Mow, Rake & Round Bale with 40 HP.

[dancce]

(but it beats snowballs in the winter)

That phrase reminds me of when I used to do a lot of custom baling--and this old rancher and I were looking at the weedy pasture he wanted me to bale for him.I asked him what exactly he wanted me to bale up--and he said---"If it'll make cow patties--bale it"

dancce

 

[ScottAR]

LOL !!!

 

[dancce]

Cow Patties ?????? Thats not what the old rancher called them.
Hey, Mr. Moderator,was the original word used in my post offensive? Does t--- have another definition that I am not aware of? Just curious. I want to abide by the rules.
I was trying to lighten things up a little---as it seemed this thread was getting a little tense. The substituted term loses some of the grin--ability of the original.
How about "pasture muffins"? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

dannce

 

[5030]

You know, I really like reading the threads about haying. What I was wondering is if we could all get together at my farm, share our opinions and experiences together. Sort of like bonding. After that, all of you could help me with my haying, each of you showing me a "better" way. That way I'd have to do less work. Isn't that what farming is about? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[cowboydoc]

dance,

I modified your post. The word you used is not offensive but this is a family rated site, essentially a G-rating. No @#%#, etc. is to used nor are any derogatory words to be used. Don't take offense everybody that uses any words like that are censored.

 

[dancce]

No offense taken. I'll keep the "G' rating in mind in the future.
Thanks for the response.

dancce

 

[jlemon]

Heh!

But is that really an accurate view of fields? I ask because I have an overgrown (not cut last year) field of pasture grasses (smooth bromegrass, canarygrass) that is fairly weed free. I found someone who was willing to cut and bale it for 50/50 shares, but after mowing 3 rows, he quit, claiming that there was too much thatch and it wasn't worth baling.

I don't know a thing about haying (yet) but your comment leads me to wonder if he had other reasons for not wanting to do the work (equipment couldn't handle it?)

He was going to bring out a field chopper to cut the stuff down and move it over to my silage bin for compost, but I'm still waiting...

 

[cowboydoc]

No that was pretty realistic. The problem is with all that dead grass you are wasting your time baling. That dead grass is as good as feeding nothing. People that don't bale don't realize the cost of baling. If the hay isn't worth feeding then it certainly isn't worth baling.

 

[5030]

This is pretty radical, but I'd have it sprayed with Roundup and start over. An "overgrown" hay field will never produce. It's probably loaded with undesirable plants anyway.

We "run" our fields about 6 years. We carefully manage our hay through proper and timely application of fertilizers and nutrients as well as weed and pest control. After the sixth year, we "burn" it, leave it fallow for a season, fit it and start over. We try to rotate fields if possible as hay is a legume and is really good for poor ground. We tend to plant on fields that are oddly shaped or where it's hard to swing large equipment such as combines or no till drills without loosing a bunch of tillable ground. The ideal row crop field is one that is regtangular in shape where the "headlands" are accessable for the turn around. Every farmer has oddly shaped plots just like us. That's why the hay is on those plots. Unplanted acreage is unproductive.

 

[dancce]

Cowboydoc is correct. We have had years around here however, when hay was so scarce that people would want to bale up anything that the livestock would eat. But in a "normal" year most want the hay to have some nutritional value.
It is expensive from an equipment and labor standpoint to bale hay. In fact, it is hard to get anyone to bale on 50-50 shares here. Normally it is done on a 60-40 basis, with the 60 going to the one who bales it up.

dancce