# how many bales per acre?



## Natureschild

I can't seem to find any info online.

In a hay field, on average, how many small squares, large squares or rounds do you get per acre?

Also, if you had 10 acres and say 5-10 horses, would you set aside any of the lands for hay? and the horses could go on it in the winter or after cutting?

Or would it be more economical to pasture the horses on the largest acreage possible and just buy hay?

thanks


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## Alice In TX/MO

It depends on what kind of grass, your rainfall, sunlight, fertilizer, temperatures, etc etc. That's why you can't find info. 

If you don't already own hay equipment, it's better to pasture the horses and buy hay.

That's too many horses for your acreage anyway.


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## edcopp

Natureschild said:


> I can't seem to find any info on-line.
> 
> In a hay field, on average, how many small squares, large squares or rounds do you get per acre?
> 
> Also, if you had 10 acres and say 5-10 horses, would you set aside any of the land for hay? and the horses could go on it in the winter or after cutting.
> 
> Or would it be more economical to pasture the horses on the largest acrage possible and just buy hay?
> 
> thanks :hobbyhors


You assume that we know a lot about you and your needs.

Wrong. 

The question has no answer as asked. We do not know where you are (guess it's a secret), how much rainfall you get, what kind of grasses that you have, and what kinds of soil you have for starters. We also do not know anything about your horses. If we had a little of the above info we could probably give you some kind of an answer. :nono:


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## Natureschild

ooookaaaaayyyy :shrug: 

any one have an intelligent thoughts on how many bales can come off an acre?
Just a rough estimate is all Im asking. 

What do you hay cutters get off of your fields?


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## Junkmanme

If it's like everything else, it'll be about 25 % of what you would like..........IF you WORK at it!

just joking.......sorta.


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## mtman

big round bails per acre aqbout 5 and thats about 1000 lbs per bail a sq. bail is around 50 lbs give or take


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## rambler

Natureschild said:


> ooookaaaaayyyy :shrug:
> 
> any one have an intelligent thoughts on how many bales can come off an acre?
> Just a rough estimate is all Im asking.
> 
> What do you hay cutters get off of your fields?


We cannot read your mind.

They say there are no dumb questions.

So, it can range from 20 square bales (or less) per acre in a bad year in dry country, to 500+ bales in heavy alfalfa in good weather with 4-5 cuttings a year.

Your question is as meaningless as my answer.

It will depend on your climate, type of hay, rainfall, soil fertility, and how far north or south you are.

This why you can't find any info on the internet - it is _highly_ variable depending on your own situation.

You gave _no_ reply when asked for more info.

Help us help you.

Where are you, what kinda rain, soil, and hay do you have?


Cutting your pasture into 2-3 acre partitions and rotating your horses so each partition gets 28-30 days of rest between grazings will give you the best, most pasture. Buy your baled hay. Best $$$ way for you to go.

In many locations, you will have too many head for the amount of land you have, and will end up with very little grass to come back for future years. But, since you refuse to answer anyone & we don't know where you live, can't really help you with that part.

One big pasture this is what happens: The horses eat an acre or 2 of it. The rest gets kinda big. They eat another acre of it, then the rest is really kinda stemmy. They like the tender new growth, so they go back & eat the first 2 acres again. This makes 1/2 of your pasture real stemmy & weedy, and the horses don't eat it. They continue to re-graze that small tender spot, & basically kill off the grass by overgrazing it. Then the weeds come in.

Next year, you have a mess.

You want rotational grazing. Force the critters to eat 25-35 day old plots, clean them up. It will give you _much_ more pasture available, and much healthier grass with less weeds.

Another thing to do is help people out when they are trying to help you.

--->Paul


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## Farmerwilly2

The answer to your question, part III, sub paragraph i, section 2, d. is........4?


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## mtman

we fenced in 8 acres for hay only we do not let the animals on it thats the best way


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## rambler

Here where 2 cuttings of grass hay are norm, & 3-4 cuttings of alfalfa in a year...

It is common to cut the first cutting on some of your land, and then graze it later after it regrows. The grass really seems to like that, some manure gets returned, weeds seem to be better controlled.

In a dry climate, that might not work well at all. It's always interesting to see how things get done in different parts of the world.

--->Paul


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## siouxsie

How about;

"How many square bales do you make per acre, on any given average year per cutting?"

Maybe thats a bit more clear to those who didn't grasp the OP question. 

They just want some average numbers, from various places.


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## posifour11

there is a big difference between north and south or in-between. my land in KS gets about 5-7 round bales in one cutting (i'm lucky) per acre with no fertilizer. my cousin in AR gets two cuttings a year and around 10-12 ( don't know his fertilizing)per acre.

don't forget about microclimates and water runoff. my place in KS is situated where it is in a valley and get runoff from at least 15 acres.


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## uncle Will in In.

If you put 10 horses on 10 acres, there will be no hay to make. You will have to buy hay all winter, and in most of the US you will also have to buy some hay to supplement the pasture most of the summer.


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## Two Cents Worth

Time for a call to your local extension office. The extension agent may be able to give you an answer as to what hay yields are for your area.


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## minnikin1

grass fed guesstimate 1 acre = 3 tons forage 
3 tons feeds a 1000lb critter for 6 months 

this was listed as average for state of WI in an article from the organic broadcaster. (10 mistakes)

How many bales you can get from a ton depends on how big/heavy your bales are. 

Plan to feed by weight, not by number of bales.


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## doohap

We've got almost ten acres in pasture in northeast Texas ... sandy soil ... Bahaia grass ... little bermuda mixed in down on a berm. This past year, with drought, we cut 36 bails. Not much ....

