Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Puttin' Up hay without Rain?

Jake is about to cut the oats for hay. I hope it works better than the first cutting of alfalfa, that was down about three weeks.

Just talked to my hay guy...

He was hoping that hurricane stays east of here.

I was hoping we'd get a decent rain.

Differences in what we need I reckon...

Started 2nd crop, no rain.

Thats nice looking hay!!!

Well, all the hay is down, and it is raining.

Never fails.

We got the swather serviced and ready to go about 3-4 weeks ago.

6" of rain since, seems like we get a storm every 3-4 days.

Haven't cut anything yet and have a bunch of stuff ready to go right now.

120 acres of first cutting alf, 150 acres of hay barley and 200 acres of dryland hay, I'm starting to get more than a little antsy but what do you do.......

my first cut.......was mega cut.....I 'farm' it out......

I water it.....he cuts/bales it in 1100# round bales......

18 acres is in hay.........got 45 bales.....best ever

but wettest spring in a long time....deer standing in it......

could only see head & ears.....watering second cut now.......

92* and growing fast......whats hay prices in your areas ?

$165-175 ton ? pic.....summer '18

Decent alfalfa was going for $120-130 ton but that might be going up now that it has turned out to be an impossible year to put up hay.


I started in yesterday afternoon and maybe knocked down 20 acres. Super nice alfalfa at this place(no weevils...) but it rained a little last night and we just got another wild little t-storm and .3".




Hay barley lodged in places.........grrrrrrr

We have most of the oats, and alfalfa up in big squares. It rained .3 overnight on a load, and a half. I hope it keeps.

Got way too much hay. 1st crop, no rain net wrapped. Sold this bunch yesterday.

It's been wet as it gets around here all year. But we just had 4-5 days of great hay making weather. Got around 450 bales off the field. We wrapped 125 and made dry hay out of the rest.

Gonna try and get started Friday.

We are still seeding and we got roped into helping a fellow brand on Thursday.

Sounds like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Iowa are way ahead of us Jim!


What in the hell are you seeding?




We hauled out the last four cows 'that might be gonna' have a calf yesterday.



Getting to be some flies and gnats, just noticed a herd of grasshoppers today as well.

Hoppers????? Yuck!


Yeah...we are behind here. That big rain we got in June was what started the hay and grass.

We should be burnt up by now....nice for a change to be green!


We are seeding some German Millet right now. Had no hay at all coming earlier when we bought the seed.

After that we are going to seed some sorghum sudan grass. Then some more cover crops.


Maybe some triticale later!

It has been crazy weather!


Greenest July I can remember.

It was about 20 and 16 for us.


2016 for the new age folks.



Never stopped raining here that year.





We found some dry land alfalfa today that was not even beginning to flower.


We are sure lucky!

Love these pics. Hope you Montanner boys get some cow food!

1st cutting alf.




Hay barley around a nice little farm house.




The super dank.
(spring wheat, not cow food..)

Wsre consumers, not producers.

Very dry, sunny June and most of July. Most hayers cut a couple weeks ago because of the weather. Normal start is about now. Usually only o e cutting per year, but maybe a second this year because of the early start.

"50# bales" usually around $8.50 in the field. Were feeding mostly rounds now. My hay guy makes 900# @ $180 loaded out of the barn.