Can hay be cut after frost?

The forage can be mowed anytime after a frost if you are making hay. It is very rare for dry hay to contain toxic levels of prussic acid. However, if the hay was not properly cured and dried before baling, it should be tested for prussic acid content before feeding to livestock.

When should you not cut hay?

In hay fields, 24 degrees F is often considered a killing frost. In pastures with plant growth of a shorter stature relative to a hay crop (closer proximity to radiant heat from the soil) may require a colder temperature. But even 26 degrees F will cause some frost damage.

How late can you cut hay?

However, their tale would differ in that they would likely have had to stay up late at night to cut hay. That's because in that region of the country, it is best to cut hay between dusk and about midnight in order maximize sugar content.

Can you cut hay and bale it the next day?

Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Cut first thing in the morning, ted about 2-4 hours later, do nothing the next day, rake as soon as dew is off (-48 hours after cutting), let dry about 3 hours, and bale. Sometime takes an extra day to dry or occasionally a day less if perfect weather.

Is it safe to cut alfalfa after a freeze?

Waiting a few days after a freeze is a good practice to decrease this risk when grazing alfalfa. If forage is needed and you plan to cut alfalfa for hay late in the year, cut after the first hard freeze or in early to mid-November. Even without a freeze there is very little regrowth after this date.

When is the best time to cut hay?

When should you not cut alfalfa?

If the alfalfa stand hasn't been allowed to flower at least once during the growing season, no matter the variety, it's at a much higher risk for winterkill. It shouldn't be harvested after the four- to six-week period before a killing frost.

When should you not cut alfalfa in the fall?

“The thumb-rule is that alfalfa fields in the upper Midwest and Northeast should not be harvested between September 1 and October 15,” Newell shares. This period allows build-up of carbohydrate reserves in the roots. This helps maintain the stand's health and productivity into the following spring.

How long can cut hay sit before baling?

As a rule of thumb, wait to rake hay until after the dew has dried and the sun nears its peak, or around 11:00 am. If possible, let the raked hay sit for an hour or two before baling to allow more drying time. Haymakers have several types of rakes available.

Is it OK to cut hay with dew on it?

Avoid cutting hay until the morning dew has fully dried. “There is enough water that must leave the plants already without adding more from the nightly dew,” Kaatz says. “The bottom of windrows also absorb moisture from the soil, so keep drying hay off of wet soils as much as possible to avoid added moisture content.”

Can hay dry in 2 days?

Since haylage is preserved at higher moisture contents, it is a lot easier to get it to a proper dry matter content for safe preservation than it is to make dry hay. Proper dry matter content for chopping haylage can often be achieved within 24 hours as compared to three to four days for dry hay.

Does frost hurt hay?

Freezing also slows down metabolism in all plants that might result in nitrate accumulation in plants that are still growing, especially grasses like oats, millet, and sudangrass. This build-up usually isn't hazardous to grazing animals, but green chop or hay cut right after a freeze can be more dangerous.

What month do you cut hay?

Optimum conditions for first cuttings can generally be expected around May 15th in the south and May 25th in the north. Though different cuttings provide different levels of nutrition (a topic for a future blog), the most important determination of hay quality is its state of maturity when cut.

Is late cut hay good for horses?

Late-cut hays can provide enough energy and nutrients (i.e., carbohydrate, protein, minerals, vitamins, etc.) for most horses to thrive, even if pregnant, lactating, or exercising. They typically contain fewer weeds than early-cut hay.

Can you bale alfalfa after a freeze?

It is recommended not to feed the ensiled forage or baleage for at least four to six weeks after harvest. Grazing alfalfa after a frost can also cause complications for livestock. The risk of bloating is greater for several days after the plants are exposed to hard frost of 25°F or lower.

Is 3rd cutting hay OK for horses?

Hay of the third cutting is thick, green, and very nutritious, containing more legumes and high protein and fat content. It is also leafy and soft, so the horses will find it appealing.

Can you cut hay when the ground is wet?

Tip #1 – Cut hay after the morning dew dries.

Wet fields will also add to the moisture content of drying hay. Moisture gets soaked up from the soil into the bottom of the windrow if it is contact with wet soils, so keep drying hay off these soils.

Does raking hay help it dry?

Raking tends to roll the wetter hay from the bottom of the swath to the outer surface of the windrow, which improves drying. Following the initial improvement, the increase in swath density can reduce drying rate, so the crop moisture content at raking is important.

Can hay be too dry to bale?

When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle, making them much more likely to fall off. In many cases, a significant portion of hay's nutritive value lies in the leafy portions of the herbs used to make the hay.

Can you bale hay that's been rained on?

Hay baled at normal moisture levels will usually heat to 120-130 degrees F. Some mold and mustiness often occur, but usually not enough to affect quality or consumption. If it is baled above 20 percent moisture, though, the bales can heat up to 190-200 degrees F, the point at which spontaneous combustion can occur.

How do you know when hay is dry enough to bale?

Breaking stems in half or twisting them in a circular motion to see if the stems break cleanly will give farmers the go-ahead to bale. “If all the stems break and crack that's an indication that the hay is cured and then you can rely on the moisture test that you're getting from the probe,” Yaremcio said.

Does hay dry faster in windrow?

Make A Wide Windrow

A wider swath will dry faster, because more drying area of the hay is exposed to sun and wind. Solar radiation cannot penetrate very deep into the swath. University of Wisconsin research indicates that a 12 foot haybine laid into a 9 foot swath will reduce drying time by 35% versus a 6 foot swath.

What is a killing frost for alfalfa?

In its simplest form a killing freeze is when temperatures get cold enough to kill all the top growth on the alfalfa plant. The plant wilts, turns tan, and its leaves fall off.

What happens if you don't mow alfalfa?

If it stays dry those new shoots could die off. Once your alfalfa does receive enough rain for regrowth it might regrow a little faster if it's cut, but it also will regrow following sufficient rain without cutting. In most cases, it's not worth the cost and time involved to shred, clip, or harvest low-yielding hay.

Do you cut hay in October?

Hay cut in October tends to be rich with very high quality. It's not unusual to have hay with lab tests that show more than 25% crude protein and over 200 relative feed value. The fine-stemmed hay packs really tight into nice, heavy bales. October hay also is hard to dry, however.

What height do you cut alfalfa?

2-inch height for all cuts during the season, 2-inch height for the 1st cut, 3-inch height for the 2nd and 3rd cuts, 3-inch height for all cuts during the season, 6-inch height for all cuts during the season.