August hay

Titan 8820

Well-Known Member
Has anyone successfully made hay from young leafy grass?
I have a field that was reseeded this spring that really would be ideal to wrap now but I ended up having to wrap my earlier attempts at hay due to the poor weather so have no hay yet. Dont want more wrapped bales so its cut now and try hay from leafy grass or gamble on another fine week later this month?
 
Has anyone successfully made hay from young leafy grass?
I have a field that was reseeded this spring that really would be ideal to wrap now but I ended up having to wrap my earlier attempts at hay due to the poor weather so have no hay yet. Dont want more wrapped bales so its cut now and try hay from leafy grass or gamble on another fine week later this month?

Maybe you have reasons that I can't think of, but I'd put the grass in to black puddings and be done with it, cheaper and less stress. Mow, Ted, leave for 2 days, row up bale and wrap. As much and all as I hate silage bales, it'd be far superior feed to hay.
 
Tricky but not impossible, I have made hay out of second cut a few times.
You really need exceptional weather.
At this time of year the hay day is short 2pm till 5 or. 6 . I make a fair bit of hay but there's lots of work with it and you would want great patience.
 
Tricky but not impossible, I have made hay out of second cut a few times.
You really need exceptional weather.
At this time of year the hay day is short 2pm till 5 or. 6 . I make a fair bit of hay but there's lots of work with it and you would want great patience.
The latest I remember baling hay was the 8th of September, it was aftergrass we cut for silage but the weather was in a blaze so we said we'd chance it for hay. It was on the ground for a full fortnight, as you said the days are short and the best part of them goes burning off the dew from the night before.
 
I would honestly think you wouldn't have a hope of making hay out of new grass, it's just too leafy and has a real waxy leaf especially in the first year, I've seen new grass cut and turned twice and left down for 3 days and seemed quite dry only to find the bales of silage go like pancakes and the ass of the bale full of effluent, you will never get the burning sun of say late June or July in August but if do try it I wish you all the best. By the way if you do make silage of it then it will be probabl the best stuff you will make all year, often seen that type of stuff in the high 70's/80 dmd-rocket fuel.
 
had light cut of leafy grass the end of last Aug maybe 36 hours tops down disc mower not turned just raked. open the bale over winter it look like hay the cattle loved them anyway.
 
Work in progress.
IMAG0702.jpg
 
Tomorrow is do or die , got it for nothing so worth a try. Midlin sort of stuff.
I'm also conducting a fodder experiment by making the first and second cut in the one go.:unsure::unsure::unsure:
I baled some smashing second cut hay on Saturday 560 bales of 11 acre.real soft leafy stuff:cool1::cool1:
Had 550 bales off 5 acre today.first cut but locked up late april
 
Tomorrow is do or die , got it for nothing so worth a try. Midlin sort of stuff.
I'm also conducting a fodder experiment by making the first and second cut in the one go.:unsure::unsure::unsure:
There's hope for it by tomorrows forecast, hasn't been any hay weather worth talking of this year, never saw the sun as reluctant to appear.
 
Got 180 4x4 bales from old meadow today. In good order. Happy with it. 80 already sold this evening
 
Just drew 45 bales for a lad this evening straight into the shed and he put them up with an old loader. Absolutely lovely round bales. Was off ground that has nothing done with since w third cut last October. The nexrt field had about 50 bales cut the same time last year and done the very same as the previous mentioned field, this year. Had to be wrapped as it was completely different looking grass, off a more peaty type ground.
 
Well the experiment is over and alas it didnt end well. The good weather over the last few days dried my crop well and we were busy with harvest so this job wasnt top priority .
Went to bale it yesterday at 6 pm and failed.
I first used a round baler (New Holland 841) in 1985 and since then have had several models of Welger Claas Krone and McHale and have never not been able to bale a field .
But this one defeated me , just would not go in . I gave up in disgust and rang a man with a brand new McHale who we have worked together with in the past. He came a couple of hours later when he had finished his own and to his shock and horror he was not able to feed it in either. We both made one bale and got completely jammed up fed up and went home with blocked machines.

Now its well wet here this morning and its all over for this crop , but as I say it was an experiment on a small acreage and to answer my own question in the first post..
No, you cant make hay from young leafy grass!
 
Well the experiment is over and alas it didnt end well. The good weather over the last few days dried my crop well and we were busy with harvest so this job wasnt top priority .
Went to bale it yesterday at 6 pm and failed.
I first used a round baler (New Holland 841) in 1985 and since then have had several models of Welger Claas Krone and McHale and have never not been able to bale a field .
But this one defeated me , just would not go in . I gave up in disgust and rang a man with a brand new McHale who we have worked together with in the past. He came a couple of hours later when he had finished his own and to his shock and horror he was not able to feed it in either. We both made one bale and got completely jammed up fed up and went home with blocked machines.

Now its well wet here this morning and its all over for this crop , but as I say it was an experiment on a small acreage and to answer my own question in the first post..
No, you cant make hay from young leafy grass!
Would it be rude of me to say I know what baler would bale it :whistle:
 
Well the experiment is over and alas it didnt end well. The good weather over the last few days dried my crop well and we were busy with harvest so this job wasnt top priority .
Went to bale it yesterday at 6 pm and failed.
I first used a round baler (New Holland 841) in 1985 and since then have had several models of Welger Claas Krone and McHale and have never not been able to bale a field .
But this one defeated me , just would not go in . I gave up in disgust and rang a man with a brand new McHale who we have worked together with in the past. He came a couple of hours later when he had finished his own and to his shock and horror he was not able to feed it in either. We both made one bale and got completely jammed up fed up and went home with blocked machines.

Now its well wet here this morning and its all over for this crop , but as I say it was an experiment on a small acreage and to answer my own question in the first post..
No, you cant make hay from young leafy grass!
I just did:huh:
 
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