# Plow hay in or remove from field?



## ck3510hb (Sep 12, 2016)

Quandary?? The drought and age have taken its toll. I have had good luck on this field but this year it is stunted and dried. Alfalfa started nice and grass ok. Then it just turned brown and died. Thinking to plow in as is or get it off the field first ?? Your thoughts?? It needs to be replanted anyway.


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## bontai Joe (Sep 16, 2003)

"Get it off the field" as in cutting and baling it? Will you be able to cover your fuel costs with the reduced quantity and quality of the bales? If not, you said it needs to be replanted anyway, which I assumes means plowing the field, then I'd plow it under because if the crop is useless, there is no need to operate equipment on the field twice. That is my 2 cent opinion for what it is worth.


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## LouNY (Dec 15, 2016)

Depending upon your location and the cost of hay and your need for hay you may want to reconsider.
If the alfalfa has winter killed out and you do not need alfalfa hay you could consider different grasses for hay.
Depending on the condition of the ground I would look into finding a no-till drill many county extension services have them available for rent,
or a local farmer may have one.
Why use the fuel and time to plow and harrow a field to reseed it if not necessary.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

I don't ever drill my seed in either. I broadcast it with my 3 point spreader (amendments included in the spreader) and then I set it with my Fuerst drag mat tine harrow which incorporates the seed and the fertilizer in one shot and I use the side by side to pull that. Alfalfa and grass seed only needs to be lightly set (about 1/4 to 1/2 inch below the surface). the drag harrow does that quite well for me and most of my hay ground is heavy anyway.

Like I said, you have others issues going on and you need to pull soil samples and examine the alfalfa leaves before doing anything else. I'd almost be willing to bet the PH is too high and you need to apply boron. Alfalfa loves boron.

During drought, any field will become dormant. Have had that same issue in years past. I've had to actually go to hay auctions and buy rounds bit I always come prepared with my Delmhorst moisture meter and I probe what I'm gonna buy before I buy it. Last time I did an auction for hay, I was like a pied piper, with people following me around as I probed bales. The sellers weren't too happy however. Got to the point where buyers were asking me to probe small squares too. I passed. I was there for rounds, not idiot cubes anyway.

My bailers are all equipped with bale case moisture shoes and a digital readout in the cab so I can monitor RM at tll times and the meter is set to alarm when the moisture exceeds 20% when bailing and then if over 20% the Harvest Tech Propreonic Preservative kicks in automatically and applies haysaver to the being bailed hay. It sets it's own feed rate using the moisture shoes as well.

A good one (Delmhorst) isn't a cheap date, neither is a Harvest Tech applicator but it takes all the guesswork out of bailing. Moldy hay is no good and not marketable either. Think I have close to a grand in the Delmhorst and another couple grand in the crop saver set up. it's paid for itself, many times over.

The Delmhorst can check moisture content out of the tractor (in windrows) as well. You can buy cheaper ones but for me, I want the best and Delmhorst is the best.


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

bontai Joe said:


> "Get it off the field" as in cutting and baling it? Will you be able to cover your fuel costs with the reduced quantity and quality of the bales? If not, you said it needs to be replanted anyway, which I assumes means plowing the field,* then I'd plow it under because if the crop is useless, *there is no need to operate equipment on the field twice. That is my 2 cent opinion for what it is worth.


Not mine, but then I'm a commercial forage grower. Not a hobby with me, I want a marketable product as in income.

It simple went to sleep. Even alfalfa that has been damaged, the nodes in the ground are still viable. Alfalfa produces N fixing nodes just like soybeans do. Might be pismuckle brown on top but underneath the surface the plants are still viable.

In case you don't know it, vernal alfalfa certified seed (+95% germ rate) is over 300 bucks a sack right now and roundup ready alfalfa (which I don't plant because straight alfalfa is only good for milk cows) is appreciably more. My customers feed horses and beef cattle.

Just my opinion of course but then it's what I do and all I do btw. I'm one of the largest forage producers in this area and I know what I'm posting here. Been doing it for at least 30 years now.

Don't much care with the OP does, just passing on some knowledge about what and how I deal with forage. I've never lost money growing good forage and I have people approach me all the time wanting to buy my hay. I turn them all down for the most part because my main customer tends to buy it all and will until I quit farming, which could be soon, depending on how my cancer works out.

I do it all myself and have spent a long time perfecting my regimen.

Not here to discuss it. I know 100% what I'm doing, all the time, barring mother nature screwing me up.

Done commenting on this thread.


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## ck3510hb (Sep 12, 2016)

Sidecar; If I understand you would not plow but test soil and apply whatever needed. Then you would broadcast grass seed (not Alfalfa ), then drag (I like to spring tooth and then pull cultipacker. Heavy soil). Did I understand correctly? Bob


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## SidecarFlip (Mar 25, 2021)

Everything but the cultipacker. The tine harrow will set the seed just fine. Soil sample first, then needed amendments, then overseed. Like I said (without a picture of the field), you have other issues and I'd closely look at the dormant alfalfa for insect damage.

What I like to do is overseed with vernal mixed with a grass hay like Brohme or Orchard grass. That way, my first cut will be mostly grass hay but subsequent cuts will be increasing alfalfa content. I never put any tillage implements on my hayfields, just the drag mat tine harrow. Another thing I'll do is, I'll let my alfalfa mature, produce flowers and seed heads on last cut and then the alfalfa will seed the fields. That saves me a ton on certified seed. Last field I did, it started out as mostly grass but in 2 years was heavy in alfalfa because alfalfa propagates itself, so long as soil conditions are promoting healthy plants.


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