The Weather Changed and the Hay Field Got Rained on, a lot!

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

Hi Evan, great video! This happens to everyone who makes hay and I'm sorry it happened to you. I lost 400 bales this way about 5 years ago. I raked as much as I could to the outside of the field and let it rot there. We baled the rest when it finally dried out and stacked them in the barn. It was dry but smelled of mold. They all sold as mulch and bedding hay for $2/bale. About your baler knife: Those allen head bolts can be a bear to break loose, but it's worth it. Washing out the baler and heating them up with a torch will free them up. Sharp knives make a huge difference. And it's also important to adjust the plunger bearings to the spec clearances in the manual. The plunger is usually out of whack from hitting sticks & rocks, and it's not uncommon to find bad bearings. The bearings are held on eccentrics so you can adjust the plunger up & down and side to side. When you have everything in adjustment the baler runs so much smoother and cuts clean bales! Keep on keepin' on...one of the great things about farming is there's always something new to learn!

[@CountryViewAcres]

Thanks pete for the great advice. Honestly, I had thought about sending you an email, I wasn't sure what to do with my situation. I thought 5 days of being rained on was pretty bad. I errored on the side of caution and decided to mow it in. Like everyone else I will learn from my mistakes.

[@JustaFewAcresFarm]

@@CountryViewAcres you are always welcome to email me.

[@raygallant2044]

Love the fact that you guys communicate. Follow both of your channels and enjoy every video. Pete, found your pages by Country View mentioning you. Keep up the great vids!!

[@AFFarms444]

If this is not solidarity then I don’t know what is.

[@randykrochak1185]

What I have seen done is chop the windrow and just blow it back onto the field.

[@lylesmith1949]

Evan, The key words you said were: I'm learning! Thats is a great approach to farming. You won't repeat what doesn't work. I am extremely impressed with all your mechanical ability to work on the old equipment. Awesome job! Another great video!

[@garyd.goodwin4264]

Sorry Evan. Everyone’s saying get it off the ground. Whatever you decide, thank you for sharing good and bad. My prayers are with you.

[@edcollins987]

Sorry for the crop loss. Fan of the channel as I too am a small farmer. I have been in your shoes, just this season of first crop. I too had a field get that rain.... you have to look to the next cutting and do what is best for that... so getting the hay off the field is best for the future. 130 bales lost to rain and like others said a huge mulch pile. I use that rained on hay for a cover over areas that are shy on grass in my pastures. Spread it, bush hog it, and next year it develops a nice bed for seed. But you need to keep your hay producing fields as clean as possible. I would bush hog or finish mow that field 1 or 2 more times to break down the dead grass as much as you can. It will not break down fast enough on its own and your field will be patchy for a possible second cutting. This year has not been easy for hay....

[@rickyguidry7878]

I would rake it up and bail it to get it out of the field, there is too much there it will more than likely be picked up in your next bailing.

[@kylekidney9403]

Yes I agree

[@19Photographer76]

We live in Oregon and that much laid down would take a good year to brake decompose.

[@jeffgardenier609]

I would bale it and sell it for mulch or erosion control.

[@jonh6042]

rake it ,get it off the field, it won't break down fast enough and clog up your sickle bar mower next time

[@TomBiggerstaff-gn1ws]

Thank you for saying that it needed said

[@anthonymiller8979]

I agree, still a lot of matted hay/grass on that field and may inhibit the next crop from growing well. Rake it or bales it and toss it out rather than having a second bad croop.

[@rgcattleandhay2215]

Yea it’s gonna be hell on that sickle

[@davidt82456]

You may consider staying away from auctions!

[@Tonetwisters]

While I am not a farmer, I have cut many a yard, and that was just what I was thinking ...

[@foxacresfarm7595]

I’m the same boat here had such a beautiful first cutting great grass and clover and a great alfalfa field and it got dumped on for 5 days one of those days was my 3rd day for baling I still baled it and am going to feed it to my cows.

