To those who make hay, hows it going?

Patch55

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Just curious really! We had amazing amount of rain in the South east during May and now this sunshine, how is all the grass doing?
Will it be a good enough year to replenish stores after last year?
 

rabatsa

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After a slow start our hay fields are really getting going now. The crop will certainly be a lot bigger than last year.
 

teddypops

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My hay fields are looking quite sparse but all the farmers fields around me are looking good, so hopefully it will be a better year for hay!
 

TheMule

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My haylage was baled today- decent yield off unfertilized fields that have been rested since last Summer's cut, it was definitely ready to be cut.
 

HappyHollyDays

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Silaging was done at the weekend and the clamp is full but the hay fields need another ten days to two weeks according to our farmer. I walked them this morning and the grass looks twice the height it was last year.
 

SEL

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I graze next to hay meadows and they've gone from ankle high at the beginning of May to knee high now. Fencing isn't the best and my horses are drooling over the grass.
 

Apercrumbie

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Our grass is a long way off ready to be cut, but we will try to take a crop in June. We were hoping earlier, but looking at the length it'll be the second half, weather-willing.
 

Orangehorse

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I know,I was wondering about leaving mine out in the field overnight, but then I looked at how green the grass is and decided to continue to bring them in at night for a while yet, even though it is a pain and a job I could do without.
 

SpotsandBays

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Not ready yet, however it’s doing really well! We fertilised for the first time in ages and it really needed it!
 

Roasted Chestnuts

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Only just getting the grass growing here! Some farmers are getting a first cut if silage now after a week of warmer but wetter temps. Our farmer isn’t confident of getting good cuts for hay at all ?
 

SlinkyMinxy

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Our grass only really started getting going last week, so I'm hoping that now that the weather has finally warmed up, it will be looking a lot better in a couple of weeks. At the moment, it's pretty patchy.
 

Mrs. Jingle

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Ours are very slow this year...our hay man checked it at the weekend and definitely nowhere near ready, he tells me it is a similar story elsewhere this year. Not worrying too much, I don't care how late its cut so long as it is cut at some point.
 

pixie

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Pixie what do you mean by this? Does it only really get growing after a month or so of good sun or something?

Meadow hay needs to be left to reseed itself. Its made of older, slow growing varieties (not rye!), so you only get one cut each year. Our meadow hay has 27 varieties of grasses.
 

Millie-Rose

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Ours should be ready end of June this month of rain has been brilliant for it and looks like a really good crop after last year's disaster, just needs to stay dry whilst we get it in now!
 

Lipglosspukka

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My hay man has told me he is anticipating a better crop than last year. Expecting this year's prices to be £35 for big hay and £30 for big haylage.
 

Merrymoles

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Our hay fields were grazed until mid April and then fertilised when the horses came off and the grass is now lush, thick and knee-high. However, it won't get cut until mid/late July as that is when the YO likes to do it.

If the weather holds, it should be a better crop than last year.
 
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