What to do with hay fields......

I moved back to the family farm this past spring & decided to start making the hay again, they had been letting some other family bale it for their cows the past 3-4 years just to keep the fields mowed off. Anyway, I figured I'd just wait to see how the fields did this year, since it was too late in the spring to do anything with them anyway when we decided to bale it ourselves again. First cutting did fairly well for fields not having had anything done to them, in years, as far as fertilizer, spray, etc. Managed to get around 100 round bales(4x5) & 600 square bales off about 33 acres. Second cutting however did not yield much of anything really, only got 150 square bales off 4 of the fields(approx 21 acres). Granted, we had practically NO rain at all after we finished first cutting back in June so I was afraid to put any fertilizer on the fields & chance burning them up. The other 2 fields we haven't even bothered to mow cause there is literally nothing there but some burnt up clover maybe 6 inches high & very thin.

 

We got 1 1/2 inches of rain last weekend right after we finished baling the fields we mowed off for second & got another 3/4 inch last night so what we mowed off is starting to green up & look decent but, what I'm wondering is....should I just bush hog the little bit that's there in the last 2 fields & fertilize all 6 fields & hope for a third cutting or should I just forget about a third & start preparing the fields for next year?! 

 

I am hoping to pull soil samples from all the fields in the next day or so to get them sent out & see how the fields look & what all they need. I know the fields need sprayed & fertilized & most likely need lime as well & I want to overseed the fields this fall in hopes for a lot better yield next year. We are selling all the hay from this year & probably sell some if not all of it next year as well, unless I can get another herd of beef back in the pasture by then.

 

Any & all input would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks! 

What to do with hay fields......