We will be having the soil tested and will probably overseed with some vetch next time 'round. We've got quite a bit already on the property. No real problems with erosion or weeds. We let a couin's cattle (in adjacent fields) in once this past summer. Adds a little fertilizer, birds scratch it around (crows and egrets, for now. Chickens someday). We will be using organic practices on our place and are, for the moment, trying to let the land rest from overgrazing and neglect. We've divided the pasture into three smaller ones. They are approximately one-and-one-half acres, three acres and six acres. Right now we're just tending the grass. Hopefully some of the moisture we've acquired in the recent weeks will help the area. Hopefully we'll continue to get adequate rainfall to see us to a generous crop next year.


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## Alice In TX/MO

I suspect the original post was from a young person just starting out in homesteading or thinking about homesteading. Sooooooooooo much to learn about dreams that don't fit with reality.


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## Natureschild

siouxsie said:


> How about;
> 
> "How many square bales do you make per acre, on any given average year per cutting?"
> 
> Maybe thats a bit more clear to those who didn't grasp the OP question.
> 
> They just want some average numbers, from various places.


YES!!!! :dance: 

Please refer to this question, that is what I was trying to say in too many words. 

I do not have land yet, I am on the prowl :hobbyhors 


The land I am hopeful about is clayish soil, not sure about drainage, gets a good amount of rainfall, lots of snow, one side is bordered by stream.

but this place is expensive, so bid will probably not be accepted, I could land just about anywhere. 
my main goal is about 10 acres. I would just like to do some planning, or maybe dreaming for now. Spring is a coming and I am anxious


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## Natureschild

Two Cents Worth said:


> Time for a call to your local extension office. The extension agent may be able to give you an answer as to what hay yields are for your area.


this will be a helpful tidbit when I find a place, thanks.

and thanks so far to those who have shared what they know about thier area. 

Like I always tell my daughter when she is suffering angst about kids touching her toys "Sharing is hard, but it doesnt hurt you to give a little" :angel:


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## Jennifer L.

Depends an awful lot on where you are located. Where I am, I have "seedings" over 40 years old that generally produce two tons on a normal year. That's with absolutely no input, just going out and cutting once a year. It's mixed timothy with trefoil and clover in some fields, others are more smooth broome grass with trefoil.

So that would give you 90 small square bales per acre (50#) depending on the year here.

You have to say WHERE YOU ARE to get good answers.

Jennifer


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## rambler

Natureschild said:


> Like I always tell my daughter when she is suffering angst about kids touching her toys "Sharing is hard, but it doesnt hurt you to give a little" :angel:



Yup, the more you share with us, the more help you will get.

Making hay in the western USA is very different from making hay in the eastern USA. It is done differently, very different yields.

Then from there it will depend on how much rain you get in an average year.

Then it depends on the local soil - most of the time good soil is used for crops; if you are buying an old pasture then there was something wrong with it - shallow soil, too dry, rocky, worn out, etc. All of these things limit hay growth - less than average for the area.

Then it depends on what you do with the ground. Are you going to fertilize & lime it as needed, and seed in better forages? That can double your hay yields, but it requires you to keep after it from year to year.

Sounds like you will be looking at 10 acres total. Some of that land will be house, buildings, garden, trees perhaps. Will you have even 7 acres left for the actual pasture?

Things to consider.

If you don't want to buy much feed, if you have a damper climate (which you aren't telling us where, but hinting at...) you might consider 2 acres to be a starting point per animal. You may only need 1/2 acre, but if you are in South Dakota in a dry cycle you might need 15+ acres per animal.

Winter stockpiling of grasses is nice, but it doesn't work for me with the 5 months of serious winter & deep snow I get. Works ok just 400 miles away from me.

The more info you share, just like your advise, the better advise you will get. Reap what you shall sow. 

--->Paul


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## stanb999

Goto this site. Find the area of interest. Look threw the data. It will give you a good idea of what the land will produce.

http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/


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## Alex

2005 we got 55 bales of first cut green-feed oats, from 40 acres.

2006 we got *92* bales from that same 40 plus 15 new acres (total of *55* acres in hay) of barley (nurse crop for first year hay,) alfalfa, red clover, and timothy mix. This was a great yeild, in a drought year, and it was good becasue it was the first hay year from this raw land we are developing. Next year (2007 fall) should be even better, depending on many things, like unusual weather conditions (both positive and negative effects are possible.)

*Size of Bale:*









BIG round bales, 1500 lbs, 5'6" high, by 5'-0" long, grand daughter Zoe and son Alex V in background.










Oats first year crop and our Log Cabin, 2005









Five of those BIG bales and the oatfield that produced them, for green-feed 2005.

It depends on MANY things how much you get. You will have a hard time figuring out unless you COUNT bales on a field, people tend to exaggerate sometimes.


Good luck,

Alex


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## Little Quacker in NC

Just as a general comment for info regarding if you don't have your own haying equipment but still would like to grow your own hay? In our valley there are a number of farmers who go out and hay other people's fields for a cut of the hay. That way people can grow their own for their stock but someone else will do the haying.

I just LOVE the smell of new hay! :dance: 

LQ


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## Alex

Francis, our neighbour cuts, bales, and buys our hay. We get 40%, and he gets 60%. So he pays us $50 a big-1,500-lb-bale for our share.

It is a good way to do it, if the hay sales are not your main income source.

Alex


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## james dilley

100 bales per acre is decent with water and fertilizer. and then folks here get 10 cuttings A year.You might find some one to cut yours on halves. you get half they get half.


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## farminghandyman

one year I got 8 big round bales off of 60 acres, and there have been other years I have got 100 off 20 acres, I live in a dry area, and when it is really dry, you don't get much, 

The year I got the 8 bales, we got less than 3" of rain during the growing season, 
and our normal is about rain fall is about 15" annually but we have not had that for about 8" years.

I plant pearl millet as it is more drought resistant than may other Hay grasses.


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