[@rayperoni4142]

Great attitude toward adversity !You are a very sympathetic and positive person,I admire you.

[@joeyyoung2851]

Tedd it up and get it away. The regrow will be much stronger. My uncle was farming for over 60 years and I used to spend every school summer holiday up helping on his livestock farm and I saw him do this on more than one occasion when weather scuppered first cut hay making. Stick at it!

[@jonnyquest6872]

Evan, I’m not a farmer and would never presume to tell any man how to run his farm, but my gut tells me to get that hay off your field , hoping it breaks down before the next cutting doesn’t sound like a good plan. best of luck , very much enjoy your videos

[@scottbaker3659]

The hay needed to be gotten off the field.. Its going to clog up your sickle bar... And will also get mixed in with your next cut and bale ... Best of luck Evan

[@brycelindstrom9697]

Yep we rushed 360 bales in because of the change in weather just baled a feild today and there where pretty wet most of them will probably spoil but we are gonna start to feed it as it is. not been a good year for drying hay so far.

[@sandraballinger5470]

We have been watching since the round-up fiasco. And then there was the sewage problems. We are very encouraged by your channel and how you tackle problems. You live a real life and show the good and the bad. Thank you for being so honest and sharing your problem solving. No matter what some may say here, we appreciate your videos.

[@sroberts605]

Yes, I would say that's the foremost attribute of a happy farmer - to take the rough with the smooth equally. Evan, you seem to do this every time which is great. Everybody's struggling with unusual weather patterns (including the plants). We do the best we can and work round it. :)

[@workhardlivefree3818]

I don't know Evan... Thinking you should windrow it back up and just start hauling it off the field and make the biggest compost pile ever. Sorry to see you lost first cut

[@tmorgan7939]

Agree. . .or just spreading some of it it in areas of pasture that are in rough shape to help regenerate those areas. Yeah it's more work but you probsbly have less risk to the current pasture and have some upside (possibly) with some compost for the garden and your other pastures.

[@philipblass6544]

you need to rake and bale. every issue that you think might be, will be. we had this at home and tried this. made real crappy hay the next crop.

[@nathanhalsey3969]

Good news is you loaded the seed bank in the soil and got some great organics for the soil also... You paid it forward...

[@localsouptalks]

I usually don’t tell other people how to do things, but in this case I will because you feel like a neighbor/friend to me. I agree with so many others here advising you to bale the chopped hay and get it off the field. I’m sorry this happened to you - but it happens. I recall my Dad having to call all of our neighboring farmers to assist with an emergency baling and hay stacking. He in turn, did the same for others when they found themselves in a similar situation. Wishing you the best of luck going forward.

[@kingkong7617]

I would rake the hay field and get that old hay hauled off. I think as much as there was, it will be a problem next year! You can rake the field and take the old hay and burn it to get rid of it.

[@ronaldlee2376]

bedding/compost

[@colinbarnes7308]

im from Northern Ireland and watch all your videos. We have plenty of rain here during hay making. the hay will loose its quality, but better baled up and in the shed now than in the next cut of hay which it could destroy altogether.

[@HAZZASIB]

On the bright side that hay left in the field will help your soil fertility and help produce better hay in the future!

[@stephaniewilson3955]

What a good job that you still have those bales from last year.

[@stevehawkins8066]

Evan, I like how you're keeping your videos real. You've never said that your an expert farmer or an expert at anything you've done on your videos. If you ever talk to a farmer who thinks they are an expert and they tell you they never made a mistake, they would be lying. Farmering isn't easy and it can be a gamble sometimes. If it wasn't, then everyone would do it. Thanks again for making these videos and sharing your family with us. They are always entertaining to watch.

[@raymondmysterious1555]

You need to get the crap hay off the ground. Rake and burn or rake and bale.... You can't have old, moldy hay mixed in with your next cutting.

