Haying in Sept

[Dylan Biggs]

Haying in September, is still better then last year when we had no hay to cut.
Raining again today. Have never seen such a year. On the way home from Hanna the other day I was just leaving town and it started to rain and I caught myself thinking "I hope it's not raining at home". For the last 15 years it has been the opposite.

Maria raking.

Swainsons hawk getting fat like Gcreek said.

Seemed to be catching one every 5 mins.

Takes no time to eat it either.

 

[hillsdown]

Looks like you had a heck of a crop Dylan. Great pics of the hawk.

I know we shouldn't complain about the rain ,but it is making getting crops off very challenging to say the least. A lot of hay fields around here are being put into haylage .

We just got our green feed off last week, unbelievably without any rain . One of the best crops we have ever pulled off the land this year. Hay was 7 bales to the acre and green feed 6 bales to the acre. Now if we can get our second cut off before it freezes ,it will be a good crop year but the alfalfa isn't even blooming yet .

 

[greybeard]

Drove thru your area a couple of weeks ago. It looked overwhelming! Looked like most were equiped with wide swathers to make a decent swath in a light crop. Not the ideal unit for 3 1/2 ton acre cut.
First time I ever saw that area when nobody cut the ditches.
Some pastures looked tremendous, but some look like they will be a long time or maybe never recover from overgraizing in the past.

 

[Whitewing]

Dumb question here.....or perhaps as they say, a dumb questioner.

How are those round bales held together? I ask because I suspect the way they do it here is not the way it's done elsewhere.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Looks like you had a heck of a crop Dylan. Great pics of the hawk.

I know we shouldn't complain about the rain ,but it is making getting crops off very challenging to say the least. A lot of hay fields around here are being put into haylage .

We just got our green feed off last week, unbelievably without any rain . One of the best crops we have ever pulled off the land this year. Hay was 7 bales to the acre and green feed 6 bales to the acre. Now if we can get our second cut off before it freezes ,it will be a good crop year but the alfalfa isn't even blooming yet .

HD, good for you on the green feed!
I didn't get over your way this summer but I can imagine the hay crops must have been off the chart. Like you say though second cut could be a real challenge, may be you can get David Fox to make wrapped haylage bales for you. That isn't cheap though.

Good Luck

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Dumb question here.....or perhaps as they say, a dumb questioner.

Ours are wrapped with plastic twine before they are ejected from the baler.
Some people use net wrap. Hope that helps.

How are those round bales held together? I ask because I suspect the way they do it here is not the way it's done elsewhere.

Wrapped with plastic twine before they are ejected from the baler.
Hope that helps.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Drove thru your area a couple of weeks ago. It looked overwhelming! Looked like most were equiped with wide swathers to make a decent swath in a light crop. Not the ideal unit for 3 1/2 ton acre cut.
First time I ever saw that area when nobody cut the ditches.
Some pastures looked tremendous, but some look like they will be a long time or maybe never recover from overgraizing in the past.

You are right cutting this lodged hay crop with a 22 ft bat reel swather has not been ideal.

Few ditches hayed in our country except for down the #36 south to Brooks.

It is a real head scratcher to see poor pasture in a year like this, that is for sure.

In my travels and I don't have to go far there is pasture that looks about the same as last year.
:shock:

 

[Hayguy]

It looks like you found a very cost effective way to flip swath, compared to all the inverters, fluffers, re-conditioners etc that are out there. Alot of people forget that the cow doesn't really care what cut the hay, bales the hay, or feeds the hay, just that the hay gets delivered to them.

Hayguy

 

[Justin]

looks like those bales are out of a JD baler, am i close?

 

[hillsdown]

Looks like you had a heck of a crop Dylan. Great pics of the hawk.

I know we shouldn't complain about the rain ,but it is making getting crops off very challenging to say the least. A lot of hay fields around here are being put into haylage .

We just got our green feed off last week, unbelievably without any rain . One of the best crops we have ever pulled off the land this year. Hay was 7 bales to the acre and green feed 6 bales to the acre. Now if we can get our second cut off before it freezes ,it will be a good crop year but the alfalfa isn't even blooming yet .

