So I'm starting my 3rd full year of making hay. Have about 130 acres worth of various quality hay. I can probably make about 1000- 1100 4x5 round bales total. My biggest drawback is I can only store about 150 inside at any given time. I can tarp maybe 50 more.
Last year I felt I made some mistakes. Biggest one was I put the nicest of my 1st cutting hay in my barn and there it sat. When 2nd cutting was done, it mostly sat outside because there's almost 0 customer purchasing done in summer. All of it ended up going to mushroom plant except for 1st cut hay in barn, which was sold for good money. Some outdoor stored hay was also sold for good money-it only got rained on 1-2 times AFTER baling and was tapped. Mushroom plant pays about $100/ton. Indoor stored hay brings about $180/ton. Unfortunately I do not have an opportunity (yet) to acquire more indoor storage.
Here is what I propose to do this year:
Fertilizing as I type with 30% nitrogen also spread compost on all my fields. Should get heavy yield. I will cut ALL this hay and sell ALLto mushroom. Should be close to 600 4x5 RB.
Fertilize immediately after 1st cut. After second cutting stuff the 125 best of my 2nd cut into barn. Tarp another 50 or more and send the worst of 2nd cutting to mushroom plant.
2nd mistake was spraying weeds before 1st cut (was hoping to clean up hay and sell as better hay). All I ended up doing was lowering yield for average quality hay going to mushroom plant and spending $ on 24D.
What I propose doing this year is spray before 2nd cutting to make nicer quality hay, knowing it will cut my yield maybe 20% (guess) and trying to push more hay hard with advertising during 2nd cut.
I know there's lots of other factors, global warming, rain/drought, politics, locusts....
Sound like a plan, or am I totally off base?
Is this a sound game plan for this year?
Last year I felt I made some mistakes. Biggest one was I put the nicest of my 1st cutting hay in my barn and there it sat. When 2nd cutting was done, it mostly sat outside because there's almost 0 customer purchasing done in summer. All of it ended up going to mushroom plant except for 1st cut hay in barn, which was sold for good money. Some outdoor stored hay was also sold for good money-it only got rained on 1-2 times AFTER baling and was tapped. Mushroom plant pays about $100/ton. Indoor stored hay brings about $180/ton. Unfortunately I do not have an opportunity (yet) to acquire more indoor storage.
Here is what I propose to do this year:
Fertilizing as I type with 30% nitrogen also spread compost on all my fields. Should get heavy yield. I will cut ALL this hay and sell ALLto mushroom. Should be close to 600 4x5 RB.
Fertilize immediately after 1st cut. After second cutting stuff the 125 best of my 2nd cut into barn. Tarp another 50 or more and send the worst of 2nd cutting to mushroom plant.
2nd mistake was spraying weeds before 1st cut (was hoping to clean up hay and sell as better hay). All I ended up doing was lowering yield for average quality hay going to mushroom plant and spending $ on 24D.
What I propose doing this year is spray before 2nd cutting to make nicer quality hay, knowing it will cut my yield maybe 20% (guess) and trying to push more hay hard with advertising during 2nd cut.
I know there's lots of other factors, global warming, rain/drought, politics, locusts....
Sound like a plan, or am I totally off base?
Is this a sound game plan for this year?
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