[@marshasmith6320]

I agree.

[@trentencaskey7641]

Yes, yes and yes. Get it off. If you bale it, use it for bedding, work it into your compost bin, or give it away as mulch hay. The rake and burn option shouldn't be overlooked either. Whatever you may lose where it's burned will be more than made up by freeing the rest of the area up. If this was your third cutting, you might be able to leave it to decompose. But with it being this early, you're just going to be facing more frustration the rest of the summer.

[@jrleininger4110]

Rake it into4 or5 big rows and push it into the woods with the bucket.

[@HerkCC]

Same set of storms nailed us in WV too. I went back and ran the tedder over my wet wind rows..... going to take it to the creek edge and wood line.

[@trailrider0194]

I had this problem once. We had a forcast for good weather for a week. I cut on monday and it rained the rest of the week.

[@VintageFarm1086]

We all have had hay get rained on and ruined. It's part of farming. I it's very frustrating when it happens. The last time I had a field of hay ruined by rain I did the same thing. I mulched it up with my bush hog. Have a good week.

[@northernexposure9066]

Been there and done that. Learned the hard way. Would have raked and baled it up - sold it for what it was. Thing is people would have bought it at a lower price as every time we have got caught like this the bales still sold out and some revenue off it was better than none. Plus you don't want that old hay out there - clogs up things, grows mold and can kill off ground by blocking sunlight and promoting more mold growth.

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

🤞 Hope it works out and you get a good cutting and hay in the barn next time. Thanks for sharing with us Evan. 🙏🏻🙏🏻👍👍👏🏻👏🏻👋👋

[@costaschill1067]

Rake it up Even, let it dry and bale it .because if you leave it like that it will stay wilted untill the next cut.

[@batpherlangkharkrang7976]

Hi..... Evan nice to see you love watching your videos, thank you for showing your video homestead chicken Duck farmer garden 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 bye 👋 👕🐔🐓🐥🐕🐈🐖🐐🐄🎥👍👍👍

[@4OaksFamilyHomestead]

Thank you for posting. This is a lesson for us all, and we appreciate you sharing the bad along with the good.

[@whitby910]

Evan, your honesty has made me subscribe. Thanks for showing life on the farm, 'as it is', unlike some of the 'youtube farmers' we see and, for my part, dismiss pretty quickly. Rake it to the edge and let it rot in the corners. You wont regret the time spent.

[@Infinity.....]

😢 Our forecasts, for the last few weeks, couldn’t have been more wrong if they tried. (Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia). We feel your pain.

[@jimcour291]

You need to rake and bale it Evan!! Get the crap off the field so the next cut will be better quality!! Shite only produces more shite!!

[@TomBiggerstaff-gn1ws]

Lol yea ,!!!!!

[@19Photographer76]

Agree, it needs to be removed and Evan, you could sell it specifically for cattle, horses won't even look at it but pick it up.

[@drautodrauto2391]

If farming was easy everybody would be doing it ,should have got it off the field

[@jimcour291]

@@drautodrauto2391 some people always try the easiest way out, and it usually always makes more work, takes more money and ends in less "savings" down the road.

[@drautodrauto2391]

@@jimcour291 your right, especially using that Sickle bar he's going to have a lot of trouble and work. You live and learn.

[@crslyrn]

Welcome to part of the Joy & Aggravation of growing hay. We've all been there & probably be there again later. Just when you think you got a plan in place when you least expect it, BAM!!! so much for that plan. As heavy as a cutting of hay that was, I'd been more for the idea to go ahead & bale it up just to get it off of the field. Like you mentioned, you could take the loss & sell it just to get rid of it, dispite it being poor quality hay. Or piled the bales to start another mulch pile. Hopefully, the bar mower will be able to get across the field on the second cut but, I see some of that hay getting in the second cut bales too tho. Good luck with your hay season.

