay in the barn.” Makes sense – although less so when you’re out there grumbling and turning wet windrows 😮

[OldKat]

Sometimes your only option is not one that you are particularly wild about. The thread is about Haying Techniques with Draft Animals, but since no one does that around where I live (yet?, still? again?) and the discussion has morphed a little to weather related issues let me tell you guys about something that the hay boys are doing here in response to the extreme temperatures / drought.

Not that very much hay is being cut & no more will be made this year unless we get some serious rain soon, but only a few days into the first cut the balers figured out that the hay was drying so fast that they had to either cut it late one afternoon and bale as soon as the dew burned off the next day OR cut earlier in the day (after dew burn off) and bale that same afternoon. I have never, ever known that to be the case in our area. We are usually clip one afternoon, rake the next day, rake again the next day and bale. Sometimes in really hot weather the second raking is skipped.

Cutting and baling within 24 hours is unheard of, but if they didn’t do it this year what little hay we had would have burned up. Most people are reporting 1/3 their normal first cut. Usually everyone gets a second cut, most people get a third and some even get a fourth and, if irrigated, a fifth cut. Not this year. There is so little soil moisture that the irrigated hay guys are not even bothering. They can’t get enough water on the grass to make a difference.

This too shall pass, this too shall pass, this too shall pass. That is all we have left to believe. Worst conditions, by far of my entire life. It is worse than the 7 year drought that we endured when I was a child. Worse than 1980 and that year set all the records. I think, well honestly, I don’t know what to think … 🙁

[near horse]

Sorry to hear Old Kat – the only thing worse than too much rain is no rain. A severe drought can set you back a long way. Do you think guys will start bringing in hay from other areas of the country? I hear that hay prices are off quite a bit – much due to dairies switching from alfalfa hay to silage of any type as much as possible in response to last years outrageous hay prices. Maybe the lower priced hay could help. I think that was from Hay and Forage newsletter. What do you hear?

Also, for all you hayers, there is a website called haytalk – mostly standard commercial hay stuff but lots of interesting stuff just the same.

Take care Old Kat – I see all of TX is still wicked hot. Drink a cold one (or more) for me and we’ll hope you get some relief.

[OldKat]

@near horse 10001 wrote:

Sorry to hear Old Kat – the only thing worse than too much rain is no rain. A severe drought can set you back a long way. Do you think guys will start bringing in hay from other areas of the country? I hear that hay prices are off quite a bit – much due to dairies switching from alfalfa hay to silage of any type as much as possible in response to last years outrageous hay prices. Maybe the lower priced hay could help. I think that was from Hay and Forage newsletter. What do you hear?

Also, for all you hayers, there is a website called haytalk – mostly standard commercial hay stuff but lots of interesting stuff just the same.

Take care Old Kat – I see all of TX is still wicked hot. Drink a cold one (or more) for me and we’ll hope you get some relief.

So far I have not seen much hay on the road. Last year we had near normal (whatever that is) rainfall until about July and I saw truckload after truckload of hay heading west out of our area as the areas immediately to the west of us, say 50 to 150 miles west were already in severe drought. Now it has spread into our area, too, so I doubt there will be much hay leaving for other parts. On the other hand I haven’t seen or heard of much coming in either.

I did see an 18 wheeler float with 32 rolls on it, pulled up in front of a feed store in a neighboring town early this morning. Looked to be 1,100 to 1,200 pound rolls of some sort of fine a stemmed grass (probably a hybrid Bermuda). Kind of hard to tell where it was coming from, but probably at least north Texas as everything to the east of us to probably Pascagoula, MS is almost as dry as we are. Believe me; I’ve already looked over that way. People just laugh when you call asking if they have any hay available.

Unfortunately this was the year when I finally had a large % of heifers, which I wanted to keep as replacements, but I am not sure what I can feed them if I do keep some or all of them. Tomorrow I am going to check with a neighbor who has a place about 100 miles north of us to see if I can move 15 or 20 cows up there as soon as I wean calves.

If anybody has any ideas on moving Mid-western hay down our way I am all ears.

[Livewater Farm]

I Am Trying To Figure Out How I Can Pick Up And Transport Round Wrapped Balage In An Earlier Post Somewhere There Was Talk Of Hydro Forks For Loose Hay Are These Still Available And Would They Pick Up And Load 1000/1200lb Bales Would Like To Transport 4 To 6 Bales At A Time On A Round Bale Wagon That I Own And Not Have To Have A Second Person With Tractor And Loader I Would Use A 3up To Haul The Wagon Any Suggestions I Have Looked At The Hd Forwarders It Would Be Ideal But Can Not Afford The Price Tag

Bill

[Y 4 Ranch]

Hi Bill!
I’ve not seen any new Hydro Forks, not sure if they still build them or not. I own one and have used them for some time. I don’t believe they are built heavy enough to make that kind of pick and if they could I’m almost positive they won’t stand up to prolonged heavy lifting. The grapple head on mine doesn’t have a rotational option which would make it very difficult to make a grab. I will say that they work very well for handling loose hay.
I would suggest looking at either the last or the one before of Small Farmers Journal, there is a wagon built in Canada by East Bruce Manufacturing, it side loads 5 or 6 bales and unloads them also. I think that having wrapped baleage would benefit from that wagon or something simular.
Mike

[Author]

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