Worth Baling ?

It's topped out, been mowin this small field 2 acres for a few years, let it top out a few times over the years, seems to get a little better, so I let it go this year and although just 2 acres, my neighbor will be baling nearby and might do it, but as I'm curious as what grows in different areas, seems like mostly orchard grass, no timothy, was alfalfa in the late 1960's but wonder if it's worth taking, otherwise the brush hog will get it soon, it's a breeding ground for the mice that move into the house in the fall, makes a big difference when it's cut. Sure is tall with all the rain.

I never thought I had any sort of allergies. But last year I scraped a lot of mold (silver-dollar sized, grey, green, brown, and black)patches off an old satellite dish. That was the first time my eyes got really dry this time of year and my nose started running continuously. Neighbor says "we never had that mold stuff until they started making us burn ethanol in our cars!"

This year, it was set off the first day the cottonwoods started throwing cottonballs. Been fighting it a week now...

I'm thinking they would like this hay, and probably leave any weeds that end up in it, have seen bales with a lot more weed content then this would have.

It's been a long time since anything has been baled here, hopefully the side hill won't be a problem, he used to work this field in the late 60's early 70's.

• Fernan in Shorthorn country

Should be the last one, but it's first due to my ineptness regarding multiple image posting LOL !

What is this weed and how do you get rid of it ?

Horses will not eat it when dried in a bale. They will pick at it in an open pasture. I do not think cows will eat it either.

Our place here is connected to several hundred acres, over 500, that was part of a large dairy operation for years, some of the fields on the other end were planted not that long ago, for an owner with horses, and it looked great. Lately, although June '04 was last time anyone had a good dry period to get hay in before it was past it's prime, the rain is too frequent, it's really difficult to get it off the field, I saw a few nice fields taken last year and gotten in before it rained, but the window of oppurtunity was not very big, so you can only cut so much.

Cornell has a nice website, with some description of some of these grasses. I'm in Rennselaer county, just outside of Troy, where suburbia wants all this acreage now, a lot has been bought for development. I love it when the big JD's clog up the road, to do the tillage and plant some of the fields on the other side, good to see those quads from the last big dairy operation around here still making a presence.

I'm over here in Brunswick, on Hoosick Rd and or NYS Rt. 7, we've still got our 98 acres here, (been here 40 years this year), + another 50 or so in Saratoga, enough to keep one busy.

I've been on Cornell's Coop ext. website, but never checked out any of the weeds, quite a bit of information there, do appreciate the feeback on that, always wondered what it was, it's about the only substantial weed in there, the grasses are giving it some serious competition. I've always been amazed at how some of these grasses do so well here, seems like you could keep a hayfield full of orchard grass for quite a long time with minimal effort, not sure what the PH is around here, slightly acidic, my clover patches do well with lime and fertilizer it seems.

If the rain does not give a break, I don't think anyone will be baling much anytime soon, this may end up getting cut with the brushog, ends up leaving a lot of thatch, be nice to see it baled though.

Another one

We can always use extra hay, it's got some weeds, but the grasses have really dominated so far.

Yeah, I've got to absorb the mutltiple photo thing, got a few more and one with question.