Lynx Defense

Small scale Haying

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  • Saltyag2010

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    Do you have neighbors that bale? Maybe they'd leave half and take half. Depending on the field, and type of bales, fertilizer and such, but 5 Acres could yield a couple round bales an acre if it's irrigated and fertilized and weed sprayed. Round bales go for about $50 - 100 a bale depending on hay and weeds. If you can make it horse quality it is worth more. I'd see if a neighbor would bale it for a cut (no pun intended), equipment is a lot for 5 Acres.
    We have a 5 acre hay field and a 8 acre that we bale. The smaller field is Klein grass and the bigger is Tipton some number that we pulled from a fence line and poked in the ground with rake handles. The Tipton field makes 5-6 bales/acre and before its cut its fence high and too thick to walk through.

    edit- the equipment we use was inherited with the ranch. Nothing bought but tractor parts when stuff breaks.

    edit 2- 4-1/2ft round bales. Not the 6fters
    DK Firearms
     
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    Renegade

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    I've never cut hay before... I've got about 5 acres of pasture that could be hayed, but I've just been shredding it and letting it goto waste :p What sort of equipment do I need? I have a 33hp tractor.

    I am doing a 10 acre pasture thus spring.

    I use a 35 HP to prepare the land. I have discs, rake and a roto-tiller. I am renting (free) the seeder from the county ag office. All costs (seed, etc) are being paid by ag office.

    Actual bailing though will be by a local who does all the fields around me. 50/50.
     

    Renegade

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    We have a 5 acre hay field and a 8 acre that we bale. The smaller field is Klein grass and the bigger is Tipton some number that we pulled from a fence line and poked in the ground with rake handles. The Tipton field makes 5-6 bales/acre and before its cut its fence high and too thick to walk through.

    FYI - Tifton 85
     

    TheDan

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    I am renting (free) the seeder from the county ag office. All costs (seed, etc) are being paid by ag office.
    Hmm, I'll look into that. I have no idea what type of grass I have, but it grows pretty fast as long as I get some rain and easily reaches 3 to 4 ft. Gets pretty gnarly if I just let it go.
     

    F350-6

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    Save a little extra and get a disc mower. It will run circles around the sickle mower and cut the field better too.
     

    TheDan

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    Figured it was well past time to update this thread. I've just been using the shredder to cut it, and then raking it up by hand. Works for the small amounts of it I actually use.
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    Axxe55

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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    My brother invested in haying equipment last year. Bought just about everything off Craigslist. A round baler, rake and sickle cutter.

    He's up to about 40 acres he is baling now. Two of the fields belong to his neighbors, and they hadn't been cut and baled in at least five or six years. one of the fields, the guy lets him have the hay, just because he wants it kept cut, the other guy, gets a third of whatever he bales off the field.
     

    roadkill

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    I have a rake that needs work for sale. Needs 2 wheels and the cylinder spits a little oil out the vent when lifted after it sits on the ground for awhile. Replace the wheels and you can us it as is. A lot easier than raking by hand.
     

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    Axxe55

    Retiretgtshit stirrer
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    Lost in East Texas Elhart Texas
    Especially if he’s putting it up in small bales. I finally realized I could put the land in wildlife management and didn’t need to bale it anymore for the ag exemption. Don’t miss them small bales one bit.

    My brother invested in the equipment to bale hay for his own cows. Now he's not as dependent on having to buy hay, especially when it gets ridiculous in price.
     

    roadkill

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    My brother invested in the equipment to bale hay for his own cows. Now he's not as dependent on having to buy hay, especially when it gets ridiculous in price.

    That’s a different story. I bought my land and it was in hay for ag exemption but I highly doubt the previous owners baled it. I did small squares and fed it to my wife’s horse. Figured out I could do the wildlife thing and skip the labor and retain the same appraisal valuation. Been doing it for the past 3 or 4 years. Don’t miss the headache of timing the baling or the labor of loading it out of the field and putting in the barn or trailer for storage. The problem with baling it is when you have the hay everyone else does and doesn’t need it and when the price is up the grass isn’t there and you have squat. Much better in wildlife IMO. At least for the small acreage producer.
     
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