Alfalfa ready to bale

Alfalfa crops in the southeast are doing well despite all the heat we have had over the past week.  Cliff Banman operates a dairy South of New Bothwell.  He says second cut has come along fine with most of it coming off as silage bales and about 80 acres was baled as dry hay.  He notes quality is good and there is more quantity than the first cut which came off in mid June.

Banman figures all the moisture we had in June helped to produce more second cut but recent heat has pushed the plant to maturity faster than normal or expected.  He expects third cut should be in mid-August which will be perfect. 

As far as feed supply, Banman will have enough for his needs and he says there is always a demand for good feed.  He markets silage bales and dry hay to local dairy farms and hopes to be able to do that again this year.