Bale density would have to be reduced. This warehouse holds 50,000 bales of machine-stacked hay. With hand stacking on top, it will take an additional 30,000 bales. Hay that is 70 percent alfalfa and 30 percent timothy is his preference. Land stays in hay four years.
Corn is planted next, followed by soybeans and no-till winter wheat.
By then it is time to go back to hay. The rotation reduces the need for herbicides and nitrogen fertilizer. Land is limed for a 6.5 to 7.0 pH. Zinc goes on at four pounds per acre, according to test. The zinc is usually applied on the land rotating into corn soil. It's hard to completely avoid soil compaction in wet weather, and zinc seems to boost root growth in compacted soil.