Making Hay

slowzuki · Aug 3, 2004

Shudder, sorry this touches a nerve as all the good farmland here is getting eaten by housing projects.

( Sure looks like a nice place to build a house on. )

BIGUN · Aug 3, 2004

( What kind of birds are those in pic3? )

Here is a better picture of the birds.

We call them Cowbirds because they usually like being close to or sitting on top of a cow in anticipation of an insect being scared up out of the grass as the cow grazes. They may be called Cattle Egrets also.

That is also why they are here at hay making time, to eat the grasshoppers that are uncovered when the hay is racked and baled. I noticed their bills were usually open and their throats were pulsing in and out. I asked Dad if they were trying to make some sound, he said no, they are panting. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif It was VERY hot that day. He has also observed they prefer the green grasshoppers, Katydids, over the big yellow ones, and if one should be lucky enough to find a field mouse that they will fight over that. Guess they are a rare treat.

They weren’t always in Texas, at least in our area, but showed up 30 or so years ago. Seems like I heard they blew in with a hurricane from somewhere. Maybe someone else knows all the particulars.

Bird · Aug 3, 2004

( Maybe someone else knows all the particulars. )

I wouldn't claim to know a lot, but I've sure seen a lot of them in our area. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I think this site is about as good for information on them in Texas as any. Another web site indicated that they are now spread world wide. The only bad thing I've heard about them is that they nest in colonies and you really don't want them nesting in your trees because their manure kills the trees.

BIGUN · Aug 3, 2004

Thanks for the link about the birds, Bird. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif That is a lot of info on them.
My mother was just saying how she hoped they didn't start nesting in their trees. Now I know why.

PineRidge · Aug 5, 2004

Thanks for sharing all those great pictures. I really like seeing machinery at work.

Phred · Aug 6, 2004

( There should be a lot of $20 per bale hay for sale this year.
)

Jim,

Yes. That is the problem if your selling. The price will be low this year because of the tons and tons of supply.

Fred

Cliff_Johns · Aug 6, 2004

That's one of the best sequences of photos I've seen on TBN. I did square baling as a kid, but i'd never seen round bailing before. The whole thing made me farm sick (as in home sick). Beautifully done. Thanks you for the effort.

Cliff

jinman · Aug 7, 2004

( The price will be low this year because of the tons and tons of supply. )

The $20 stuff won't be the highest quality, but I already see $25 bales advertised. I know it will come down a little more.

It seems like it's always one of two extremes. Either there is not enough rain and hay or there is a glut. Personally, I think the glut is better. I hate to see ranchers selling off their herds because they can't feed them. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Robert_in_NY · Aug 11, 2004

That is an area assumption. Come to the North East and sell your hay and you will be able to buy a couple brand new tractors for next spring. We have been rained on every couple days. We have set records for rain fall in almost every month since april. You cut a field and the rain comes in early and ruins it. The farmers are having to buy grain as there is not enough nutrients in the hay this year. Silage corn is going to be low on protein also because of this. The horse farmers are going crazy trying to find good hay. Heck, most farmers are still trying to get their first cutting off if they bale. Only the guys who chop have gotten theirs off as they don't have to wait as long. Maybe we can work out a deal, sell me your hay and I will sell it up here and we can both get a new TS115A w/cab /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

DaveNay · Aug 11, 2004

I hear ya there Robert. We have pretty much come to the conclusion that after being more than a month late on the first cutting this year, we are only going to get two cuttings. I'm still doing the math to see if we will make it through the winter without buying.....I kind of doubt it though. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Dave

cowboydoc · Aug 11, 2004

Dave you're close enough to me that if you want I can bale you some square bales next cutting if you are going to be short. Just let me know.

slowzuki · Aug 11, 2004

We still haven't finished our first cut here!!!! The hay will have almost no food value but at least it isn't mouldy.

The season is late too so it isn't as bad as it could be.
Ken

DaveNay · Aug 11, 2004

I might just take you up on that. We just decided today that we are going to hold off on our second cutting until the first or second week of september, so that we get as much volume as we can. With as cool as it is this summer, the quality shouldn't suffer from a couple extra weeks of growth.

Dave

cowboydoc · Aug 11, 2004

Watch the heads. If it starts to head out cut it. You lose protein and digestability very rapidly as soon as the heading process starts. In this area you want to cut before Sept. 15th. This gives the grass a good survival rate during the winter. If it's after Sept. 15th we'll usually wait until the first frost. After that you're ok to cut it again.

Phred · Aug 12, 2004

( we can both get a new TS115A w/cab )

Boy doesn't that sound good.

The only propblem is with the cost of diesel and the fact that you are ~ 2000 miles away, it would probbaly cost more than a TS115A w /cab to haul it up there..... /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Thants the problem with round bales, they do not truck well. And the cost of moving a few hunderd tons of hard to stack material would get ugly in a hurry.

What we need are a couple of good large square balers to go with those new TS115s....

Fred

Robert_in_NY · Aug 12, 2004

I figured the diesel would hurt us some so that is why I decided we should settle for the TL100A instead /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I know a couple custom large balers but I don't think either of them want to drive down to texas to bale some hay /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Have fun down there. The weather is making me have fun by changing every few hours but it looks like I can get the rest of my first cutting off this weekend except for a couple fields to be round baled for a friend.

slowzuki · Aug 12, 2004

We were hoping to cut saturday but sun and mon are listed to rain now... /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Tues weds look good, hopefully it will stay that way /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

HayDR · Aug 12, 2004

We need to get your father a V Rake so he can get the hay raked in 1/3 the time a NH bar rake will take. With a V-Rake you can rake 10-20 acres of hay an HOUR. With a bar rake you might do 3 acres an hour. How much time does a farmer have to waste when the hay is ready and the rain clouds are coming?

slowzuki · Aug 12, 2004

CCI, do people with heavy yeilds have trouble with the v-rakes? Looking at the width it would form windrows too big to bale in lowest gear with a square baler.

I certainly am interested in the 3 point style ones, we have PTO powered rake made by FA. It has a "belt" of teeth that rotate around, it only 8 ft wide or so but double windrows with it are too heavy for the baler (IH484, 485 tractors, JD336 and MF 224 balers) and the thing is noisy.

cowboydoc · Aug 12, 2004

do people with heavy yeilds have trouble with the v-rakes? You bet there is especially if the hay is wet at all. It also makes hay much harder to dry. We have both rakes and use both at different times. It's difficult to use the v-rakes in first cutting if it's really heavy, especially when we use the swathers which take a 14' cut. Using a 9-10 mower conditioner it isn't as much of an issue. If you're having trouble drying hay you definitely don't want to use one as it's going to take twice as long to dry the hay. I've been caught more than once thinking it would be alright and raked two rows into one and it wouldn't dry. The v-rakes are also hard to get set-up properly as well. If your hay is damp or dry you'll have to set it different. The side delivery rake is pretty simple. They are both great rakes they just both serve different purposes and you need to use one or the other for different conditions.