Dropped 20 acres last night

[Hay Dude]

Finally got going. Last minute repairs and no rake kept me out of action about a week later than I normally start.

In the background you can see the Magnum & Krone baler anxiously waiting to get into the fray

Only 300 more acres to go! LOL

 

[nisaacs]

Dang! It takes me three days to mow my brush on 15 acres with a 52" cut...

 

[Torvy]

Nice pics, @Hay Dude . I noticed a lot of baled hay down here on Thursday when I drove to the property. Good to see conditions are cooperating so far.

 

[lman]

There should be a lot of nice first cutting hay around here since it won't be rained on. We've had very little rain since the middle of May and no rain in the 10 day forecast. Not good for anything else though. Unusually dry this early.

 

[eagle628]

Dry enough to be getting concerning in New England. Very poor regrowth so far after first cut, and I don't think the manure application is going to end up doing too much without water to wash it in. Pastures already looking thin after just one cycle of rotations.

 

[japody]

I thought I had a lot to cut with my 100 acres of pastures!

 

[LouNY]

Does look a bit mature, still good horse/beef cow hay. Most of the dairy farms around here hit it hard this week on their first cuttings, the beef farms are about to get started. Saw three Big Mos out and triple tractor rigs out about. Makes our 10 foot diskbine seem pretty small.

 

[jyoutz]

Dry enough to be getting concerning in New England. Very poor regrowth so far after first cut, and I don't think the manure application is going to end up doing too much without water to wash it in. Pastures already looking thin after just one cycle of rotations.

Meanwhile, here in the Southwest we are seeing an unusually wet May. Afternoon thunderstorms have dumped a couple of inches in the past week at my place, and locations 75 miles east have seen up to 10” along with flooding and tornadoes. May is usually our dry season. This is following an extremely wet winter. Abnormally warm water in the Pacific Ocean is creating a prolonged El Niño weather pattern. Horse hay might be hard to come by this year if it all gets rained on, but cow hay will be abundant.

 

[mred2]

Rain about every 3 days in Alabama. My hay guy has a lot of cow hay, mulch, Every thing is getting rained on.

 

[Hay Dude]

More this afternoon- ‘bout 25 more.
I think the camera focused on the dash cluster

 

[groundcover]

My mom lives near you and said it is very dry, good for bailing but not for growing !

 

[big bubba]

we go from feast to famine now in the current climate debacle.the extremes play havoc on landscapes, wildlife, & agri. & going to get worse. i sure do miss much of the wildlife that once populated the Ozarks many yrs ago.
glad i don't make a living from agri, & feel for those that do. best regards given the circumstances.

 

[Hay Dude]

Back at it…..

 

[oosik]

I have a neighbor on my immediate south. He is a big cattle rancher. He also cuts and stores his winter hay. About ten years ago he also moved into the custom cutting business. Keeps his EXPENSIVE equipment working.

So....five years ago - after lots of hints, suggestions, near begging - he let me help by operating one of his balers. It was from about 10am ( dew had dried off the cut hay) until it was so damn dark - nobody could see anything.

That one day was all it took. I've NEVER been so overall filthy, itchy and stuffed up. And it was a cabbed tractor.
I didn't know if I should take two aspirin for my headache or something for my plugged sinuses. I was so darn tired - seriously considered sleeping right there in my pickup.

Yes - I have an idea what custom cutting entails. He has no competition here.

 

[MH8675309]

There should be a lot of nice first cutting hay around here since it won't be rained on. We've had very little rain since the middle of May and no rain in the 10 day forecast. Not good for anything else though. Unusually dry this early.

Same here in Michigan dry dry dry

 

[mred2]

I did finally get some hay for my horses, a lot of steams. Should have been cut two weeks ago, but too much rain. My ha guy is having people as far as OK wanting hay. He is selling everything, They are chopping it up and adding to feed cattle, Most likely to turn dry now.

 

[Hay Dude]

I have a neighbor on my immediate south. He is a big cattle rancher. He also cuts and stores his winter hay. About ten years ago he also moved into the custom cutting business. Keeps his EXPENSIVE equipment working.

So....five years ago - after lots of hints, suggestions, near begging - he let me help by operating one of his balers. It was from about 10am ( dew had dried off the cut hay) until it was so damn dark - nobody could see anything.

That one day was all it took. I've NEVER been so overall filthy, itchy and stuffed up. And it was a cabbed tractor.
I didn't know if I should take two aspirin for my headache or something for my plugged sinuses. I was so darn tired - seriously considered sleeping right there in my pickup.

Yes - I have an idea what custom cutting entails. He has no competition here.

We have “day’s afield” like that. I did 14 hours of baling last week. Once you get someone raking twin windrows together in front of you, you just go until you can’t anymore. I had so many bugs and so much sap on my windshield, I could barely see!
I’ll come home 9-10PM, basically throw my clothes in the trash, take a shower and pass out. Dinner is a protein bar consumed in the tractor cab and washed down with a bottle of iced tea.

We have baled fields, then picked up and moved the equipment 10 miles away, baled them until dark, then drive the equipment home in the dark on creepy back roads. Heck, I’ll watch Tucker Carlson while baling (well, I did) or Newsmax on my I-phone.
I remember watching (listening more than watching, of course) a few of my kids college games on my I phone while baling.


Heading home yesterday about 6:30

 

[Hay Dude]

Stacking bales.
The Challenger’s Quicke 6 loader can stack 4x4x8’s 4 layers high, but not by much….

We hit a really nice clean spot and made 8 4x4x5.5’ feed bales for Hay Huts.

Shoved them in this run in shed-storm was coming. Needed immediate shelter.

 

[Hay Dude]

50 more today.
Windy as all get out….

 

[Hay Dude]

Baled up 24 more “refrigerators” today.
Baler was giving me trouble. Turns out the cutter knives had dropped-no idea why and caused hay to bunch-up under the baler.

There’s a sensor that’s supposed to let me know in the cab when the cutter is down, but the sensor took a dump. Made some pretty “hairy” bales. Sloppy stacking job….might have to go back tomorrow and re-stack some.

I don’t know if you can see the smoke in the air from Canada.