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splashnutti1

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So my friend (who isnt horsey at all) has a 6 acre field which she lets the local riding club use for shows, the grass grew quite long so she the club arranged for a farmer to come and cut it and in return he got to keep and sell the hay!

Now when i attended the show he hadnt cut up the middle ( are boxed in trees in the way) and the grass which was left was over waist height and FULL and i mean like a crop of ragwort!!

I mentioned that surely what had been cut couldnt be sold for hay as would be full of ragwort, her answer.... the ragwort only grows in the middle??? WHAT??? When you walk on the field there are obvious stalks left from where it was cut!

Now a freind of mine is buying some hay and is getting it from this farmer. Should i warn her off the hay or just keep out of it??
 
splashnutti1 said:
So my friend (who isnt horsey at all) has a 6 acre field which she lets the local riding club use for shows, the grass grew quite long so she the club arranged for a farmer to come and cut it and in return he got to keep and sell the hay!

Now when i attended the show he hadnt cut up the middle ( are boxed in trees in the way) and the grass which was left was over waist height and FULL and i mean like a crop of ragwort!!

I mentioned that surely what had been cut couldnt be sold for hay as would be full of ragwort, her answer.... the ragwort only grows in the middle??? WHAT??? When you walk on the field there are obvious stalks left from where it was cut!

Now a freind of mine is buying some hay and is getting it from this farmer. Should i warn her off the hay or just keep out of it??
Click to expand...

I'd be very pleased if a friend of mine took me for a walk around the field before I brought that hay!
 
thanks guys i thought i should but didnt want to cause trouble. She doesnt show so hasnt seen the field, i would feel terrible if something happened to her horses :(

Ill tell her tonight, hay isnt due to next week so can be cancelled, you would think farmer would no better!!

makes me mad lol x
 
I'm in Kent, there are a lot of ragwort fields being cut, it makes it pretty scarey when you're trying to buy hay.
A couple of years ago I put a note in a bag on the gate of a field owned by a large hay producer - If you cut this field for hay I will report you to DEFRA. They didn't cut it that year, but they did the next. How often do people cutting hay say they pulled the ragwort before they started? Pull the other one, in a field with a visible amount of ragwort you're never going to get it all in a brief walk-around.
 
Tinypony said:
I'm in Kent, there are a lot of ragwort fields being cut, it makes it pretty scarey when you're trying to buy hay.
A couple of years ago I put a note in a bag on the gate of a field owned by a large hay producer - If you cut this field for hay I will report you to DEFRA. They didn't cut it that year, but they did the next. How often do people cutting hay say they pulled the ragwort before they started? Pull the other one, in a field with a visible amount of ragwort you're never going to get it all in a brief walk-around.
Click to expand...

It shocks me that they dare do it, ive a good mind to report this farmer!

I am lucky the guy i get my hay off cuts it for his own horses aswell and i ride round his fields, no ragwort in sight!!

has been a lot of it around this year like you say is scary when buying hay.

I am now most definatley going to inform my friend and also anyone else i find who may buy off him. thanks everyone :)
 
Tinypony said:
I'm in Kent, there are a lot of ragwort fields being cut, it makes it pretty scarey when you're trying to buy hay.
A couple of years ago I put a note in a bag on the gate of a field owned by a large hay producer - If you cut this field for hay I will report you to DEFRA. They didn't cut it that year, but they did the next. How often do people cutting hay say they pulled the ragwort before they started? Pull the other one, in a field with a visible amount of ragwort you're never going to get it all in a brief walk-around.
Click to expand...
Yes defiinitely say something. As a yard owner, this is just one of the reasons why we make our own hay, that way we know exactly whats in it!! We do not allow hay to be brought in from other sources as you just can't be sure if its ragwort free. It's astonishing that people would dare to make and sell hay knowing it has ragwort in it! It's everywhere now though so very hard to avoid it sadly.
 
I would most definitely warn her - if it was me I'd be so grateful. It's something I really worry about when buying hay, ragwort seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment and you can never guarantee that people are as careful as they say they are x
 
You should warn her. I only buy hay from three people that I trust, I wont get it from just anyone.
We used to rent a field that was cut for hay, that had ragwort in it, we refused to buy the hay and the owner of the field sold it to someone else!
 
You could strongly suggest she goes for a walk through where it has been cut before she buys any. There's a large livery yard round here that has fields that look like rape fields that they cut and bale!!! Walking the xc course there it's full of thick stems that must be 3/4 years old that were cut. You can easily see rosettes in the field after it's been cut.

Farmers might plead ignorance as they do feed it to sheep / cows.
 
Thanks everyone I told my friend about the field and took her up to show her the field and tje ragwort.
She has decided to cancel her hay and also is going to warn other people she know may buy from him.

I feel better for telling her xx
 
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