[@rt3box6tx74]

Welcome to the realities of farming. I finally got prolonged rains after 19 months of drought. I prepped my ground last fall for grass planting in early summer. After two wks of rain in early June weeds were a foot tall, but it was too wet to plow. All I could do was watch weeds grow while they drank up all the moisture. Then came 5 days of 100+ degree temps. Farming IS all about adapting to whatever Momma Nature throws at us. Best wishes!

[@sherry2836]

The faith we have in our 10 day forecasts! My tomatoes are a testament to that...weather forced a late planting of already tall seedlings, weather fried the new flowers. Hopefully will get some kind of harvest. You were so excited to get this hay, and I'm so sorry it didn't work out for you. Hopefully some of the comments have good ideas for you.

[@robertpayne2717]

Also housing developers buy hay for mulch seeding new lawns

[@thebear5454]

Brush hogging & leaving it on the field might just bite you... I would rake it and remove it.

[@dennisgallagher1686]

Not sure what the right answer is but I would have seeked the answer from an old time farmer good luck Evan

[@kellykopsa384]

Do you have a neighbor with a big round baler who could roll it up quickly just to get it moved off the field?

[@kuman1987]

That was my thought. And give it to whoever rolls it up. It’d still be decent cow hay or grinding hay. Gotta love farming….

[@terrypomatto907]

I agree that getting a big baler to get it done. Big Bales can be used in areas where you have washes.

[@KCAATV]

I thought about the round bale option too, but I would not want to try it after it was mulched. I think he could square baled though.

[@joshbutterfass5251]

You can use it as bedding for the stalls in your barn

[@TCWRHF]

That’s the life of a farmer. I’m interested to see how brush hogging it works out. I have never heard of doing that. Your doing great man!

[@robforbes2602]

I enjoy watching your videos and I see you are learning a lot about farming hay, The only thing I think you should do is if you are not sure what to do with the bad hay is to ask some people about what they would do first before you make a mistake and regret what you did, This will help you out better by asking for some suggestions on what is the best way to do it. Like they say when in dough ask for help and people would like to help you out. Again love your videos and keep up with your dream of being a good hay and live stock farmer

[@Ronfjc]

I have watched you for a year or more now. I can honestly say I learn more from you, than my father would teach me. When we had this issue, the best we did was rake it, to prevent kill off. You have a field in perfect position where you can move the "risk of trouble to", and will be able to work it into mulch fertilizer for your new field. Just thoughts for you to think about. I don't want to see you have more trouble in a few weeks. It's all what if's right now, sorry........ ultimately, it's your decision. Lessons learned through experience are the best lessons in life. Best of luck on this one. I hope it all works out for you in the end.

[@jimmygarringer6136]

Hey Evan, you can always bale it and use it for straw, (bedding).. You would be surprised what those animals like to eat, I wouldn't just let it rot in the fields..

[@davidgetchell2304]

Will make good for the pigs, and they will work it into the ground !

[@The_Unst0ppable]

Can't agree more to this

[@jackmargason2594]

Good luck Evan. Sorry for the bad luck.

[@Strub3]

Like you said, it is a learning experience. I think you knew your two options on what to do with the hay after it was ruined and chose the best of the two evils. I don’t envy the vulnerable position you put yourself in by showing your shortcomings, but I appreciate you showing them. That is real life. We put up hay last weekend in west central IL and weather was good, but the grass was so heavy that we couldn’t get it to dry good and ended up wasting some as well.

[@dd_ranchtexas4501]

The problem with the baler was CAT-a-strofic. A sad tail for sure...... Weather: Our local weatherman left town. Said the climate didn't agree with him. Seriously: Thanks for the honest look at how things go for you and your response to problems beyond your control. Hang in there!

