Hay Making on a Different Scale

[Torvy]

I'm heading up to my cousin's next month for a family thing. I'll have to look closer at his hay operation.

His primary product is beef cattle, but he raises a lot of his own hay and does a bit of grain as well. He (60s) and his boys also hire out combining.

They tend to use rounds they feed the beef by un-rolling a couple of bales per pasture. 1000+ head and many acres. I see the positives for large squares, but I think it would mess up how they deal with the cattle. Their bales are wrapped in an edible mesh.

I noticed the hay guys near here have baled their 3rd cutting already. I think they have orchard grass. Back home it was almost pure alfalfa. Always interesting to me to see the regional differences.

Thanks for these threads. Lots of interesting info.

 

[EddieWalker]

I've watched a few YouTube videos that showed round bales rolling down the hill and going pretty far, but I never thought of them hitting a house, or some sort of structure. I guess it happens. I wonder how much damage they do to a house?

 

[Hay Dude]

I've watched a few YouTube videos that showed round bales rolling down the hill and going pretty far, but I never thought of them hitting a house, or some sort of structure. I guess it happens. I wonder how much damage they do to a house?

If they got a fast rolling start like some of mine did, they could easily crack typical 2x4 house wall studs.
I lost one down a steep hill, it went over a hump in the gound, got air and broke off a 6” thick sassafras branch like it was a toothpick.

 

[LHF2019]

Those top couple of pictures remind me of my youth. Round bales were not in common use. Don't recall any stackers on Bobcats, either. Small bales directly from baler to wagon. Stacked by hand on the fly. Barn were filled manually, too. Lots of hard work, but rewarding, too. I worked some for my grandpa and, like many where I grew up, for a little spending cash for various farmers.

That’s how all the hay was done when growing up until about ‘98 when dad put a bunk in for silage. 60 head dairy. 120+- overall. All fed small squares. Several thousand bales on baling day when enough help. All hand stacked on wagons 125/load. When uncle available was not unusual to have 8 wagons (1000 bales) lined up from previous day ready to unload after morning chores. Cousin and I would each run a tractor bringing full loads from the field, drop at barn and take empty back to field. Those were the summers. I will admit I do miss loading wagons…………….some.

 

[Hay Dude]

Those top couple of pictures remind me of my youth. Round bales were not in common use. Don't recall any stackers on Bobcats, either. Small bales directly from baler to wagon. Stacked by hand on the fly. Barn were filled manually, too. Lots of hard work, but rewarding, too. I worked some for my grandpa and, like many where I grew up, for a little spending cash for various farmers.

I was doing that until about 2016. We had the EZ-Trail dumping bale bins and would tow them to the barns, then throw the bales up top and dump them for the first floor. Hard work. I was doin 10,000+ with my 15 yr old son.
Bought a round baler and sunset the small squares. Thought I died and went to Heaven.
Then I realized it’s hard to store & stack 2,000+ round bales, too. Ran a RB for 5 years, then bought a large square baler. That was an even greater improvement.

Life is real good, but the large square baler, as fast as it is, is a real money pit sometimes.

 

[LHF2019]

60 acres on the ground for this week. Got the 2nd mower going finally. That helped move things along

 

[Hay Dude]

I have about 40 acres down & dryin’.
Tomorrow should be a big hay day….heck, all of September for that matter.

Good luck!

 

[LHF2019]

 

[LHF2019]

60 acres wasn't enough. Had it done in 2 days. Should have had 90 down. Underestimated badly and had no hay to bale with this nice weather. Oh well I got a break and worked in shop.

And got some spraying done.

 

[EddieWalker]

What are you spraying? Is it to stop weeds from showing up?