HD, good for you on the green feed!
I didn't get over your way this summer but I can imagine the hay crops must have been off the chart. Like you say though second cut could be a real challenge, may be you can get David Fox to make wrapped haylage bales for you. That isn't cheap though.

Good Luck

Looks like you had a heck of a crop Dylan. Great pics of the hawk.

I know we shouldn't complain about the rain ,but it is making getting crops off very challenging to say the least. A lot of hay fields around here are being put into haylage .

We just got our green feed off last week, unbelievably without any rain . One of the best crops we have ever pulled off the land this year. Hay was 7 bales to the acre and green feed 6 bales to the acre. Now if we can get our second cut off before it freezes ,it will be a good crop year but the alfalfa isn't even blooming yet .

HD, good for you on the green feed!
I didn't get over your way this summer but I can imagine the hay crops must have been off the chart. Like you say though second cut could be a real challenge, may be you can get David Fox to make wrapped haylage bales for you. That isn't cheap though.

Good Luck

Thanks Dylan a huge dufference from the 1 bale to 2-3 acres we got last year, I just wish I had my cattle back that I sold last fall .

You know David, small world, the Fox's are really great people
The last time we spoke about the wrapping he wanted $15.00 a bale to wrap and they are 4x4 at best, not feasible for beef cattle with the market today . :???: But that is a heck of a machine he has and I know a lot of dairies love the hay that it puts up.
If the forecast is right it looks like we will get it off next week and are probably going to put it up into all small squares, hate to loose all those leaves when round baling, plus smalls are handy when you need to pen an animal for whatever the reason. May even sell some it, will help off set all of the machinery breakdown bills we had this summer . :roll:

Next time you are by going to be our way drop let me know . Would love to meet you all . :tiphat:

 

[Denny]

I wish the sun would shine for a week or two here maybe I'd finish the hi-ground. I was out fixing fence today and sunk my pickup on the highground found a soggy spot.Had my phone called for a ride will need to run a tractor up to retrieve the pickup. Our lowground is waiting for frozen ground hope we get it before we get snow.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

It looks like you found a very cost effective way to flip swath, compared to all the inverters, fluffers, re-conditioners etc that are out there. Alot of people forget that the cow doesn't really care what cut the hay, bales the hay, or feeds the hay, just that the hay gets delivered to them.

Hayguy

The old International 300 was the first tractor my Dad bought, the first tractor I operated as a kid and that rake has been around just as long.

That equipment doesn't owe anyone anything that's for sure.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

looks like those bales are out of a JD baler, am i close?

You couldn't get much closer unless you can tell what model it is?

 

[Dylan Biggs]

Looks like you had a heck of a crop Dylan. Great pics of the hawk.

I know we shouldn't complain about the rain ,but it is making getting crops off very challenging to say the least. A lot of hay fields around here are being put into haylage .

We just got our green feed off last week, unbelievably without any rain . One of the best crops we have ever pulled off the land this year. Hay was 7 bales to the acre and green feed 6 bales to the acre. Now if we can get our second cut off before it freezes ,it will be a good crop year but the alfalfa isn't even blooming yet .

HD, good for you on the green feed!
I didn't get over your way this summer but I can imagine the hay crops must have been off the chart. Like you say though second cut could be a real challenge, may be you can get David Fox to make wrapped haylage bales for you. That isn't cheap though.

Good Luck

Looks like you had a heck of a crop Dylan. Great pics of the hawk.

I know we shouldn't complain about the rain ,but it is making getting crops off very challenging to say the least. A lot of hay fields around here are being put into haylage .

We just got our green feed off last week, unbelievably without any rain . One of the best crops we have ever pulled off the land this year. Hay was 7 bales to the acre and green feed 6 bales to the acre. Now if we can get our second cut off before it freezes ,it will be a good crop year but the alfalfa isn't even blooming yet .

