By Mary Hightower
Frequent rain and cool nights are making it hard to make hay.
“Our producers are setting on go,” said Danny Griffin, Van Buren County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. “They have equipment out and tuned up but having to wait on a stretch of sunny weather.”
Before the first of a series of storm waves swept through late last week, Faulkner County Extension Agent Kevin Lawson noted some producers in his county were taking advantage of a last dry day.
“We had several producers trying to get a first cutting on some ryegrass hay fields,” Lawson said. “Most of them got it baled up, but I am afraid the quality isn't going to be great.”
Arkansas might see some drier weather Wednesday and Thursday before another round of storms was expected for the Memorial Day weekend.
Jonathan Kubesch, extension forage specialist said, “we don't generally have conducive weather for a first cut of dry hay, and that often leads to farmers putting up overly mature material.
“We had a lot of fields that were extremely dry and warm in March followed by a wet April and May,” Kubesch said. “Averages don't mean as much when our weather swings to the extremes.”
Growers have warm-season grasses such as bermudagrass and cool-season grasses such as ryegrass. In the spring, they will cut the cool-season grasses, let the cut grass lay out and dry and then get baled. Typically, growers will get their first cut of warm-season grasses in June.
“It’s hard to get hay cured unless the weather is right,” said Brian Haller, White County extension staff chair. “With cool nights and it’s raining every other day, there’s not a chance to do that.
“Some will do baleage, where they harvest it wet and wrap it,” Haller said. Not many hay growers are taking that route in his county because of wrap expense and the relatively low prices for hay. Bale prices were ranging from $25-$40.
Hay supplies aren’t an issue at the moment.
Source : uada.edu