Food Plots food plots and bailing for hay

[drrxnupe]

Anybody bail their plots for hay in the spring? How does clover do?

 

[Hunter 257W]

I have 4 acres of Whitetail Institute Alfa Rack that we cut 3 or 4 times a year for hay. My experience has been that the alfalfa in the mix tends to mature(flower) and then lay over on the ground within a week or so. The problem with this is that you have to run your mower down close to the dirt to cut the entire plant when mowing it for hay and cutting it this short does hurt it in the long run. You can still make it work as a hay crop though by re-seeding about 1/4 or 1/3 of the new-stand seeds/acre rate every year to replace what you kill by mowing. I usually add in more Imperial clover to the mix each year too. I planted this field Spring 2010 and have seen the clover content gradually increase.

Obviously a pure clover stand would be fine hay as far as food value but the short soft structure of the plant itself would tend to make soft bales. At least if you are talking about square bales, which is what I deal with. They wouldn't stack as well as harder bales but as I said, for food value, they would be hard to beat!

 

[KubotaM4900]

How many bales did you get off of the 4 acres? You are correct on the clover not bailing very well. I had an area in one of my fields of pure clover looked great but once cut it's not near as thick as you would think an yield is much less and poor looking bales than other types. Best I've seen is clover mixed since it is nitrogen fixing when mixed it promotes extra growth of the other grass. Also with a mix such as Alfa rack if baled could easily fund the initial cost of the plot. Those $5+ bales add up quickly.