Resources to learn about a small scale haying operation?

[Fallon]

I'm interested in learning about how a small scale having operation works. What equipment you need, how it works, when to use it type stuff.

I've got 5 acres including the house & shop/barn. Not enough to justify or cover my costs haying. It's enough to get me curious what all is involved though.

 

[Trillium Farm]

Fallon, not to rat on your day, but you don't have enough land to justify any investment that will return a profit, no matter how small.
If you buy used equipment cheap you'll be spending on repairs constantly and the hay will dry while you repair
If you buy newer you'll never get the money back also consider the cost of seeding & fertilizing
You have enough land for an activity a couple of weeks a year if you don't mind subsidizing it.
The only thing I see is overseed it and rent it as grazing land if you can
I'm sorry to be direct, but I thought it better than beating around the bush

 

[bjr]

I'm interested in learning about how a small scale having operation works. What equipment you need, how it works, when to use it type stuff.

I've got 5 acres including the house & shop/barn. Not enough to justify or cover my costs haying. It's enough to get me curious what all is involved though.

"Frustration" is the word that comes to mind when I think of my small scale haying Ops. With 35hp tractor I'm right at $20,000 in machinery. I've tried the ol' junk route and just about drove myself over the edge mentally. Being able to come home from the day job and jump on the tractor and Go-N-Blo was important. I just didn't have the time to trouble shoot and repair very old haying machinery. I've since went to a brand new 3pt Drum mower a brand new Rotary 3pt hay rake and used inline Hesston 4550 baler to replace a old offset NH 269 baler. I needed manuevuable agile machinery to get in the small fields and thru small gates and be able to pull down the road easily. It was "expensive, but worth it" to be able to get in a field and accomplish the haying process instead of running back and forth between various parts/dealers on a Saturday and having to wait till next day to be able to buy during business hours. Maybe you have more time for your Ops then I do. bjr

 

[Fallon]

I'm pretty sure I'll never end up doing it & know it wouldn't be profitable. I'm just curious if anybody had any good links to share so I could learn, mostly for the fun of it.

 

[MORRISONSTEEL]

Might get some good info from a university, try some basic google searches like "pasture hay + university". There is quite a bit of info out there. Att is an interesting chart from Iowa State University, fyi it is 4 years old. View attachment a1-15.pdf

 

[2458n]

This easy - find someone who is making hay and get on a wagon.

 

[flusher]

+1
I talked to four of my neighbors about small time haying before I started to farm my 7 acre hayfield. Got my hands dirty helping them out with discing, planting, mowing and baling to get work experience first hand. Nothing like bucking a bunch of 3-twine, 100 lb bales to get the message that haying is real, honest, hard work.

Never thought for minute that I could make any money from my hayfield. Just enjoyed working on the old machinery (offset disc and drag, grain drill, sicklebar mower, 5-bar side delivery rake, and a Massey Ferguson 124 baler) and experiencing the satisfaction of growing a crop.

Good luck

 

[powerscol]

First do a search on my user name and start reading on my small operation. If you do decide to do it check into the tax breaks by filing a schedule F and having you property agg rated.

Another source that helped me is this site HayTalk - Hay & Forage Community
Hope this helps

 

[Fallon]

Thanks for the link, good reading there.

 

[leeave96]

5 acres is tough to pencil out - but it can be done.

If you assume you are going to hay 4 of the 5 acres and buy used equipment.

We bought a New Holland 68, JD350 hay rake, MF32 sickle mower and 50 gallon sprayer for $1,750. All of these pieces of equipment worked out of the gate and we made some 1,200 bales the same year. Junk hay, but what we made in that first year easily paid for the equipment. We later added added a cheap tedder and haybine. The baler got refurbished and a 2nd baler was added - but now are doing more acreage, horse hay and need conditioning and reliability on the baling side. Flip side is our hay price has gone up too. We also had an old wagon we refurb'd - which we pull behind the baler and added two more, but again we have more acres than you and more bales.

Sooooo - if you have 4 acres x 100 bales per acre x $4 per bale and you are at $1,600 in total cash collected. You've essentially paid for your first pieces of equipment - AND you can get better equipment cheaper than we did if you can wait and/or are lucky.

However, be prepared to turn a wrench and have unexpected breakdowns. Haying ain't for the faint of heart, but when the field is cleared and the squares are in the barn - it's a GREAT feeling.

In addition to this forum, and Haytalk, there is also yesterdays tractors. Between these 3 forums, I doubt you couldn't get an answer to any hay equipment or haying question.

Here is our 1958 year model New Holland 68 and 1962 Massey Ferguson model 50 diesel at work earlier this summer.

New Holland 68 and Massey Ferguson 5 Diesel Baling Hay - YouTube

Good luck,
Bill