The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[scootr]

Moldy hay kills horses, of course farmers know this but... bottom small bails in a stack mold sometimes and backyard horse people don't know enough to recognise the problem.

 

[Snobdds]

Yes, wish I had started earlier, but I would have done it a little differently. Probably would have gone bigger sooner rather than incrementally small growth, but didn’t want to get in over my head.

So what’s wrong with the guys that cut your land? How do you know they don’t want to?

Also, “cut” hay is just the beginning. I like to think of it as “bale” hay. That’s the finished product before its’ sold.

There is nothing wrong with the the guys that cut the hay. They are good people that try their best to create a good product in the face of weather and breakdowns. From a person that is just a casual observer, it doesn't look like they ever have any fun doing it though. You are the only person I've interacted with that truly enjoys the work.

From my analytical mind, it seems there is a huge trade off in that business. You either use budget friendly equipment that is always in need of work, or you use new equipment that is always in need of a payment. There is no sweet spot in the business where you can leverage your equipment expense to maximize output at a minimum input. In other words, there is no cheap margin to obtain.

It's a tough business and I commend people that do it. It's one of those things that needs to be done, and I don't know what would happen if there weren't people out there willing do it at the huge expense it requires. One thing that is good, the margins are not enough to allure big ag into it, so the local farmer should be pretty well employed in the business for awhile.

For me...I just want my meadows cut...What happens after the cutting is up to the neighbor. He has left cut hay to be dragged the following spring to act as a nitrogen to cut back on his costs if hay is plentiful that year.

 

[dodge man]

In my area I don’t think there are a lot of people that make hay strictly for sale. Most are making it for their own cattle.

 

[Molalla1]

Yes, wish I had started earlier, but I would have done it a little differently. Probably would have gone bigger sooner rather than incrementally small growth, but didn’t want to get in over my head.

So what’s wrong with the guys that cut your land? How do you know they don’t want to?

Also, “cut” hay is just the beginning. I like to think of it as “bale” hay. That’s the finished product before its’ sold.

Boy isn't that the truth HD . . . fortunately I turned over that to my son HD.

 

[Molalla1]

Happens once in a while. I believed last Saturday’s forecast that the weather would hold through Tuesday/Wednesday.
Then a Hurricane changed my plan of action for me.

60 acres of hay on the ground, soaked to the core.

This is why having the option to sell as mushroom hay is such a great thing.

HD, thank you for cluing me in on mushroom hay.

 

[Hay Dude]

HD, thank you for cluing me in on mushroom hay.

It actually keeps many of the big bale hay farmers around here honest. No need to sell low grade hay to people when you can sell it to the mushroom companies. Anything that isn’t clean and dry goes to mushroom.

 

[Hay Dude]

Moldy hay kills horses, of course farmers know this but... bottom small bails in a stack mold sometimes and backyard horse people don't know enough to recognise the problem.

Many problems can arise in hay. A horse around here died because the bale it was eating from had a dead animal deep inside the bale that got baled up, unknowingly and caused botulism.
I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often. Small bales are safer to feed because they are handled with human hands before being fed.

 

[Hay Dude]

There is nothing wrong with the the guys that cut the hay. They are good people that try their best to create a good product in the face of weather and breakdowns. From a person that is just a casual observer, it doesn't look like they ever have any fun doing it though. You are the only person I've interacted with that truly enjoys the work.

I love the challenge. It inspires me to rise up to it and defeat it. If you knew me personally and saw me, you’d understand.

From my analytical mind, it seems there is a huge trade off in that business. You either use budget friendly equipment that is always in need of work, or you use new equipment that is always in need of a payment. There is no sweet spot in the business where you can leverage your equipment expense to maximize output at a minimum input. In other words, there is no cheap margin to obtain.

