Hay crop looks good, then ...

[rabatsa]

Mine has come in at an average of 8.7 large round bales/acre from old permanent pasture that has not had any fertilizer other than sheep running on the land. I have to ask around to find the selling price locally as I have a few bales to sell and two customers lined up.

 

[Asha]

Ours is looking grand. In fact im guessing we will get more than we've had for the past few years.

So, if last year was a poor harvest, but we had a mild winter so everyone used a bit less, does this mean that we are in for a tough winter ?

 

[Carrottom]

Hay fields look good here to, so fingers crossed for good quality at similar prices to last year. My hay supplier had to buy in and the current hay is not great. Looking forward to new season. I guess a couple of months until it’s safe to feed

If the hay is well made and baled dry I have not had any problem using it after a couple of weeks. I always start by mixing it with the old hay, 25% new for a few days and gradually increasing the %. Not that they have a lot of hay at this time of year.

 

[Tarragon]

Our fields were cut early last week and baled on Friday. Seemed to get a fair amount!
On another good note, I can hack around the headlands now without having to worry about pheasants leaping out from the long grass!

As a pony rider I am just glad that the nose height grass has been cut

 

[eggs]

what do you all reckon on hay prices this year then? will they fall?

My two suppliers have both advised that they will be putting their prices up by £5 a large bale (Heston bale will be £45 and round will be £30).

 

[Merrymoles]

Hay crop looking very good here. Quite a few people selling last year's left overs at low prices so that they have room for the new stuff. Walked past my neighbours last night and from his front field of about 25 - 30 acres they had taken 120 bales of haylage off and were still baling hundreds of hestons with the rest.

Unfortunately not cut at our yard yet as the mower is broken...

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Round my area North Wales, they are selling small bales off the field for £2-50 if you go and get them yourself.. my friend has took her trailer and got 100 bales other day in 3 trips

 

[pixie]

We do meadow hay, so we still have to wait a couple of weeks before we can cut ours. Nearly ready though, its looking good.

 

[milliepops]

seems quite pricey to me round here (West Gloucestershire). I'm seeing lots of ads on FB for small bales, £3.50 collecting off the field which is more than it has been in the recent past. Lots of really nice stuff though. OH is working all the hours to get his fields done but it's such a relief having a long stretch of super weather, takes all the stress out of it.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Just finished baling, and bales are now stacked in blocks of 8 for bringing in tomorrow.

Next door’s International B275 tractor (production discontinued in 1968) did sterling work as ever.



204 small bales of unfertilised meadow hay off 2.67 acres, that’ll do my lot nicely. A week later than last year and 10 more bales.

And cheating here, because this photo is from last year, but this is how the field looks tonight. Just got to get it in...

 

[Dave's Mam]

As a pony rider I am just glad that the nose height grass has been cut

Yep, the all you can eat moving buffet has been reduced!

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Our lovely neighbour here is making a point of taking small bales here just to accommodate us. Some gorgeous stuff being turned for the 3rd time as we left home today.......came home this evening as a rather surprised owner of a new, and very large horse! :O Quickly counted the now baled field and delighted he has double the normal crop for us - perfect - the new big fellah will get fed this winter then !

 

[Reacher]

seems quite pricey to me round here (West Gloucestershire). I'm seeing lots of ads on FB for small bales, £3.50 collecting off the field which is more than it has been in the recent past. Lots of really nice stuff though. OH is working all the hours to get his fields done but it's such a relief having a long stretch of super weather, takes all the stress out of it.

It’s strange the regional variations in price. We’ve paid £5.50 (from barn not field) this last year, and I don’t think there’s been a shortage. I’d rather pay more for good quality though

 

[chaps89]

We had first cut around here a while ago, would that have been silage then? Nothing seems to be underway as yet but will be 2nd time taking something off the fields for most of them.

@TFF that is a really good price - would you mind PM'ing me who you use please?

 

[Gift Horse]

We helped our retired neighbours get 400+ bales in last night. They couldn’t get it all in their shed so they let us have 50 bales at a £1 each - result! 😀

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

We had first cut around here a while ago, would that have been silage then? Nothing seems to be underway as yet but will be 2nd time taking something off the fields for most of them.

@TFF that is a really good price - would you mind PM'ing me who you use please?

