Coffee's Ready, Come and Sit on the Porch

[FarmerJamie]

Back to work. Glad to be back, but I need a nap this morning.

 

[CrealCritter]

It's a overcast day slight breeze and currently 64 degrees. Forecast to be a partly sunny and a high of 74. I had to dump out kiddie pools last night and again this morning. But here is why growing in kiddie pools is so successful.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[baymule]

Pinto had twin ram lambs last night.

 

[The Porch]

Pinto had twin ram lambs last night.

View attachment 23598

So wonderful!!!

 

[The Porch]

This is SO!! true Coffees ready!!

I am still working in the back of the house working my way down the hall, opened a few drawers and ended up cleaning them out, I am kind of moving slow, but I am moving

 

[baymule]

I moved myself to the recliner so I can watch the heat out the window.

 

[The Porch]

View attachment 23600

This is SO!! true Coffees ready!!

View attachment 23599​

I am still working in the back of the house working my way down the hall, opened a few drawers and ended up cleaning them out, I am kind of moving slow, but I am moving

I am done, and have also parked myself in my recliner, watching Blue Bloods season 9 disk 3

 

[CrealCritter]

I moved myself to a lawn chair to watch some cow TV. But the episode is over, they done wondered over the hill.

The guy that has been cutting my hay, just showed up today. Didn't stop by the house, no phone call, just went right to the field . I heard a tractor out there and I stopped him mowing on a pass and climbed up on the tractor. He said the 5 acre pasture the cattle like to hang out on and graze looks pretty light. I already noticed that, some rain would have helped, they grazed that pasture pretty well. But he said I'll cut whatever you want. Nah just what's un-grazed will be fine. He will charge me $25.00 a round, they are some big netted rounds. I think that's more than fair. We agreed to cut the rest during fall cutting because I close the gate on that pasture early fall anyways. because of the spring it gets pretty soft mud down there and I don't want the cattle getting stuck.

I ain't gonna have but 4 head out here over winter anyways. All three females and the bull. Plus I still have 3 rounds left from last falls cutting. I just hope the ladies don't decide to drop calf on the coldest day of the year.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[farmerjan]

FJ: I learned from you last year about tedding.

Well, hay is being cut out here. But Friday, unbeknownst to even the weather forecasters, it rained. Talking to folks at my yard sale, there were many concerns about the 18 hours of drizzle on that freshly cut hay. I asked if they could tedd it again, and I learned that if they tedd it too much, then more and more of the grain drops off and it lowers the nutritional value.

Thanks for the compliment... Weather seems to do things like that...come up a rain when not even calling for it.

If the hay was newly cut, and it rained on it then, it wouldn't hurt it much. I would rather see rain on a just mowed field than on one that has been down for 2 days and getting dried nicely. The rain on just mowed green hay (within 12hours or the next day) will not hurt unless it rains for days.
Tedding does knock some of the seed heads out... BUT... well made hay should be cut before the sead heads form for optimal protein value... but most of us don't get it cut at the perfect time. So, tedding does "beat it up" and toss it around and does lose some of the seed heads so some protein... BUT again, it benefits the ground it is being taken off of as it will just put the seed back on the ground it is being cut off of.
Tedding also breaks up the stems some, making it a little harder to rake if the pieces are too short... but that is extreme...
The biggest thing is being able to get it dry as fast as possible, with as few trips across the field which is less cost. Every time a tractor goes across the field adds to the fuel cost, and the extra time spent... that adds cost to the hay. And if it gets wet several times in a row... say it is almost dry then it rains then you tedd it out, then it rains again... then you tedd it again.... it does cause alot of loss of quality... But then, you cannot just let it sit and rot in the field, and you have to get it dry enough to bale, and if you don't get it good and dry then, it will get musty/moldy/slimy and then is good for nothing except mulch... or filling a ditch as we say here.

It is nice to know that something I may have "taught" someone through sharing, has made that person (YOU) more knowledgeable and understanding of what goes into hay making. Thanks .

 

[Hinotori]

Little boy we're getting in a few months