Hay Choice?

[MOOSE1]

I am new to the planting and harvesting hay thing. I live in Michigan. For those of you in the Midwest if you could pick ANY hay mixture what would it be and why?

The property we are looking at would need all new hay planted next year so we are trying to figure out what we would want to plant and the cost of doing so.

Also anyone who harvests hay can someone either put a list here or PM me with a list of equipment we would need to bail our own hay? Thanks!

[dodib]

I am interested in that also--we are looking at planting our own hay..
I was told its better to plant in the fall but I have no idea what type works best OR equipment needed. we were just going to pay someone to cut and bale it for us next year if we do plant

[Horse poor]

Have our own hay a mostly alfalfa with a bit of grass. If you have someone you can hire to do the hay it may be the better option in the long run. We have done our own and the cost of maintaining and repairing the equipment is high, to say nothing of the initial cost to buy it all in the first place. My DH is a great mechanic, but it just never seems to end.

You need: Tractor; swather(either pull behind or self propelled) and baler(what size)2 string(50-100#)3x4(800#), 4x4(1600#)or round
also a means to plant it ie: Plow, disk, harrows and drill

You then need a means to get it off the field(small bales can be hauled by hand) Large bales need a front end loader to pick then up.

I'm not real familiar with other areas of the country and what can be planted.

Good Luck

[redboy]

PS., you also need a place to store the extra hay. That was a big drawback in my case b/c I didn't have the storage, or otherwise you need people to buy directly out of the field. It sounds way easier than it turns out to be. I stopped doing it b/c all components involved in selling my hay NEVER came together to make it happen.
I wish you luck at it though, Redboy

[Sonseeahray's_girl]

We grow and cut our own hay, and we live on the border of Ontario/Michigan. We have a blend of Timothy/Orchard Grass with about 25%Alfalfa and a little Clover. I like this blend, probably would have a little more Clover than we do now, but I wouldn't go more Alfalfa. I think about 25-35% is enough for most horses, my opinion. Our horses do quite well thru our brutal winters, and live outside most of the time.

As for harvesting equipment, depending on your acreage, you'll need:

At least 45 hp tractor
A mower/conditioner
A hay rake
A baler, square or round, depends on your tractor hp and what you prefer

If you're going to do squares, make sure you have a hitch on the back of your baler so that you can pull your wagon around behind as you're baling...saves so much time and sweat! Learned that one the hard way

OH and a manure spreader! Gotta use the stuff for something, and it will help reduce soil erosion over the years, as well as restore much needed nutrients to your hay fields.

As for a seed drill/plow/discs, etc.....I would suggest getting that done by someone else. These pieces are really expensive, hard to find in good condition used, and aren't used enough to really warrant their cost. You could probably pay someone to do that part for you and save money/time in the long run. Unless you have 1000 acres and plan on re-seeding every 4 years...

[nrhareiner]

In Ohio and Mi most farmers plant Alfalfa and do it in the fall with a cover crop of Winter Weat or oats. Then in the spring they just cut the first cutting line they normally would and sell it as weat or oat straw. I prefer oat straw my self when buying it this way. Great for bedding for broodmares. They get a snak in their bedding.

Heidi

[dodib]

As for seeding and getting the area ready for seed--could you just rototil it or not? And how is the seed planted? Is it done kinda like planting grass in your yard???

[seerfarm]

If you are planting to ensure that your mix (hay) is what you are planting then yes, spraying to kill weeds and then a good tilling is best. You will have better retention of your seed from (rain run off and birds etc.) if you seed drill. That ensures that the seed is placed about 4-8 inches deep in the prepared ground for protection. Takes a bit longer to come up but worth it in my book, as it also sets the roots a bit deeper when it begins to grow.

[hezzer]

We do all our own hay too. It is a lot of work, but I couldn't imagine not doing it each year....its just become part of owning horses. What we have as far as equipment is 2 tractors, a hay mower, square baler, hay rake, and 2 hay wagons. When we first planted our field we used oats as our cover crop, and timothy and orchard grass were planted. We have such a high winter kill of alfalfa, that we don't bother planting it. We had some friends that did all the planting for us, in exchange for taking any of the hay we didn't use, worked out well. We will need to plow, disk and re-plant again in the next year or two. If you need to get equipment always try the local auctions, its a great place to pick up some of the farming equipment needed.

[myboyjake]

with the cost of everything these days its almost cheaper to do it on like a share crop.. they plant and harvest with you helping with the labor.

[dodib]

How much do you think it costs to seed? Like per acre???