Chaps, that's my local farmer about half mile from my yard, he only makes small bales to order, so only about 2000 this year. Also only delivers v locally x (he won't take on more customers, sorry)
There are a number of advertisers on local Facebook pages for £3 collected (around Chobham and Guildford area)

 

[Puzzled]

Loads of hay here for sale from £2 to a maximum of £3 off the field....most farmers seem to have had an excellent crop!

 

[Finlib]

Last field baled 75 round bales lovely meadow hay not a drop of rain on it.
usually get between 50 and 60 bales so bumper crop!

 

[chaps89]

Thanks TFF, not on FB anymore but sure YM is

 

[Tiddlypom]

Just got to get it in...

Decided to leave it out overnight on Friday as we were tired, and to bring in once the dew had lifted on Saturday morning. Bad choice .

Ours is looking grand. In fact im guessing we will get more than we've had for the past few years.

Did you miss all the rain on Saturday morning? It was peeing down all morning here at TP towers. Luckily the rain only penetrated the top cm or so of the uppermost bales in the stacks. Wasn’t quite dry enough to bring in yesterday evening, but we got it all in today. The underside of the bales in contact with the ground were still damp, so we turned them all over to air out for a bit. Not too much damage done, I hope, but we were well and truly caught out.

 

[Goldenstar]

I have friend whose into grass they are getting up to 50% more yield from the fields this year .

 

[tiggipop]

I normally get around 45 large rounds off my "hay fields". last year we only managed 39 but this year ( mowed Tuesday tedded weds and thurs baled Fri ) we got 60 ! Also had too much grass in their summer field to turn them out in so mowed that and got another 10 bales! Bumper crop for me and have been joking that all horsey friends will be getting a bale for Christmas!

 

[oldie48]

My big field is being mowed as I type. I will have far too much haylage for my needs and tbh there's little market for my surplus. The guy I use was moaning that he's got too much for his needs (they have a yard with about 22 horses) and he doesn't reckon he'll get much for his surplus hay. Last year we were all expecting a shortage, I thought I'd have to buy in but actually it's lasted just fine.

 

[Asha]

Decided to leave it out overnight on Friday as we were tired, and to bring in once the dew had lifted on Saturday morning. Bad choice .


Did you miss all the rain on Saturday morning? It was peeing down all morning here at TP towers. Luckily the rain only penetrated the top cm or so of the uppermost bales in the stacks. Wasn’t quite dry enough to bring in yesterday evening, but we got it all in today. The underside of the bales in contact with the ground were still damp, so we turned them all over to air out for a bit. Not too much damage done, I hope, but we were well and truly caught out.

View attachment 34332

Yep! We had loads of rain Saturday, fortunately the contractors ( must have direct dial to Mother Nature ) came Friday night and baled the lot , I waited up until 1am to turn the neds back out . We’ve had a staggering 127 bales of Haylage (4ft) made . I only need 60 , so if anyone wants any let me know 😊

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Another 200 bales in this afternoon, very tiring but worth it to see the hay shed almost full. Just another 100 to go at some point next week then the haylage field at the end of the month

 

[gina2201]

Definitely better this year, our field got 13 square bales last year and we have just had baled 15 rounds this year (and the rounds a little bigger han the squares) so definitely a thicker crop this year!

 

[turnbuckle]

1st cut here was epically ill-timed. Good job the Irish eejit likes stinky silage......

Fingers crossed for 2nd cut

 

[MotherOfChickens]

'my' farmer very pleased, lovely hay, great yield and a nice weather window to get it done i.. The two closest farms to me have been working all hours to get their silage in this weekend-they are about done, due to start getting rainy again this afternoon.

 

[Annagain]

I'm seeing so many adverts for hay off the field on local facebook groups with prices ranging from £2 to £3.50. I don't think I saw any last year. I think people are worried about storage they have so much! Our yard is part of an agri-environment scheme so can't cut the fields until August, hope it doesn't go wrong!

 

[milliepops]

Storage def an issue for us now, the field that my oldies are out in didn't have a great yield, bloody free roaming sheep kept getting in all spring where one of the neighbours had taken the fence down so the grass never really got going. But the one down the road doubled yield this year - the 30 big rounds last year seemed pretty good... 60 this year is just bonkers! I was a bit worried that my horses would be eating all OH's hay this winter but I think he will have plenty to sell after all