Harvesting Hay

[MikePA]

I was thinking about offering assistance to the farmer we buy hay from. I know, I know, I might live to regret this! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif That's why I thought I'd ask here first.

So, some questions for all you hay growers...

I know about the cutting and baling steps.

What other steps are involved in the hay harvesting process?

If you could have additional help in just one of the steps, which step would it be?

 

[rancar]

What kind of bales Mike....the square ones or round bales? When I was a kid, I helped out my uncle and grandparents with the baling. They needed a youthful kid with vigor and stamina and my task was chasing the pick-up, throwing bales onto the pick-up, then stacking them in the barn. If you need any help in any of these steps, it's stacking these smaller square bales.....real time consuming for just one person to do it. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

...Bob

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> the square ones or round bales? </font>
It's the small, square bales.

 

[rancar]

<font color="blue"> It's the small, square bales. </font>

In that case, I'd suggest, for sure, procuring the services of one or two high school kids to help with the stacking.

...Bob

 

[gws]

1) grow to proper height
2) wait and pray for enough dry days.
3) cut
4) repeat step 2
5) find high school kids desperate for money. Get 2x what you need bcause they will not stick around and dont bail on fridays or early saturday morning.
6) repeat step 2
7) bale and stack on wagons.
8) load in your storage area.

 

[cowboydoc]

It's the small, square bales


RUN my friend and hide!!!!!!!!!!! It's alot of work!! And I do mean alot of work. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[Bird]

Yeah, Richard, but everybody ought to do it ONCE! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

Well yeah alot of truth to that Bird! Not a job I would want to volunteer for though. And I may need some advice from Mike someday so I didn't want to make him mad at me by suggesting this was a good thing. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

BTW Mike if you really want to help no question the baling and subsequent stacking in the barn would be the most helpful.

 

[Inspector507]

Bird,
I did the "baling" for many a years in my youth.......a wagon behind the baler behind the Minneapolis Moline, catching them as the baler spit them out.
Then you need to get them up in the hay loft somehow /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Glad my kids don't need to do that to help pay the mortgage.

 

[5030]

Mike:

I'm sure you realize by now that we round 1st. cut and small square bale everything else. The money is the small squares. So is the work. That's why small squares cost so much as compared to rounds. Most horse people don't want 1st. cut. I myself would only feed horses unless they are track horses 1st. cut. I don't want to go into the parameters of that, Cowboydoc already has in another thread. Anyway.... Small squares are labor intensive. So if you are somewhat seditary, don't volunteer, just pay the money for the hay and smile. We get all our buddies together, have plenty of long necks and just do it. After we are done, we all say it wasn't too bad and then retire to our respective homes and farms, take hot baths, apply Ben-Gay and hope that when we get up in the morning we can still move. I know a lot of fellow growers that have went the route of the teenage help, but kids today (for the most part) can't cut the mustard when it comes to square bailing. After you get them on the flat rack, they must go into the barn, usually into a "loft". A loft means 2nd story and gravity works against you, besides it's hot and the hay is prickly so a long sleeve shirt is mandatory (just the thing on a 90 degree day) when it's over 100 degrees in the "loft". If you reall want to be a sport and you have quite a bit of excess money to throw around, you could buy your hay producer one of these: www.balebandit.com If you want, you can buy me one also. I have their video, it's a marvelous machine, the problem is that it costs about $28,000.00 and that ain't hay!!!