Is it to late to get a good crop of hay?

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canteron

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All in the question really.

Raining here properly for the first time in ages.

In the weather is a bit cooler and wetter, is there any hope that the grass will thicken and grow and we will be OK for hay this winter.

Just wondering whether to follow the herd and panic, or just hold on and see what happens?
 
Yes, it will grow especially as it is warm. No telling what the analysis will be though.

In 1976 when the spring was a bit drier than usual bit nothing compared to this year, the drought hit from the beginning of May. The first crop wasn't to bad but as for a second or third cut during the summer, you had to forget it. No rain apart from a short shower that did nothing in July, there was no rain until September 23rd but farmers took a late cut and the analysis was higher than the earlier crop.
 
As I said in another thread we never make our hay until July, with all this rain we do seem to have a good crop(checked today). So we will have more hay this year than last if it stops raining of course and we get the sun to make it.

I know in some parts of the country they have had hardly any rain so will be a shortage there but it depends where you live. I certainly wouldnt start to panic buy because you might be kicking yourselves later.
 
Back when the weather has been kind previous years, our farmer has had a first cut in May, and a second cut in August. The hay was equally as good. This year we have not cut yet, and we are in the same position as everyone else. I am hoping with this rain that the hay situation will be salvaged, albeit, in part! xx :)
 
Some farmers here managed to cut before the rain, not a big crop, but, if the grass does produce enough for a decent 2nd cut too then I'm sure they won't be complaining!

We've not cut ours yet, but I'm hopeful we'll cut more than we did last year
 
Everyone here is panic buying - I am going to try and hold my nerve and wait a bit ..... £7.50 for a small bale seems a bit frightening - eek. We are definitely being price conditioned for an expensive Winter.

Did I hear that in the North of the country they are trying to squeeze in 3 cuts this year? Maybe they will be kind enough to send some down her to us Southerners?
 
not too late at all. It depends on if the field has had an early first cut? But as long as there are some nice dry days later this summer to dry it the later cut will be fine. There's lots of fields near us with 'mowing grass for sale' adverts with a decent crop on them so I'm sure you will be fine.
 
1st cut all done, second will be done later in the year going by weather. We have no problem with hay around our area, straw on the other hand is all messed up and there will be a shortage off that this year but not hay
 
I got the feeling OP meant is it too late to cut the hay and get enough for us all... generally.

I'm in the North, and most farmers have done at least one cut, and the grass is really lush this year. We had a very hot April/early May, and then it hasn't stopped blinkin raining since. We have so much grass that we're propbably going to bale a field this year when we don't usually bother.

I'm sure there will be plenty of hay to go round. We all survived last year...
 
Not at all. I have got 140 bales of late May cut hay in the barn, but have not had mine done yet as it was too short. Nature has a funny way of making things right after the hot April and then dry May it looks like June is turning into April, heavy warm showers and rain!
 
I'm in Kent. Waiting to cut around 25 acres. Ideally for nutritionally good quality hay we would want to cut by end of this month. However - the rain we have received recently has given it a good boost. It has not yet gone to seed. If you cut late July/August it simply means some of the nutrition is lost - not a problem for most of our leisure horses - as long as it is well dried before baling and has not been rained on it will be fine.
 
I think the earliest we have ever made hay is early July, usually it is mid to late July and a couple of years ago it was September. It has always made perfectly okay hay, maybe not the very best but fine for my lot. This years isn't growing much yet so reckon it may be another late cut.
 
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