[@ChristopherKleman]

The horse is well beaten by the look of the comments, but I'd agree that it'd be best to get the old stuff off the field. I grew up on the family farm and we got hay destroyed by rain too once in a while, and we always went back to rake/chop it to get it off the field so it wouldn't mess with future cuttings. Best of luck in future cuttings! I always hate trying to rush in a hay cutting when the weather looks iffy... it's also when my old equipment likes to break down it seems! It took me 2 days to cut 3 acres this first cutting, and then the baler pickup drive chain broke half way through the field. It took 5 trips to town for parts to get the hay off a measly 3 acre field, which I think is a new lifetime record for me lol.

[@georgedavidson7986]

Evan look for a used haybine even a10 footer The crimper will help make the hay dry faster and the reel will clear the cut bar Good grass hay is great. You just have to know when to cut

[@joeydalia2572]

Great video buddy, I believe burning it after you brush hogged it would be the answer. Good luck and keep learning that’s what it’s all about.

[@mihandsplitters705]

I would try to get it off the field and use it for bedding at worst case scenario but I hope the best for you. Thanks for sharing good luck.

[@markfin7225]

I’m surprised at all the comments about trashing the hay. Sure, it lost some nutritional value, but just Ted it again, rake and bale. It will feed fine. I’ve baled my fair share of rained on hay over my years of farming. Cows eat it. Again, just let it dry and it won’t be moldy. My .02$, get the round baler out to bale it.

[@peterpeif7066]

Hi Evan, this szenario with a lost hay have all farmers seen in their life. But the next failure is ongoing. I guess you should clean the hayfield from the old hay, because it will not rotten till the next cut. Bale it and sell it as whatever you name it, but clean up the field. Otherwise you'll find a lot of this old / partrotten hay in the next cut. If you are next time in similar troubles with mowed hayfields and rain, make haylage so you can save the value of the gras/alfalfa as silage. You should have this as plan B. Chopping or roundbaling and wrapping is then better way.

[@Tonetwisters]

Yeh. Where I live, we've had nothing but clouds all year, and lots of rain since the first of May. But at least it keeps the heat down, here in the "Sunshine State." Hard to get anything done, though, for those of you who work outside. Gee. Seems you can fix anything. What the hay?!? How do you live with your entire hay crop going south in five days? God bless you and all the other farmers who have to deal with this.

[@jameshaynie4570]

If you can't save the hay, then compost everything into your garden area and build raised beds next winter. I hope the weather improves so you can dry your hay. Good luck.

[@duaneklein4924]

Man plans, God laughs! The Lord teaches us patience and this why I love this channel. Evan shows it all. It can be very frustrating being a farmer, however eating fresh produce from your garden or fruit from the orchard and even the meat from the animals you have raised to harvest is so satisfying. You see all your hard work comes to fruition. Even doing your own mechanical work can be frustrating and satisfying within minutes of each other! Thanks for taking us along! Those cicadas in the background could drive a person crazy! Good luck and God Bless!

[@uberchaz11]

sometimes your the pigeon, sometimes your the statue. such is life. onward and upward.

[@terrycastor8299]

Sometimes chicken, sometimes feathers, sometimes your hands get dirty. An old buck rake would have been handy, but I'm sure they are hard to come by if they could be found at all, then I would have raked it up, picked it up with the buck rake, pile it up or put it in the compost and call it good. The brush hog was about as good an option as you had at your disposal. Hopefully your next cutting will be even better. You can still rake it if you really want.

[@richardperry9095]

Been there, done that. I've done both, raked and baled bad hay and later burned it...and left it on the field. My mower isn't a sickle blade and cut it ok but the bales made picked up the old hay too and I couldn't sell it. it is a bad thing either way, sorry for your loss.

[@jimjasper9314]

Farmers in MN would love to have some of that rain as we are weeks from the last moisture. Always at the mercy of the weather. Take care

[@farmerk2891]

So sorry to hear that. But here is one idea for you. Some people love small square bales just for bedding for their animals. So you could if that happens again, I would rake and bale then list it as bedding and you would have better luck with that.