In some cases you are right, but many of have found the sweet spot. There’s a lot of gross income, but the expenses can be quite high. Depends on your repairs/parts invoices for the year. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. It IS an equipment-oriented business. The key for me is to have off-farm work that supplements my income. I consider my business as a “large property management” business. We take on anything from farming, to tree work, to brush clearing, large area mowing, etc.
Any kind of farming or bull-work and we have you covered. If all I did was farming, I would acquire more land and make more gross income from hay sales. We could never have enough mushroom hay to sell. Its a unique area with a unique demand. We have hay trucks pouring into my area 6 days a week loaded with hay.

It's a tough business and I commend people that do it. It's one of those things that needs to be done, and I don't know what would happen if there weren't people out there willing do it at the huge expense it requires. One thing that is good, the margins are not enough to allure big ag into it, so the local farmer should be pretty well employed in the business for awhile.

Partially correct. The expenses are great if you must have newer equipment. I run mostly ~10 year old equipment. It’s fine and doesn’t really give me too much unexpected trouble.
However, in MY area, bigger farming businesses are more than happy to gobble-up smaller ones. This just happened in my area. A medium sized hay farmer went under. I was given about 150 acres and another much larger farmer got 500+ acres.
In MY area, the small guys are dropping like flys.

For me...I just want my meadows cut...What happens after the cutting is up to the neighbor. He has left cut hay to be dragged the following spring to act as a nitrogen to cut back on his costs if hay is plentiful that year.

That happens here occasionally. 2nd or 3rd cutting can be thin enough to be left as fertilizer and the existing grass stand will grow through it.

 

[EddieWalker]

Many problems can arise in hay. A horse around here died because the bale it was eating from had a dead animal deep inside the bale that got baled up, unknowingly and caused botulism.
I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often. Small bales are safer to feed because they are handled with human hands before being fed.

I keep expecting to find a dead animal in my round bales. Snakes seem like the most likely animal to get baled, but so far, in ten years of buying round bales, the only thing I've found in a bale is a softball.

 

[LouNY]

I keep expecting to find a dead animal in my round bales. Snakes seem like the most likely animal to get baled, but so far, in ten years of buying round bales, the only thing I've found in a bale is a softball.

I've seen several snakes in small square bales, a few in rounds as we feed them out. Have found a few wood chuck carcasses in the rounds. Usually find the "interesting" pieces while cleaning out feed bunks.

 

[Snobdds]

I love the challenge. It inspires me to rise up to it and defeat it. If you knew me personally and saw me, you’d understand.



In some cases you are right, but many of have found the sweet spot. There’s a lot of gross income, but the expenses can be quite high. Depends on your repairs/parts invoices for the year. Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes the bear gets you. It IS an equipment-oriented business. The key for me is to have off-farm work that supplements my income. I consider my business as a “large property management” business. We take on anything from farming, to tree work, to brush clearing, large area mowing, etc.
Any kind of farming or bull-work and we have you covered. If all I did was farming, I would acquire more land and make more gross income from hay sales. We could never have enough mushroom hay to sell. Its a unique area with a unique demand. We have hay trucks pouring into my area 6 days a week loaded with hay.





Partially correct. The expenses are great if you must have newer equipment. I run mostly ~10 year old equipment. It’s fine and doesn’t really give me too much unexpected trouble.
However, in MY area, bigger farming businesses are more than happy to gobble-up smaller ones. This just happened in my area. A medium sized hay farmer went under. I was given about 150 acres and another much larger farmer got 500+ acres.
In MY area, the small guys are dropping like flys.





That happens here occasionally. 2nd or 3rd cutting can be thin enough to be left as fertilizer and the existing grass stand will grow through it.

I think you're good at what you do. It seems you are a quick study and each mistake is a learning experience. I think your key to success is diversification. Not all of your eggs are in one basket.

I hope for your success. I'm always looking for little examples of how this country is doing. I always pay attention to your haying business because you are a bellwether of so much of what America is. I'm saddened to hear of a similar person failing. I am very cognizant in my line of work to the affordability of life. I deal with very costly products and I too see people and business failing right now. We need some things to go right in the near future, otherwise...it's bleak.

