The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[dodge man]

Buckeye, that almost doesn’t look photoshopped.

 

[Hay Dude]

Did you get your dash replaced?

Yes. Awaiting for the shock of the invoice for it.
I still have some tweaks to make to the reverser programming.

 

[Hay Dude]

Some steep hillside hay mowing today….

Below: The stuff you see across the valley by the red barn was all ruined by rain.

 

[Hay Dude]

Got into a very nice, 16 acre, clean field today. I’m hoping to make some solid feed hay from this field for my “organic” feed hay customers. I advertise it as “natural” hay in case some chit-head with bad breath wants to sue me for calling it “organic”

Same field about 30 minutes later.

Got to use the new to me Claas tedder today. Worked great.

 

[LouNY]

Some decent looking mature grass, should make good quality hay for beef cows. For dairy animals most people like it before it gets headed out as it has higher protein and digestibility for lactating cows.

 

[hayden]

Got into a very nice, 16 acre, clean field today. I’m hoping to make some solid feed hay from this field for my organic feed hay customers.

What's involved in PA to make the hay "organic"? Is there some sort of certification process? Also, what do they do to replenish neutrients? Spread manure? I ask because I just switched my fields over to a farmer with an organic dairy farm, and there was a variety of paperwork involved in certifying the fields as "organic". Most had to do with certifying that no pesticides or other chemicals had been used in the past three years either on the fields or within 15 feet. And he is now spreading manure to fertilize.

 

[Doorman63]

Question for Hay Dude….or other hay gurus!

We have a couple “ex” hay fields. Haven’t been harvested in about 5 years.

I alternate mowing/letting them grow. Makes for great wildflowers/butterfly habitats

Walking with our dogs they specifically pick out certain grass to nibble on.

Anyone know which grass and why?

Neither dog is ever sick.

 

[Hay Dude]

The first 2 pics were barely thick enough to cut.
The 3rd, tedder pic was me practicing on some rained on hay thats going to be mushroom hay.

Here’s me tedding some nice green hay.
I’m really liking the Claas Tedder.
Big improvement (so far) over the Pequea.

 

[Hay Dude]

Got some baling done today. It was one of those days where you could bale till 8PM. And we did.

Below: Here we go with a full 4x4x8 @ 1,834LBS.

Below: Here’s a feed bale…its 4x4x5’ @ 1,080LBS

 

[Tx Jim]

Why don't you rake a larger windrow? I would have raked at least 2/ maybe 3 of those windrows together for my rd baler & I would guess a large sq baler could easily handle a larger windrow.

 

[Hay Dude]

The Krone square baler can handle much larger, but those windrows look deceptively small. They were raked yesterday (mushroom hay) and not as fluffy and tall looking as newly raked windrows.

 

[Hay Dude]

some raking & baling today.
Another 85* sunny day.

 

[Hay Dude]

Started off the day doing some roadside bank mowing for a private property owner.

While we were mowing, we had hay drying on a different property down the road. Once the mowing was done, we baled up some mushroom hay …..

One thing you really want is a real heavy bale. I have density set at 85%, resulting in almost a 1900lb bale. You are paid by the ton, but you get docked for any moisture levels above 20%

 

[mrmikey]

Hey Hd, awesome pics as always.
Your second pic of mowing on the road with the cars going by brought to mind a couple of incidents DOT had when they started using a batwing mowing the median. They had two New Holland's, a TV140 and a 145 as they had a reversable operators station and they used the machines for snowblowing in the winter. Somertime tires were forrerstry and winders were ...well....winters . As I was leaving they were attempting to buy a new one but they were out of production. Only one that had a comparable configuration was either a Claas or a Fendt, can't remember which but the price made it a no go.
Before I left they had two incidents of windows on passing vehicles being hit by flying rocks. Both times this was on a 100 series hwy with speed limits of 110KPH. Never heard of the outcome of either incident and it wasn't from not trying.
Saying that, it may have been stopped by using a double row of 3/8 chains around the perimeter of each deck as that's how any roadside mowing equipment was spec'd.

 

[Hay Dude]

Cut 45 acres of past-its’-prime hay in miserable conditions today. Light rain and only 63 degrees.
I’ve never seen it this cold here on June 16th, ever.

On my way to next field. Mowers all trashed-up with wet clippings. Cruising through our little village. I want to go home.

 

[LHF2019]

I would prefer 60's over 80's. Could do without the rain though. They are opening up a large window for us starting about Thursday-Tuesday. Hoping it holds. GFS still has a couple glitches in that time frame.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have a lot down & “dryin”. Soggy mess.
Doubt I can get it all baled up, but thats the goal.

 

[Hay Dude]

Here’s a few from yesterday. This is my biggest single field. About 3/4 mile long and 1/2 mile wide. Random hedgerows and tree islands. Its a joy to cut.

 

[LHF2019]

Here’s a few from yesterday. This is my biggest single field. About 3/4 mile long and 1/2 mile wide. Random hedgerows and tree islands. Its a joy to cut.

View attachment 3635657

Look at that no sun. What a familiar sight. Haven't looked at my rain gauge yet but the weather site says another inch last night for me. Had ducks where I took those couple bales off from. We had a 4 day window that is quickly narrowing to 3. Won't know more until tomorrow and even then rain Friday night forecasted.

 

[Rustyiron]

It's a tough year for dry hay!
My friend makes baleage and wraps it for his beef cows but likes to make as much dry hay, (small squares) as he can for sale for the hobby critters and family cow types. They just can't handle or deal with the weight of round silage bales.
That doesn't mean he can cut and bale immediately, it still has to dry down a little (I don't remember the %) and that's even giving him a little trouble!