WOOSTER, Ohio — Depending on where you live, making hay this year has been a bit of a challenge.
The area experienced a wet spring and summer — which kept the crop growing — and also made it difficult to find enough dry days to make hay and hay silage.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, 72 percent of Ohio topsoil had adequate topsoil moisture, as of Aug. 19, and 74 percent of the subsoil was adequate.
In Pennsylvania, 67 percent of topsoil is adequately moist, with the rest actually showing a surplus. The subsoil is 65 percent adequate and the rest in surplus.
In Ohio, 70 percent of third cutting alfalfa is complete, compared to just 38 percent in Pa., where the five-year average is 71 percent.
Farm and Dairy recently caught up with Lavon Weaver, of Weavers Custom Harvesting, for a ride in one of their silage harvesters.
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Although the family specializes in corn silage, and chops corn in Indiana, Ohio and Michigan, they also harvest other crops, and make some pretty good hay silage.
Lavon said his goal is to harvest hay silage every 28 days, at about 65 percent moisture. He said soil moisture has generally been good in Wayne County, which has helped the crop re-establish after each harvest.
Corn silage is just aground the corner, and judging by the height of this year’s crop, should be high-yielding as well.