 

[scootr]

Many problems can arise in hay. A horse around here died because the bale it was eating from had a dead animal deep inside the bale that got baled up, unknowingly and caused botulism.
I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often. Small bales are safer to feed because they are handled with human hands before being fed.

I kept horses on the ranch for 20 yrs and found many snakes, birds, and small animals in the bales. I lost my best rope horse to EPM Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis , a neurological disease from ingesting possum feces in hay.

 

[Hay Dude]

I think you're good at what you do. It seems you are a quick study and each mistake is a learning experience. I think your key to success is diversification. Not all of your eggs are in one basket.

I hope for your success. I'm always looking for little examples of how this country is doing. I always pay attention to your haying business because you are a bellwether of so much of what America is. I'm saddened to hear of a similar person failing. I am very cognizant in my line of work to the affordability of life. I deal with very costly products and I too see people and business failing right now. We need some things to go right in the near future, otherwise...it's bleak.

Thank you and well said. Wish you’d post more. Personally, I think you are a brilliant person with a lot of wit.

My wife and I were taking our daughter to the airport. A 30 minute drive. On the way we saw 3 closed businesses being torn down.

Pennsylvania is in awful bad shape.

 

[Hay Dude]

I kept horses on the ranch for 20 yrs and found many snakes, birds, and small animals in the bales. I lost my best rope horse to EPM Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis , a neurological disease from ingesting possum feces in hay.

Damn!
I’ve never been super comfortable selling feed hay for these very reasons. No matter how hard you try, there’s no doubt you’re going to bale up a dead raccoon, mice, snakes, etc.
Make someone’s horse sick and you have trouble. People will take the easy route and blame the farmer.
That’s why I like mushroom hay. And I like making a lot of hay, so it fits my personal likes better.
Making 1,000 tons of mushroom and 100 tons of feed hay is my “lane”.

 

[scootr]

Cubes and pellets are another popular route for horse feed. I never used either one because any animal parts are completely unrecognizable in those forms. And contamination has happened.
The mushroom hay business sounds like a very good option.

 

[Snobdds]

Thank you and well said. Wish you’d post more. Personally, I think you are a brilliant person with a lot of wit.

My wife and I were taking our daughter to the airport. A 30 minute drive. On the way we saw 3 closed businesses being torn down.

Pennsylvania is in awful bad shape.

I'll have more time to post after my hunting trip and before snowboard season starts.

 

[Thorpaws]

How was your vacation? Curious what you thought of Glacier Park and surrounding areas. From someone who lives in the area. Always nice to get a different perspective an outside the box thought.

 

[Hay Dude]

How was your vacation? Curious what you thought of Glacier Park and surrounding areas. From someone who lives in the area. Always nice to get a different perspective an outside the box thought.

I thought it was stunningly beautiful. Whitefish was really neat! Can’t believe the real estate prices
Plenty of places to eat and explore. Very clean. Nice people. I am a fan of Ryan Zinke, too. Loved Flathead Lake.
I thought it was really cool that you have an Amtrak rail station at Glacier Park and an airport nearby at Kalispell.

I’d give it a 9.5/10

 

[Molalla1]

Thank you and well said. Wish you’d post more. Personally, I think you are a brilliant person with a lot of wit.

My wife and I were taking our daughter to the airport. A 30 minute drive. On the way we saw 3 closed businesses being torn down.

Pennsylvania is in awful bad shape.

HD, it is pretty much the same all over. Here in Oregon, you will see all kinds of commercial buildings for lease, I have a small one in a good area that has been for lease for over a year, this is not uncommon.

 

[Hay Dude]

Our buildings in the commercial areas will sit “for lease” for years. Then finally the excavator shows up and tears it down.
PA is just another high tax, high regulation blue state.
If it weren’t for fracking, there’d be no industry here.

Everything is gone-packed up and moved south or overseas.