Making hay is a art in its self

[worbec]

We decided to have a go at making hay due to the kids now having horses. We had some experience and knowledge . But I can now say that I admire all of those farmers that make hay. And the people who invent these balers. When the first bale came out we were so excited and amazed it worked after having to replace parts before we had started. Now something else has gone wrong but its all a learning process.
So next time I am feeding that hay I know all of the effort that has gone in to it
THANK YOU Haymakers

 

[rankrank1]

Yep next time you do it, it will be different yet again too.

Haying is a 4 day commitment to make good hay. Every moment not spent working your real job will be spent working that hay in some way until it is safely tucked in the barn.

No going out to eat, watching TV until well after dark (and I am plum worn out by then), no going to movies. Even spending social time with friends & family is all on hold until that hay is in the barn. If you lucky one or two family members will be helping yah with the hay. Some people mistakenly think haying is as easy as sitting on the tractor seat and watching the money go out the back of the baler.

I call haying my masochistic hobby. In some ways I love it dearly. In other ways it can be quite stressful. I do not think I could tolerate it if my living or existence depended on it. Luckily it is only a hobby for me.

 

[jaotguy]

and that all depends on the weather ... lots of sun , (no rain or wet mornings ) , a good steady light breeze helps, not too blazing hot while stacking, tractor and baler working as it should, nothing "left" in the field to get tangled up in the works , ......

 

[2458n]

About a Hour north of Dayton and you know hay making can change in a ten mile drive around here. Always scared to cut hay because you will have one day of sunshine then rain for two days. A new hay maker around here baled a bunch of round bales with his new round baler and enclosed cab Kubota. Nice hay earlier this year. Now he is struggling to pick the big round bales up to get them in for winter. He left them in the field where they stayed all summer. Now the strings have started to rot. Mother in laws money bought the equipment now the cows will suffer.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I really cringe when hay making season starts. Working a full time job and then trying to get into the fields is a real drain. I do most of the haying myself and only get help when we do square bales, but even then its only one extra person. Also, I can tell quite abit about a bale of hay just by the way it smells from all those years of chucking bales!

 

[CobyRupert]

I really cringe when hay making season starts. Working a full time job and then trying to get into the fields is a real drain.

That's got to be hard. I've thought about getting into it, but the j.o.b. thing has kept me back. There's a reason for the saying "Make hay when the sun shines." Unfortunately the sun, rain, haymaking schedule doesn't always coordinate with the workday/weekend job schedule or a scheduled vacation.

 

[flusher]

I call haying my masochistic hobby. In some ways I love it dearly. In other ways it can be quite stressful. I do not think I could tolerate it if my living or existence depended on it. Luckily it is only a hobby for me.

I hear you. I have a load of haying equipment on my 10 acre ranch that I'm itching to use again. Last time was three years ago when I did about 7 acres of Kanota oats (MF124 baler, two twine, small squares). This confounded drought has wiped out the haying since then (I don't have irrigation on my place) and there's little hope for decent winter rains this season (18" is the average annual rainfall around here, Oct thru May). And I'm not getting any younger (73 next month). It's a hobby, of course, and I get my kicks working on the old machinery as much as actual haying.

 

[Texasmark]

About a Hour north of Dayton and you know hay making can change in a ten mile drive around here. Always scared to cut hay because you will have one day of sunshine then rain for two days. A new hay maker around here baled a bunch of round bales with his new round baler and enclosed cab Kubota. Nice hay earlier this year. Now he is struggling to pick the big round bales up to get them in for winter. He left them in the field where they stayed all summer. Now the strings have started to rot. Mother in laws money bought the equipment now the cows will suffer.

What'd he use for twine? Down here hay can sit outside for a couple of years before you start loosing strings from rotting. Use the plastic twine; 130 or 140.

Mark

 

[dan28040]

plastic last for a few years but if you go with the sisal it will rot off after a month or so. at least it does here in the foothills of north Carolina.

 

[lucky001]

Use to always use the grass string which rots within a couple of months leaving a mess when trying to move hay in the winter to feed or sale. I use the plastic string now which is cheaper and it last for couple of years. Only disadvantage you will have to cut and remove the plastic string before feeding but if you are planning to sell or buy hay the plastic is a must!!!!!!!