The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Land Management => Topic started by: waterbuffalofarmer on July 04, 2016, 07:08:09 pm
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I'm afraid I missed out an oppertunity for cutting back in June, the really busy week it happened to fall upon! :furious: However I was told that there would be another opportunity soon enough, according to the weather forecast it has forecasted rain, sunshine and cloud for the next two weeks. I also heard on the news, not long ago, that June has been the wettest month on record in years? Not sure how long. I also heard a DJ say that only last year they predicted a heatwave for June this year, I will believe that when I see it, Oh wait its too late :roflanim:
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Azores high come over the country tomorrow, well, some of the country... it's not a strong presence according to the forecast but should keep southern areas dry till Sunday I think.
Not sure about further north.
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Let's hope so. Cut mine this morning......
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Pouring down in Yorkshire at the moment. We did not cut any due to a tractor tyre being flat thank goodness. We have made perfectly good hay in August before now.
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Hay is often cut in August around here (North Yorks) and sometimes as late as September. I always aim for as close to 19th July as I can. I'm not sure why, but it's always proved lucky for me!
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We can't get the equipment up here easily so we find it easier to buy in, but we did cut one year when we were on tir gofal and we weren't allowed to cut til July 15th. I think the idea being that it gives birds a chance to get little uns away.
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We did some of our last month, and slightly missed the timing window so I am not sure how well it has stored
We hope to do the rest this month.
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Thank you for this thread, We are new to hay making this is our first year. We are in south Cumbria and haven't cut any yet, I was worrying that we had missed the boat but you have reassured me that all is still well. Watching the weather forecast closely. :raining: :sunshine: :gloomy: :farmer:
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Sun is shining here and they're just doing the first cut in the fields round and about.
Must be predicting dry weather round here for a day or two! :fc:
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where are you in the country ITH ?
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thinking of doing it in the next day or so, I have 2 days clear, but not sure whether i should take the chance?
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2 days is not long enough for hay except in exceptionally hot and windy weather ... more like 3-4 days ....... are you wrapping?
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Also depends on the field - hay will make in 3 days on our most westerly field, where it gets both sun and wind, but needs 5 on the easterly one which is sheltered and has a shady area along one side. We plan to go into Winter with more grazing than last year, since the grass was so late getting going this year, and are buying in some of our neighbour's hay. Hopefully not from his damp field where it's full of buttercups or the one with lots of knapweed, which shatters in the hayrack and more of it ends up on the floor than in the sheep .....
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It's in phew! 6 drops of rain this morning so it went in the barn quick, so need to keep watch it doesn't overheat but it looks good smells good and it's all in. Time for a nice glass of wine. If yours isn't don't yet then the best of luck with it, yield is good due to the wet June.
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more rain than sun here , everything is ready but field too wet to chance tractor on, now a waiting game :(
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How many different weather forecasts does everyone check? Netweather is usually pretty reliable for my postcode and is saying I have a 4-day window next week, but what are the best ones to double-check against? I've found Metcheck to be pretty rubbish (it will only take the KW14 part of my postcode, which means it's telling me the weather 25 miles away and that's often very different).
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Well watching the lashing rain blowing sideways past my window I thought I'd see what netweather had to say...... supposed to be sunny/cloudy now! Forecast hmmmm!?!
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I use BBC weathrr, but even that can be wrong. Someone on here did suggest a farming weather forecast website, but tha name has slipped my memory. according to weather we should have good weather next week, so you never know. :)
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http://farmersguide.co.uk/page.aspx?p=209 (http://farmersguide.co.uk/page.aspx?p=209)
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Thanks - we hedged our bets and cut the two smaller of the three on Thursday, so if it went wrong weather-wise we had another go at it. This is how it's looking this evening, it's just a little damp underneath and in an ideal world I'd be turning it tomorrow, but we're due torrential rain overnight tonight ::) so it's staying untouched and I'm crossing my fingers the two-day dry gap I can see for Wednesday and Thursday materialises!