land management question

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tashyisaudrey

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Does anyone know how you might prepare a field for making hay? I want to turn a horse field into hay field? What care would I need to take annually and what animals should graze the land if any?Also how do you manage the harvesting?
 
OK - you need to have a soil sample done to identify what fertiliser you should apply to the land, if any, but beware as cropping hay 'takes' from the soil so you need to give back to it.

then spray for weeds

then wait for the grass to grow and find a contractor that will cut bale and stack away (if you are lucky)

It's not that much cheaper - spraying and fertilising is about 50 quid per acre round me. Baling (small bales) is a further £1 plus per bale - so you are looking at £1.50 per bale for your own hay.

Take the horses off the field end march and you can stubble graze after cutting in August.

Fertiliser is put on first and then sprayed for weeds

on previously unfertilised land you might get 60 bales an acre. After a few years of TLC you will get up to 100 or 110 bales per acre in a year where we have rain

My crop ranges from 750 bales down to 420 off 6 acres - depending on the drought conditions - last summer was dreadful.

NOT as easy as people think and you must have 'clean' grass with no buttercup, ragwort, docks, thistle, nettle to be worthwhile.

You are also in the hands of the contractor as to when he'll cut and bale - and if you are 'new' to him you'll go to the bottom of his pecking order and may not be lucky with the weather

you need around 4 clear dry days to crop hay and get stored without rain.
 
wow thank you!!
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