[Blinkers]

Oooooooo an empty space so I'll pop this in here 

We STILL have another 5 acres of standing grass which SHOULD have been small baled hay, but with the weather in August being less than haymaking weather, we're getting rather despeate about what to do.    Its on some additional land we rent (so money invested in the rent) and we fertilized it back in early July (more money) and so a fair bit of investment already put into it.

What should we do?      Hope for a few days of dry stuff and then make big baled haylage (for speed).   Ditto but make small bale haylage (vastly more expensive but could be easier and more profitable to sell), offer it to a local farmer for silage for a pittance  .     We can't just chop it down and let it rot, BUT I desperately need the grazing come mid September as its tupping time and I've got 3 different flocks to spread around!

What do you reckon?

We already have 28 big bales of haylage we made in July and so all stocked up with that, but I need about 200 bales of small stuff (hay or haylage) too.   

Thanks folks.

[Fronhaul]

You aren't alone Blinkers.  There is someone in the area who still has 20 acres to cut.  We were so lucky to get ours in.  I reckon if you can small bale haylage is the way to go if you think you might want to sell some.  Over at Martletwy it was fetching £7.50 a bale earlier in the year. 

Good Luck.

[Beewyched]

Yep - we're in the same position too! No haylage in for the winter, plus 4 sows & 2 gilts that should be filling-up on grass instead of hard feed The chap who "promised" to get it done has had the keys for the field for 2 months now & its only 4 acres 

[SallyintNorth]

I know the feeling, Blinkers.  We've still got 10 acres to get, and would prefer small bale hay to silage.  We can make hay ourselves but need contractors to make and handle silage bales.

It's problemmatical this time of year; the days are shorter, there's evening and morning dew on the grass wetting it again, you've no chance really unless the days are really hot and/or a good stiff drying breeze.  And the forecasters have to give you an accurate 4 or 5 day forecast so you know when you can cut to bale in 4 or 5 days time.

We're just about ready to give in and make big bale silage as soon as there seem to be two dry days - but here we are with Tuesday now forecast dry, making fourth dry day apart from a prolonged but light shower on Saturday evening - but we didn't cut on Saturday (or Sunday or Monday) because there was always rain forecast in the next 48 hours.  So frustrating!!

[lachlanandmarcus]

we've only been able to cut two half fields instead of three whole ones and have just got the last bale in tonight, about 180 (small bale hay) in total.

its been a blinkin struggle and I just hope it will be OK and store well.

Apart from a week in June when OH wasnt here to do it anyway, the last few days have been the only window of fineish warmish breezy weather, and TBH if we hadnt been on top of a hill as we are it wouldnt have dried, that made the difference I think.

Ghastly weather!!

[Blinkers]

- but here we are with Tuesday now forecast dry, making fourth dry day apart from a prolonged but light shower on Saturday evening - but we didn't cut on Saturday (or Sunday or Monday) because there was always rain forecast in the next 48 hours.  So frustrating!!

.....and doesn't that make you wanna spit     I'm scanning the BBC weather site and Metcheck on and off all bloomin day and as you say, never more than 2 days of anything remotely dry UNTIL its too late... Like you, IF ONLY we'd cut Sunday - we may very well be on our way now as tomorrow is now suddenly going to warm and dry.   Aaaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh

Well, we're all in the same boat here then      Just looked at long range and all of a sudden the end of the month looks reasonable.....but a few hours ago it was rain, rain and more rain.    *@~&^%£$*&~@?>"!*^+_$.....if you know what I mean  

[Fronhaul]

I put the met office widget on this pc and frankly its driving me insane.  It changes so quickly and so frequently in the course of a day.  We managed to get our forage rape seed on one field yesterday but we still have 3 to do and its so steep we need it to be dry.

Needless to say because I have a show to go to tomorrow the forecast is rain but whether showers or something more depends entirely on which forecast you take.  Missed you at Pembroke Blinkers although I did see you in the distance a couple of times.  Nevern did make it and came home with a yellow rosette.

[Blinkers]

I put the met office widget on this pc and frankly its driving me insane.  It changes so quickly and so frequently in the course of a day.  We managed to get our forage rape seed on one field yesterday but we still have 3 to do and its so steep we need it to be dry.

Needless to say because I have a show to go to tomorrow the forecast is rain but whether showers or something more depends entirely on which forecast you take.  Missed you at Pembroke Blinkers although I did see you in the distance a couple of times.  Nevern did make it and came home with a yellow rosette.

Woohoo - well done Nevern, that's brilliant  We didn't get anywhere - 16 in the ram lamb class (and had every breed in it you could think of  ) and 8 in the ewe class.....but sadly they didn't think much of us there either  LOL.     Good luck tomorrow - We're car less so can't get there 
GO NEVERN, GO 

Glad you got one field of seed in though.   We're still watching the grass grow here 

[TheCaptain]

Gang,

For a more accurate weather forecast go to www.windfinder.com and look for a weather station near to you.  The three day super forecast is more accurate than the BBC forecast - I've trusted it for the last three years!!!

Cheers,

[Blinkers]

Now THAT'S what you call a weather forcast 

Many thanks Cap'n

 

[waterhouse]

So you've got grass and can't cut it and we have the weather but no grass.

[SallyintNorth]

So you've got grass and can't cut it and we have the weather but no grass.

Yup, that's about the size of it. 

[waterhouse]

We've spent all year husbanding sparse grazing.  The only upside has been that the ponies have never been in danger of laminitis: there's two sharing an acre of billiard table-like grass.  We watch the forecast hoping for rain.  On Sunday it said a 90% probability of 15mm rain on Tuesday - turned into maybe a millimetre overnight.  We've ended up moving the sheep every week to use every little bit of grass - and every sheep hurdle has been use to make the fencing sheep-tight.

Ah well, we're going up to t'North for a few days holiday so I'm afraid the rain will continue.

[SallyintNorth]

Ah well, we're going up to t'North for a few days holiday so I'm afraid the rain will continue.

Bring some of that sunshine with you pleeeeeeeeeeeease!  And/or take our rain away with you! 

Having said which, it's actually been dry now for several days - we could've baled for haylage yesterday if only the forecast had been accurate and we had've cut on Saturday... 

[Coley]

bliddy BBC, cut some last week as it was supposed to be 'dry' for four days, it started raining two hours after we started cutting and has rained every day since!!
We are re-seeding 10acres, can anyone suggest a good seed mix? we are trying to re.create traditional style meadows