[@pierrepicco]

It happened to me and it's no fun at all to loose a hay harvest. I'm sorry for you. And yes, go for the mulching to avoid stack of old hay in the next cut.

[@billcindlejr2300]

Sorry that happened to you! We had the same problem here in Ohio 2 weeks ago. They were calling for four days of dry weather and then the forecast change to rain on the third day and only gave us three days of drying! Some of are hay was still a little green in spots! Instead of letting it go to waste we round bale it to get it off the Field. All I’m going to say is you’re going to wish you rake that old hay up and square baled it or round balded it to get it off the field because you are going to pay hell the next time you cut hay especially using a sicklebar mower all that old stuff is going to get bailed up and you may have problems with your mower clogging up!

[@colleenrobison4070]

Live and learn. Hang in there buddy. All is not lost.

[@katrinadarling3271]

I’ve had a similar problem. I windrowed the mess and ran my bush hog down the windrow. That worked fairly well.

[@margaretbedwell58]

So sorry you lost this cutting....however, since I know nothing about farming, I'll add my 2 cents. Several of the people including myself thought it was still too thick on the field. Rake it up and sell it for contractors to use on fresh seed lawns or bale it for decoration in the fall. Just my thought. Have a Blessed and better week ahead.

[@d.j.robinson9424]

great learning experience earl, I think you made the right decision; the next cutting should have better fertilizer by sacrificing this one. 👍💛💚👍🚜

[@stephensaasen8589]

You could still rake it up and bale it. The new growth in there might help the quality. It'll keep your field clean as well. I think that decomposing grass will cause you trouble later...

[@jeremyfletcher3282]

Hey Evan, I'm very sorry about that hay. I've never had any get rained on that way but I do have a lot of experience with leaving residual hay or grasses on pasture. It is a great benefit to the soil but in my experience this can take a year or longer before any desirable grass will grow back through. I very humbly suggest that you rake up what you can and bale it. I appreciate your videos and your humble spirit.

[@jamielawson1534]

Had that happen to me this year but I got lucky, a construction company doing some road work wanted the old bales for runoff prevention. Once before it happened, I used my rake and pushed it aside to clear the field, used loader a couple of months later to push it back, now can't even tell it was ever there. It's a weird year, some farmers dealing with drought, others being flooded or just soaked weekly with rain.

[@danielbarr5864]

Evan I read through the comments and agree it needs to come off the field as the Tedder and rake will pull the compost hay into your good hay. The round bail idea was great If you have someone that could roll for you the goats can play with them.

[@KingJamesBibleBeliever-de9fy]

I'm sorry you lost your hay Evan, tough break. Looks like your cat didn't want to go for a ride . :)

[@richardgreen5602]

FYI.......This a great channel I watch "farming with horses" the horse drawn hay mower is somewhat like your and my grandfather used to use one. Thought you might like to watch the owner mowing with it to get some ideas on using your successfully.

[@kuman1987]

Evan, love the channel, keep up the good work! It’s all a learning experience. Like others have said it may be best to still get that hay off. If you have a neighbor that could come bale it with a round baler, it’d still be decent cow hay or even just use it as bedding.

[@davidwestervelt6050]

It does seem a little thick even after mowing. Seems like be better as bedding. If it was bailed it could burst into flames if the moisture high enough. I don t think that cutter is going to like it to well the next time. It not like cutting with a finish mower or flail. what ever happens it will make some great videos. I look forward to seeing if it may work out. But my inner feeling is it could go bad. It was a lot of material to start with. Just doesn't t seem cut small enough for it not to be. Even if you hit it again it will keep the grass growing well. Looking forward to what you do with it. Thanks for sharing...

[@HillsideAcres]

Dont forget that there is still value in "mulch hay". Would help to get the crop off of the field as well. What can also help if you see rain coming is to rake it into windrows. Dont get discourages either, were new to doing our own hay as well but see it happen to everyone, cant make the weather ideal.

