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What is in a hay field?
A hayfield is a general name given to any field which has been planted with a grass or legume or a combination of grasses and or legumes with the purpose of harvesting the plants for use as food (hay) for livestock or allowing livestock to graze in that field.
What grows in hay fields?
Grass: Hay can be made from many types of grass, with timothy, bermudagrass and orchardgrass being common choices. Legume: Alfalfa is the dominant member of the legume family when it comes to making hay, with clover another to consider and bird’s-foot trefoil a popular choice for hayfields containing more moisture.
How do you prepare a field for hay?
For hay, mow the field with a rotary mower to remove problem plants by cutting them before they set viable seed. Till to control tenacious, perennial weeds, such as bedstraw, and then seed. The best time to seed is in May or in the first three weeks of August, when seed will survive and compete with weeds better.
How do you turn a field into a hay field?
Steps to renovate an old hayfield: Assess the condition of the field, your goals and your resources. Get a soil test. Mow field with a rotary mower. Lime and fertilize. Remove rocks and stumps. Till (if necessary) and seed.
What animals live in a hay field?
Hayfields can provide many kinds of wildlife with food and cover. Meadowlarks, bobolinks, and pheasants are examples of open-ground nesters that use hay- fields. Waterfowl, rabbits, deer, and wild turkeys nest in grassland located next to woods, wetlands or brushlands.
Is hay just dried grass?
Hay is a grass or can be a form of grass. When referring to it as a form of grass, it is a cut grass that has been cut then dried for the purpose of becoming an animal feed or food. Hay is a common food commodity for livestock owners who raise horses, cattle, sheep and goats.
What is the easiest hay to grow?
Part 1 of 3: Depending on your needs, plant grass, alfalfa, or a mixture of the 2 for use as hay after growing. Grass hay is generally more nutritious than alfalfa hay for livestock, but alfalfa has more fiber. If you choose grass hay, timothy grass is ideal for growing and harvesting hay.
Is hay easy to grow?
Hay – grasses and legumes that can be dried for stock feed – is simple to grow either as part of a crop rotation or a permanent meadow, and grows naturally in many areas. Better knowledge of the best types of hay and what is needed for a healthy crop, however, will increase the field’s yield and nutrition.
What kind of grass makes the best hay?
Alfalfa- It is probably the best high quality feed for livestock and as a cash crop but it requires deep, well drained soils and high fertility for high yields. While it can be used for grazing, it is best adapted for hay or silage.
Do you have to replant hay every year?
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. Hayseed can be a mixture of many types of seeds, with alfalfa, clover, and timothy being among the most common.
When should you reseed a hay field?
The best times for planting are late April to early May and mid- August to early September. Spring seedings are best if field conditions allow you to bring equipment on the field, but late summer seedings are better if the field is too wet to work in spring.
How long do you let hay dry 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.
Do farmers spray hay fields?
The vast majority of farmers spray their hayfields and pastures with herbicides for broadleaf weed control. Herbicide residues also remain active on forage hay fed to livestock and grass clippings from lawns that are sprayed.
When Should I spray my hay field?
should be treated before they begin to bolt (they are bolting now or very soon) and the smaller the better. (Late fall or early spring is really the best time to treat them.) And finally, control summer annual weeds as soon after they emerge as possible when they are most sensitive to chemical control.
How long does hay take to grow?
Second Cutting: Depending upon the temperatures of the days and nights, it typically takes 40-45 days for regrowth of alfalfa, mix hay, and orchard-grass , and 55- 60 days for regrowth of timothy.
