Posted by JBMac76 on July 01, 2012 at 17:28:35 from (174.131.47.21):
I currently grow close to 20 acres of perennial peanut. I am located in North Florida, not far from the Ga. Border. I grew up working on a hay farm, but it was coastal bermuda and I didnt have much say so in the hows and whens of cutting. You guys might not be familiar with this type of hay. It"s a great hay for this hot, sandy soiled area: no nitrogen input, drought resistant, no pests to speak of. It is thin stemmed and leafy, like alfalfa. It only grows 1-2 feet tall. The best part is it sells for $8-$12 a 60lb bale to horse and goat people (nutrient quality is like alfalfa, which doesnt grow here) Thanks to the storms Beryl and Debby, it"s had plenty of moisture, so ready to harvest.
I tested a few acres with my new to me NH 488: It didn"t cut as low as my old disc mower, even with the shoes all the way up. Weather has been in the 90"s and relatively low humidity for Fl. and a good breeze. I mowed Friday after the dew burned off and it was ready to bale late yesterday with my JD 436.
Here"s my questions / observations:
I think the higher cut let it sit on the stubble and dry faster, even though I may have lost some hay?
My JD side delivery rake leaves half the hay on the ground, it has all its teeth and set where it sweeps through the stubble, but not in the dirt. I have to rake it like 3 times to just get 80% of the hay. Would a v-type rake serve me better with thinner nature of my hay?
I can"t seem to get consistent bales, they are all the same size, but same are marshmallowS and some are bricks. Is this likely due to the windrow being inconsistent?
Sorry for the long post, just trying to learn as much as I can from all of y"all with so much experience. Any help or observations would be greatly appreciated.
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