Small farm hay project?!

[zzvyb6]

Here's a friend starting out for the first time doing what you are asking about. 28 hp and a 7' NH haybine purchased at a junk auction. She painted it up and put new decals on it. 240 bales worth here. Tractor doesn't complain one bit.

I forgot to tell her that you need at least 150 hp to run a baler. What is it with the under 30's generation? They don't believe geezer Know-It-Alls.

Here's another friend I showed how to make hay when the sun shines. Forgot to tell him, too...

This is my 35 hp JD running a 9' NH 479 in high gear.

I'm not hearing any complaints from the machinery. What have I missed ???

Mower, 5 bar rake, and a baler for under $2000 (includes a few new parts for each one of them). But 840 bales * $6 per bale at the auction 'paid' for it all in 1 season. She already had the JD tractor.

My friend Jeff already had the Kubota. His wife likes raking with a Suburban. Don't you need at least 65 hp. to pull a rake ? What is she doing wrong ???

I didn't have the heart to tell either of the women that haying is a $30,000 investment and you need at least 2 tractors and a Home Equity loan.

 

[paulsharvey]

Used sickle bar mower, they can be pretty cheap, and parts are replaceable, and not that complex. Rakes are extremely mechanical too, and pretty cheap.

You real issue will be the baler. I'm kinda intrigued by the micro round ballers for a small operation. I think Yanmar, and several other Korean, Japanese, Chinese. Turkish imports have 2ftx3 ft round bales, and the yanmar is like 3ftx3ft. That's a very small round bale, But it's still 90-100 lbs. They aren't cheap-cheap, but they are Far cheaper than a new round or square baler, and you can sink $5k repairing a $10k baler pretty easily, and it's gonna break again, and again, and again...

I wouldn't bother with gathering loose hay...

 

[paulsharvey]

Something like this, but it only makes 20" Odx28" L bales, bit new, it's $6k. Claims 30-50# rounds.

Can be ordered with a cute little kit, with mini disc mower, and mini rake too, for $13k. I would skip the kit, and find an old used sickle bar, and an old rake.

I would go with something a bit bigger, like the 2nd pic, it makes 3x3 net wraps, at 150-300#/round

 

[paulsharvey]

BTW, you probably will still be over 1000 bales before it's a cheaper option than buying squares, that's without counting the tillage, seeding, lime, fertilizer, and fuel.

Not saying don't do it; but... just know it's not going to be cost savings, until maybe 8 years in


Seems like I see numbers between 500-1100#/acre of hay, per cutting thrown around; so; your two acres is only gonna produce, Best case, 3300#/year; or with the 3x3 (assuming 200#/bale) 16 bales per year. Those are pretty optimistic numbers based solely on Google.

So, let's compare, $12/sq bale (bad case) x 60 bales =$720/year;

vs min $7500 to get started, and that's really optimistic;

The flip side; sounds like you Want to do it, and maybe $7500 is just for the fun, and the hay is a bonus;

 

[paulsharvey]

In a perfect world, no break downs, if you could dedicate 5 acres of good ground, you Could, Potentially, harvest something like $5000 of hay per year (not worth that much, but in value, assuming very expensive local square bales). Figure, you would have significant expenses in replacement parts, twine/net, diesel; and splitting your investment costs over 5 years; it might cost you $5,500 per year in costs; so; you might be able to make hay, if ground is excellent; for something like negative $10/hr; or work 50 hours too loose $500.

So, 'good sense' says No, I can loose $500 and 50 hours easier elsewhere; but, you Could look at it, as, it only is costing you $500 and 50 hours to try something you want, and all;

Spin it however you want.

 

[LHF2019]

I haven't seen where anybody has mentioned the other main variable. The weather and your time.

2 acres.

Probably going to all that in one shot. Able to take time off from work at last minute notice? Do you regularly have long stretches of weather that work with your work schedule? If not, is there somebody that can take care of it for you if not there? Have all the equipment to make it but how are you factoring in the weather side of it?

What is the backup plan should you lose it all?

Right back to finding hay BUT you planned on making your own so no established place to purchase from. For example, if you had 10 acres and only did 2 acres at a time AND only need 2 acres worth to keep your animals fed you would in theory have five opportunities to make it in your available time.

All the equipment in the world does nothing if weather does not work in your favor or if you can't make your schedule work with the available weather.

 

[lman]

Are there any other farmers making hay near you? If you develop a good hay field, they may be willing to make one cutting for you if they can take the rest.
I've got seven acres here and a farmer down the road jumped on it here. He's probably making out but I only need about 300 small bales.
Hopefully your barn will work to store hay.

 

[paulsharvey]

OP, it sounds like it is too late really to throw this out;
You don't need the best quality grass to feed hay to goats, or cattle. You can feed a pretty weedy, trashy hay to them, and not be an issue. You already disced, tilled, and I assume, planted the new grass/alfalfa mix; but did you ammend the soil? Fertilize, do anything for weeds?

 

[KTGR]

I've been mowing that field for the last 2-3 years just to slow/stop the weeds from taking over and seeding more. It was lumpy/bumpy and filled with milkweed years back, was probably corn for decades before, but native grass was getting stronger with mowing and taking out weeds. I've disced or tilled it 5 times now and it's fluffy and smooth... another reason to do it right there.

I'm not looking to do all my hay needs and save money. I'm looking to try this out fully expecting to buy hay at least for a while. But <2 acres is small enough to try anything and learn. I don't need to be buying all the kit like a baler right out the gate though that's for sure.

There's a large section I was going to do nearly all orchard grass with a little red clover and a little alfalfa. The smaller section separated by a small but unreliable creek I was going to do pure timothy and that's close enough I can irrigate it more easily I think timothy is more water hungry?

I was going to plant seed maybe this weekend, spending time working on more fence now, 6-7" posts, t posts and woven wire with electric takes some effort lol.

I'm not even sure it'd be worth someone elses time to to cut and bale it for the size. Also it's way back on my property through the woods and over a large culvert. Not sure massive equipment could fit easily. I can do truck and large trailer but not tons more. If this hay
works I can later clear more woods but that's a whole other story.

And even if they are just goats, they are large goats, boer goats. The bucks like 300lbs. I can't feed them lower quality stuff without then needing to do steady grain to keep them at size right now. I still need to over seed their pastures now that I have water out there as of last fall and finish more fence so they can access more.

I appreciate the conversation everyone. Nice to read other ideas and add them to the bank.

 

[CH4Ohio]

I've been mowing that field for the last 2-3 years just to slow/stop the weeds from taking over and seeding more. It was lumpy/bumpy and filled with milkweed years back, was probably corn for decades before, but native grass was getting stronger with mowing and taking out weeds. I've disced or tilled it 5 times now and it's fluffy and smooth... another reason to do it right there.

I totally understand the desire to make hay for yourself and not waste this forage just by mowing it. But the main problem I see with this plan is trying to collect loose hay. If you're going to bite the bullet, I'd suggest that you reconsider and, at a minimum, figure out some way to get it baled so you can pick it up and stack it in the barn. If you buy a decent old reliable baler, at a decent price, you'll always be able to sell it and recoup your money. The space you save in the barn (from the piles of loose hay) will be adequate to keep your baler under cover and dry.

As far as getting started, you could probably get someone local with smaller equipment to mow it for you. As long as you can assure them there's no rocks or hazards, a smaller disc mower or haybine could get it knocked down for you. Then you could move forward with your experiment and see how it works out.


Good luck with it.