[@kathleenwarner8700]

We purposely hunted for and bought spoiled hay to mix with sand. This was done to amend our clay soil when we lived in TN. So I’d bail it and advertise it at a super cheap price. Maybe you’ll get some cash for your efforts. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, I love the way you’re sharing your life adventures with us. 💕az🌵

[@kentuckycornbread8502]

I would have tried to re-tether it and do a controlled burn of the whole field but also your idea of bush hogging came to mind too.

[@theburnhams2925]

You made the right choice, Evan. The best option is ALWAYS to keep your organic matter on=farm!

[@bruceshabluk772]

I am not a farmer, but if I was I would also consult a "almanac". I would also be writing a daily log telling what the weather was and finally chart it, so next year you know when to expect rain in your area.

[@steve-xo5bc]

You going to lesson to the experts that have all ready learned!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@timetable620]

Had the same thing just happen to me last week. Went to cut grass and mins from starting and it poured

[@KYKAYAKER274ey1]

Sorry to see this but u learned a lesson for all of us thanks brother

[@Farmer-lf9qc]

The dead grass is a nightmare when mowing with a sickle bar. If you can at some point get a disc mower its a world of difference over the sickle mower. You can still bale that bush hogged hay.

[@militantfarmer4338]

I would get that hay off the field. Thank you for your videos.

[@UriahtheHittie24601]

Man! You have been through the ringer from the start of the hey field! But don’t give up. I looks great! Keep learning. At least your in the AC this time around surprised you don’t go on and on about the enclosed cab! Lol

[@drk218]

So sorry about your hay loss, Evan. I’m sick for you, but I’m sure this happens to many farmers from time to time. I still hate that it happened to You. 😭

[@xjustin5998]

It's the worst feeling when ever you go and just have to chop the hay

[@Chris-jh3tg]

I feel your pain. We got 5 or 6 days of rain here in central Ohio too. I've seen more than a few hay fields with rotting first cut. I know I lost at least one tomato plant, don't know what else yet because I can't get to my garden.

[@onehundredacres723]

We went with getting it out of the fields for other animal bedding just to be on the safe side no the 2nd cut and peace of mind of not having to wonder every day if we made the right decision...i hope it works out for you

[@jamesmason8944]

Evan you might find you will get natural re-seeding if as you say the grass had seed heads, which hopefully will counteract the adverse effect of the smothering effect of the cut hay.

[@tractorsold1]

We used to chop most of our hay. So when a little went bad in the rain, we just chopped it without a wagon. That gave us much finer leavings than what your bush hog did. I agree, I think I'd have baled it and sold it for bedding. But don't stack it near any good hay, so any mold won't spread to the good bales.

[@jerrybaird2059]

This video brings tears to my eyes, when I think of my grandfather losing an entire crop (and only way to pay the mortgage) to rain just before harvest (Illinois in the 1920s) and then going blind. My uncle, a farmer in the 1950s to 70s told me “It’s a sweet life, but sometimes a hard one.”

[@1ruralmailman]

what we used to do when we had hay like that we rake it then run teh brush hog on the windrows and mulch it in.by raking it you gat more of it up out of the new growth

[@JamesCouch777]

It happens. We gambled on our first field and got lucky. I don't usually do that but our schedule forced us.

[@shutupstoopid4518]

When I was a kid long time ago they used to bale it then salt it

[@madmax53]

Just a idea. You could find a neighbor with a large baler and let them bale it and take it for grinder feed.

[@hiscifi2986]

To get the ram knife to cut, it needs to be close to touching the fixed blade. So on some balers the ram has locating rollers ( or some have wood slides.) that need adjusting to move the ram sideways towards the fixed knife. If the baler is worn out, the roller tracks can become worn down into a curve, which complicates the adjustment. . . . Best of luck.

[@Void9961]

Keep doing what you’re doing brother…, everything will work out 🤙