Hay 2021

[tmschuller]

How was your hay this year?? Finally getting more!
Had my hay field done last week and pretty happy. 5 acre field did us 9 round bales last year and this year 17. 3 year old field. The guy that does ours did a great job and looking forward to a 2nd cutting. Last year only one... then turned the horses out on it periodically. Going to fertilize it after another rain.. I use a liquid and bought a boomless sprayer nozzle that’s 16ft.

 

[cmann250]

Pretty typical year for us. We’re getting late on first cutting. About 3000 squares and 100 rounds so far with 2/3s of first cutting done.

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[tmschuller]

Pretty typical year for us. We’re getting late on first cutting. About 3000 squares and 100 rounds so far with 2/3s of first cutting done.

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Wow! That’s great. How many acres??

 

[cmann250]

We do about 80 to sell and almost the same custom. 2 cuttings on grass and 3-4 on alfalfa.


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[Magyars]

We have a deal with a local farmer..he cuts. Rakes. Bales and puts half in our loft. Unfortunately he only gets one cutting a season. About 3 acres in hay yields 300 SQ bale's in a good year. Grass and clover mostly. Still waiting for him to get to us.

 

[churchmouse]

Man this brings back memory's working the family farm manually mainly. No magics involved it was cut rolled and stacked.
The square we cut was for the loft and it was man handled as well.

 

[tmschuller]

We have a deal with a local farmer..he cuts. Rakes. Bales and puts half in our loft. Unfortunately he only gets one cutting a season. About 3 acres in hay yields 300 SQ bale's in a good year. Grass and clover mostly. Still waiting for him to get to us.

It’s hard to get someone to come and be dependable around me... finally found one. 100 square bales to an acre is good my book.

 

[Magyars]

It’s hard to get someone to come and be dependable around me... finally found one. 100 square bales to an acre is good my book.

Our property is on both sides f the White river.....the lower field always produces. Even in droughts

 

[tmschuller]

Our property is on both sides f the White river.....the lower field always produces. Even in droughts

That’s great. Last few years hay has been hard for us whether someone doing it or just not growing. I had the field plowed and restarted 3 years ago.
I just invested in a hay elevator and that will make it easier on my wife and I It’s usually just us when putting it away.
I may be tearing down our 150 year old barn this year to put up a riding and hay barn. Hate to but we’re going to use as much of the old barn as possible.
Let’s see more pictures of your hay operation and storage!

 

[BigRed]

I miss the smell of sweat and hay..... It has been too damn long.

 

[phylodog]

Got 128 bales off of my side pasture in the first cut but it’s just grass hay and the horses don’t seem too enthused about it. I need to research how to improve the quality.

 

[indyjohn]

Man this brings back memory's working the family farm manually mainly. No magics involved it was cut rolled and stacked.
The square we cut was for the loft and it was man handled as well.

Same here. I remember the struggle to toss a square onto the wagon (yes, I started that early). Then up into the loft to unload, hot and dusty!

Pretty typical year for us. We’re getting late on first cutting. About 3000 squares and 100 rounds so far with 2/3s of first cutting done.

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Am I crazy that I've been talking to the OG about going all Green Acres on her, quitting the city life and starting a haying business that caters directly to the horse people???

 

[churchmouse]

Same here. I remember the struggle to toss a square onto the wagon (yes, I started that early). Then up into the loft to unload, hot and dusty!


Am I crazy that I've been talking to the OG about going all Green Acres on her, quitting the city life and starting a haying business that caters directly to the horse people???

We had a pully/rope/pincer hooks that ran off the power take off on the flywheel of all the old tractors. Man talk about an osha nightmare that thing but if you had the timing right you could pull some bales into the hot steamy loft.
Then they stepped up to an antique belt conveyer that ran off the same flywheel. It was a hoot watching the men load the belt on the flywheel with the tractor running. It had to be lined up just so or it would pitch the belt and if you were close it could pitch you as well.

 

[tmschuller]

Was it a steam engine tractor??

 

[cmann250]

Am I crazy that I've been talking to the OG about going all Green Acres on her, quitting the city life and starting a haying business that caters directly to the horse people???

It’s work. In my case, it’s 2 people, 3 tractors, and 4 trucks doing everything. When everything is going right, it’s enjoyable. When everything goes south, not so much.

The weather must have been better years ago. Now it’s tough to string 3 dry days together.


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[tmschuller]

It’s work. In my case, it’s 2 people, 3 tractors, and 4 trucks doing everything. When everything is going right, it’s enjoyable. When everything goes south, not so much.

The weather must have been better years ago. Now it’s tough to string 3 dry days together.


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A lot of work But fun! It is usually just my wife and I bringing it up to the barn but now with a hay elevator the square bales are much easier. It drops them on a couple of 2x12” nailed together and she slides them down and I get 20 or so in and go up and stack. Now that the grandkids are bigger they will help. Slowly getting more mechanized. The guys with the hay accumulator and a grapple... that’s slick!

 

[cmann250]

The guys with the hay accumulator and a grapple... that’s slick!

I wish I had a drone video of our baling operation. I can make 1000 bales in an afternoon and not break a sweat.

This is the model I have.




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[indyjohn]

I wish I had a drone video of our baling operation. I can make 1000 bales in an afternoon and not break a sweat.

This is the model I have.




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At least one YouTube farmer I follow has one of these. They are pretty cool!

Do you use a skidsteer with a bale grapple to get them on a trailer and out of the field?

 

[cmann250]

We use a loader tractor. Better reach and visibility.


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[***Ironhead***]

It’s work. In my case, it’s 2 people, 3 tractors, and 4 trucks doing everything. When everything is going right, it’s enjoyable. When everything goes south, not so much.

The weather must have been better years ago. Now it’s tough to string 3 dry days together.


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Don’t forget the money part. Lots of money.