Do you have to replant hay every year?

Planting and growing

Some fields are always used to grow hay, and don't require re-planting every year. In other cases, hay is a part of a crop rotation, where farmers plant different crops on the same field in different years.

How many times can you harvest hay a year?

How many times a year can you harvest hay? In most areas of the country, grass hay can be cut twice, sometimes three times, per year. The first cutting generally has the largest yield.

Can you harvest hay more than once a year?

Depending on the soil condition, hay type and when it is sowed and harvested, it may be possible to get two or even three cuttings of hay in one year. Once the hay is cut and dry, it is time for baling.

How long is a hay field good for?

Depending on the type of grasses and legumes planted, some hayfields that are properly managed will last five or six years before they need to be worked up and replanted. They also help keep valuable nutrients in the topsoil where they are available for future crop use.

How many times do you bale hay a year?

A haying season is divided up by its cuttings. In the northern regions of the US and Canada where the summer season is shorter, farmers aim for 2 cuttings a season. The middle regions aim for 3 while the southern regions might manage 4 or more in a good year.

should you make or buy your hay? here's the math for small farms

Why do farmers leave hay bales in the field?

If they are scattered around the field the farmer is just waiting for a convenient time to pick them up and move them. If lined up along the edge of the field they are being stored there. Big round bales can handle being left outside, and even if the outside looks weathered the inside will be good for a year or longer.

How much money can you make off an acre of hay?

“You are going to get more than three years out of that, but if we use three years, that's about $100 per acre per year,” Brown says. “If you are getting $125 per ton for quality hay, you are going to see a profit of $51 per ton, or $204 per acre.

Do you have to rotate hay fields?

Rotate.

“We recommend a short rotation of three to four years. If there are less than 55 stems per square foot, kill it and replant alfalfa in another field. The advantage to a short rotation with alfalfa is corn, wheat and canola all yield more following alfalfa than they do following themselves.”

Does hay regrow?

Regrowth occurs each spring after winter dormancy, following severe summer droughts or untimely freezes, after forage harvesting or grazing, and, fortunately, after wildfires.

How do I renew my hay field?

When should you stop cutting hay?

The answers to these questions are usually something like… "it is fine to harvest through the first week of September", and… "we recommend harvesting at least six weeks before the killing frost." On average, the alfalfa killing frost (24 to 25 degrees F) in northeast Iowa occurs in the third to fourth week of October.

How many times can you cut a hay field?

Depending on your soil and grass growth rate, you can harvest hay two or three times a year. In some places, you can even stretch for a fourth crop, but the harvest won't be as fruitful.

How often can you cut hay?

The first cutting in the spring should be when grass has greened up and reached 12 – 16 inches tall. This should clean up all the old growth of winter weeds and such. Then each subsequent cutting is at 3.5 to 5 week intervals.

How long is hay season?

From the month of May to late summer and early fall, hay baling is on the minds of many farmers.

Is first cut hay better than second cut?

Hay is often cut three or more times each season. The first cutting in any cut will have thicker stems, perhaps have flowers (usually called tassel), and is the highest in fiber of any cut. The second cutting is softer, greener, has a higher protein but lower fiber than first cutting.

Does hay grow in winter?

Contrary to belief, hay is not grown year round. Forage cannot be grown during a major portion of the year due to cold temperatures. Since animals need a continuous supply of food, the storing of hay is critical.

How do you plant a new hay field?

What is the second cutting of hay called?

Second cutting hay is a very descriptive name, which means exactly what it says, hay from the second cutting of a field in a year. Second cutting could be alfalfa, orchard grass, clover or any number of forage plant mixes.

Does orchard grass make good hay?

Orchardgrass is a versatile grass and can be used for pasture, hay, green chop, or silage. A high-quality grass, it will provide excellent feed for most classes of livestock.

How do you prepare a hay field for winter?

If you're going to do it, select older stands that don't have much life left anyway, and cut stubble fairly high, he suggests. That will allow stems to poke up above the ice should ice cover the field at some point during the winter, and let the crop breathe.

Should I burn my hay field?

There are several benefits to burning your hayfield. Burning can help producers manage thatch in their stands. If the thatch layer becomes too thick over time then this can create several issues. For example, this past year in my area, leaf spot diseases were severe in numerous hayfields.

How do you care for hay?

What is the most profitable crop per acre?

Bamboo. Bamboo is one of the most profitable crops to grow per acre. It can bring in lots of revenue, but the catch is it takes about three (3) years for the bamboo to get “established” once planted.

How much does it cost to make a bale of hay?

If you are figuring what it costs you to make hay on your farm, add mowing, raking, and baling at 20.20 per bale (Machinery Cost Estimates, University of Illinois Extension, June 2015). As a result, a bale of hay sitting in the field costs $33.11.

How much land do you need to farm hay?

Horse farmers are looking for good hay, and they're willing to pay for it. Here was the thought, on 50 acres you would get 100 square bales per acre, which is a conservative number. If we do the math, that works out to be. 100 bales x 50 acres = 5000 bales of hay for 50 acres of land.