Dry Dry Dry

[4Diamond]

Hay season is in full swing here and it's unreal how dry we are getting. Hay is producing at best a ton to the acre and pastures are burnt up. I expect this in July and August but in May it is hard to deal with. We are having amazing weather for haying but it is really zapping what moisture we have.

What are other parts of the country experiencing?

 

[katrina]

Yup... Froze here last week four days in a row... Sooooo dry.... We're cutting alfalfla right now.....Pretty sad... Glad we didn't sell any hay... We maybe feeding it in a month.....

 

[Anonymous]

Some ranchers in this area have some grass but little to no water and are already starting to haul water. We irrigate hay and are in good shape but dry land hay without more rain won't be much. I expect my cows will be home on irrigated forage sooner than normal! Mel

 

[nmhighdesert]

At my place in eastern NM, I have 3.15" total for the year, which is already above the 2011 total. With the last 1.8" coming the past Sunday and Monday. There is some grass coming but it is spotty. My neighbor 2 miles northeast only got 1.1" out of it. The blessing has been closer to normal spring weather, highs in the 70's and 80's. Supposed to get high 90's in a week though.

 

[Anonymous]

The size of the area all of us represents and it being dry, makes me feel hay may be expesive! :???:

 

[leanin' H]

Still really hoping and praying for some rain. It is wicked dry out here and i reported a lightning strike fire as i came home from work today. We haven't had rain for almost 2 months but the forecast gives us a 50% chance friday. Feeder hay is at $200 and up. Last years hay to boot. :shock: We won't cut hay for another month atleast.

 

[PATB]

We have gone from a very very dry early spring to an excessive wet spell. the weather needs to change so I can start haying.

 

[bverellen]

Rains just started this past week, grass is starting to pop, finally.

Old timers here are warning this should be a bad hurricane season, way too hot and humid way too early this year.

Best Regards....

 

[Anonymous]

Hopefully they will push a little moisture into the high plains!!

 

[Haytrucker]

In the northern Nebraska panhandle wheat is heading, and 1st cutting alfalfa is started. Farming is caught up to, so it's dry. Cattle are turning out but 30 to 60 days is expected without some rain. Our wheat usually hustles to head by Memorial day, same with hay cutting.
Katrina; our wheat froze three nights last week, right as the heads were showing. We might need a hailstorm, or a hot wire.

 

[RSL]

Full fireban here and 40mph winds the last few days. Drove through the leftovers of a grassfire on the way home, towns north of here a little ways have been evacuated, and some houses bit it. Lots of out of control blazes around.

 

[Anonymous]

Northeastern MT- we are over an inch above normal (which is quite a bit in an area that has a yearly average of 11.5 all year) Sub moisture is good- and water table is high- springs and creeks all running...

Wheat and grass has a great start (with about everyone having a lot of old grass/pasture left)... Lots of old hay left- and talking with some others today they feel we will have a lot of prairie hay this year if we get one or two more rains...

Weather bureau is predicting rain showers for Friday..

 

[4Diamond]

Glad I am not alone :shock: . We have had desert weather upper 30's of a night and mid 80's of a day and very low humidity.

Ran enough hay ground yesterday for 400 bales and got 185. It's frustrating but I know others are much worse off.

 

[WyomingRancher]

Went from snow and extreme cold daily during February to hot and dry over the past 75 days. I turned my ditches on March 22 since the snowpack was melting, and I'm happy I did. At least I got a little water on most of the meadows, though it will be short-lived. I'm operating in drought mode, and plan to reduce forest numbers. Many of the yearling folks in the area are squirming with their $1000+ steers. It's not a good situation for anyone, and I wonder if we'll be able to find any hay for next winter.

 

[Denny]

Should be on grass here but I've got leftover silage to feed up and plenty of hay. If I find a little help we'll get them on grass over the weekend then Plant some silage corn. I'll carry over 250 ton of hay plus my extra land purchase I'm sitting at a 100 cows short if we keep getting some timely rain.

 

[3words]

Hay season is in full swing here and it's unreal how dry we are getting. Hay is producing at best a ton to the acre and pastures are burnt up. I expect this in July and August but in May it is hard to deal with. We are having amazing weather for haying but it is really zapping what moisture we have.

What are other parts of the country experiencing?

That is probably our area average is a ton an acre,what do you normally expect to get for a yield per cutting?

 

[Cedarcreek]

Northeastern MT- we are over an inch above normal (which is quite a bit in an area that has a yearly average of 11.5 all year) Sub moisture is good- and water table is high- springs and creeks all running...

Wheat and grass has a great start (with about everyone having a lot of old grass/pasture left)... Lots of old hay left- and talking with some others today they feel we will have a lot of prairie hay this year if we get one or two more rains...

Weather bureau is predicting rain showers for Friday..

I'm less than a 100 miles south of you and we are dry, pastures don't look very good and it is questionable if we will get any hay unless we get some rain soon.

 

[Anonymous]

Northeastern MT- we are over an inch above normal (which is quite a bit in an area that has a yearly average of 11.5 all year) Sub moisture is good- and water table is high- springs and creeks all running...

Wheat and grass has a great start (with about everyone having a lot of old grass/pasture left)... Lots of old hay left- and talking with some others today they feel we will have a lot of prairie hay this year if we get one or two more rains...

Weather bureau is predicting rain showers for Friday..

I'm less than a 100 miles south of you and we are dry, pastures don't look very good and it is questionable if we will get any hay unless we get some rain soon.

Yeah I heard that...Pulaski was talking about how dry the sugar beets area of the Yellowstone River Valley is...I saw on another site where they are already selling cattle off from SE MT and down into WY, SD, and NB- as that corner is so dry they have no grass coming yet...

We are getting a little shower this morning...Only about .2 overnight- but by the radar it is showing further north got close to .5 and that parts of Phillips County and up along the border in the Theony area got up to an inch..
This .2 is just perfect- as I was looking at the new seeded irrigated alfalfa fields yesterday- and it was just breaking thru...This should help it come thru the topsoil and at least get it up to where we can put water on it if we have to..

 

[4Diamond]

Hay season is in full swing here and it's unreal how dry we are getting. Hay is producing at best a ton to the acre and pastures are burnt up. I expect this in July and August but in May it is hard to deal with. We are having amazing weather for haying but it is really zapping what moisture we have.

What are other parts of the country experiencing?

That is probably our area average is a ton an acre,what do you normally expect to get for a yield per cutting?

We shoot for 2-2.5 generally or on a"normal" year. However it's been awhile since we have had normal. Last year we were flooded and yields were down.

 

[floyd]

I usually cut around Memorial Day. Look for rain then.