What area of the country is best for growing hay?

ErinP · #21 09/30/09, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lazy J

By far the best places to raise hay are in the Arid West where you control the rain with the use of irrigation. You can lay hay in tight windrows, not touch them, then bale without fear of rain or humidty causing havoc with your baling.

Jim

If it's too arid, though, you have to bale alfalfa at night, after the dew has set in.
Otherwise, the leaves will fall off.

arabian knight · #22 09/30/09, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

If it's too arid, though, you have to bale alfalfa at night, after the dew has set in.
Otherwise, the leaves will fall off.

There is NOT one bit of dew in the south west and some of the richest alfalfa with very high protein is gown there. No Dew in AZ. just south of the Phoenix metro where there is some very large alfalfa fields for those very huge dairy farms in that area. They don't have problems with leaves falling off. Those bales are baled so TIGHT you can take one "flake" and "sail" it many feet out into a pasture and not even break apart~!!! I know that for a fact because I fed 100 head of horses for 9 years at a large boarding stable while I lived in Tempe.

ErinP · #23 09/30/09, 03:07 PM

I don't know anything about AZ, but I'd be very surprised to find that they never have dew.
I do, however, know that in Colorado, WY, western Neb, Dakotas, Kansas, etc., it is common to bale at night, often after midnight even, to wait for dew to set in.

indianheadranch · #24 09/30/09, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

I don't know anything about AZ, but I'd be very surprised to find that they never have dew.
I do, however, know that in Colorado, WY, western Neb, Dakotas, Kansas, etc., it is common to bale at night, often after midnight even, to wait for dew to set in.

Yep, your right it is to keep as many leaves on the stem as possible,usually with a hay such as alfalfa, & lespedesa,

ErinP · #25 09/30/09, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indianheadranch

Yep, your right...

It's either that, or it's an enormous conspiracy created by farmers and ranchers all over the western prairies to keep their wives from wondering why they're out all night in the summer.