HD, good for you on the green feed!
I didn't get over your way this summer but I can imagine the hay crops must have been off the chart. Like you say though second cut could be a real challenge, may be you can get David Fox to make wrapped haylage bales for you. That isn't cheap though.

Good Luck

Thanks Dylan a huge dufference from the 1 bale to 2-3 acres we got last year, I just wish I had my cattle back that I sold last fall .

You know David, small world, the Fox's are really great people
The last time we spoke about the wrapping he wanted $15.00 a bale to wrap and they are 4x4 at best, not feasible for beef cattle with the market today . :???: But that is a heck of a machine he has and I know a lot of dairies love the hay that it puts up.
If the forecast is right it looks like we will get it off next week and are probably going to put it up into all small squares, hate to loose all those leaves when round baling, plus smalls are handy when you need to pen an animal for whatever the reason. May even sell some it, will help off set all of the machinery breakdown bills we had this summer . :roll:

Next time you are by going to be our way drop let me know . Would love to meet you all . :tiphat:

Thanks for the invite.

David did 500 bales of hailed out barley crop at Didsbury for me last year, he was good to work with, I thought you might be familiar with him.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

I wish the sun would shine for a week or two here maybe I'd finish the hi-ground. I was out fixing fence today and sunk my pickup on the highground found a soggy spot.Had my phone called for a ride will need to run a tractor up to retrieve the pickup. Our lowground is waiting for frozen ground hope we get it before we get snow.

I did my fair share of getting stuck this summer also, haven't been stuck for a while. The long term forecast here calls for it to be this same pattern for the rest of the month. If it holds into the winter we may be in for a good old fashion winter.

 

[Hereford76]

535

neat pictures of the hawk... seems like there are alot more of them around this year.

good luck getting the hay done and be carfeful with those "hope its not raining at home" comments

 

[Dylan Biggs]

535

neat pictures of the hawk... seems like there are alot more of them around this year.

good luck getting the hay done and be carfeful with those "hope its not raining at home" comments

535, that is right.

We didn't seem to have that many hawks around this summer but they sure know how to benefit from the haying operation.

Trust me, I was biting myself as soon as I thought it.
:shock:

 

[little bow rancher]

Drove thru your area a couple of weeks ago. It looked overwhelming! Looked like most were equiped with wide swathers to make a decent swath in a light crop. Not the ideal unit for 3 1/2 ton acre cut.
First time I ever saw that area when nobody cut the ditches.
Some pastures looked tremendous, but some look like they will be a long time or maybe never recover from overgraizing in the past.

You are right cutting this lodged hay crop with a 22 ft bat reel swather has not been ideal.

Few ditches hayed in our country except for down the #36 south to Brooks.

It is a real head scratcher to see poor pasture in a year like this, that is for sure.

In my travels and I don't have to go far there is pasture that looks about the same as last year.
:shock:

good to see your able to some feed this year , been up and down the 36 a couple of times this year and had the same feeling about some pastures , oh well that's what works for them , we planned on giving you a call when we come to bale , seen you were going to have a clinic in strathmore ,looks like fun

 

[gcreekrch]

HD or Dylan, $15.00 a bale to wrap? Is that an in-line or single bale wrapper? If single, are the bales stacked for this price.

There is about $5.50 worth of plastic on a single bale and maybe $3.00 on the in-line on 5x5 bales. Pretty easy to wrap 30-35 bales an hour on singles. Good rate for the guy wrapping.

 

[Dylan Biggs]

HD or Dylan, $15.00 a bale to wrap? Is that an in-line or single bale wrapper? If single, are the bales stacked for this price.

There is about $5.50 worth of plastic on a single bale and maybe $3.00 on the in-line on 5x5 bales. Pretty easy to wrap 30-35 bales an hour on singles. Good rate for the guy wrapping.

David used a McHale Fusion 2 baler that chops bales wraps with net wrap then moves it to another chamber to be wrapped with plastic. He charges me $16 per bale. It is quite a machine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp-G9v1213A