The Life of a Custom Mowing & Clearing Contractor

[Hay Dude]

I must have been little tired when I installed them. I usually check routing when cutting tails. Baler never misses so got into the rhythm and ignored checking twine as they go up accumulator. 3 bales were in accumulator, 5 in the chute, and 3 in the baler by time got the twine cycled. About half hour of down time getting that all sorted out by myself.

Hang in there. I’m making some mistakes, too. Back’s aching and the weather’s not looking too good.

 

[FriendwithTractor]

It is pouring down rain here north of you. I hope the mushroom hay market is good and you can rest your back this week.

Best of luck!

 

[Hay Dude]

Another load ready for the road

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

Am I counting that weight right? ~28,000# on the trailer?

 

[Hay Dude]

Am I counting that weight right? ~28,000# on the trailer?

Yeah I usually run loads of 13+ tons. Trailer weighs 5 tons empty. Truck weighs around 5.5 tons empty.

 

[BackRoad]

I worked construction (hot tar roofing in Louisiana) for about 5 years. Even though we honestly worked sun up to sun down, occasionally we were forced to work on Sundays...

It never worked out in our favor.

Equipment broke, crap happened, work had to be redone, or we got rained on. And then get up Monday morning before sun up and start all over again - unrested, out of energy and with no motivation.

Folks need a day of rest for every 6 and Sundays seem to be the best for rest and family...works for Believers and unbelievers alike. But don’t waste it watching football!!!

We always ended up being more productive working 6 days than we ever were working straight 7's.

Plan B might be brainstorming something for November, even if it's just a B&B somewhere for you and Mrs. Haydudette to look forward to...(look up "The Inn and Spa at Intercourse" near Lancaster).

Sometimes having a fun future event in the plans makes the immediate endurable.

 

[Hay Dude]

I worked construction (hot tar roofing in Louisiana) for about 5 years. Even though we honestly worked sun up to sun down, occasionally we were forced to work on Sundays...

It never worked out in our favor.

Equipment broke, crap happened, work had to be redone, or we got rained on. And then get up Monday morning before sun up and start all over again - unrested, out of energy and with no motivation.

Folks need a day of rest for every 6 and Sundays seem to be the best for rest and family...works for Believers and unbelievers alike. But don’t waste it watching football!!!

We always ended up being more productive working 6 days than we ever were working straight 7's.

Plan B might be brainstorming something for November, even if it's just a B&B somewhere for you and Mrs. Haydudette to look forward to...(look up "The Inn and Spa at Intercourse" near Lancaster).

Sometimes having a fun future event in the plans makes the immediate endurable.

We got a summer vacation out in Glacier, Montana back in early August between 1st & 2nd cuttings.

I’ll have time to rest once this 2nd cutting is finally, mercifully baled up.
Then I’ll be looking for work lol

 

[Hay Dude]

My work is “weather-centric”. If you make have for a living, and it’s sunny & dry on a Sunday, you better be working.

I made the mistake of not working long enough last Sunday and now I have lots of rained-on hay.

I relied on a weather forecast that said it would NOT rain the following Monday and Tuesday and wouldn’t you know it….it rained.

Now I have 2x as much work to do and some feed hay that is surely ruined.

 

[LouNY]

Sunday work has always been a double edged sword, growing up on a dairy farm much of the daily work had to be done 7 days a week, feeding, milking, cleaning never had a day off. Field work depending on the season and weather sometimes took precedence over any other activity even on a Sunday. Sunday work did seem to have more adverse effects many times.

 

[Hay Dude]

Rain on the other 6 days of the week also doubles as an incentive to force me to work on Sundays.

 

[Snobdds]

If you could do it over again, would you still be a hay farmer?

I look at the guys that cut my hay and think to myself...Nope.

 

[Hay Dude]

If you could do it over again, would you still be a hay farmer?

I look at the guys that cut my hay and think to myself...Nope.

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.

 

[Hay Dude]

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.

 

[Runner]

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.

Maybe you've covered this already, sorry if I missed it, but is it possible to save hay that's been rained on by just running over it with a tedder to help it dry out? I can imagine why a bale might be ruined, but why is cut hay laying on the ground ruined from rain?

 

[Hay Dude]

Maybe you've covered this already, sorry if I missed it, but is it possible to save hay that's been rained on by just running over it with a tedder to help it dry out? I can imagine why a bale might be ruined, but why is cut hay laying on the ground ruined from rain?

Hay that’s rained on can be saved by a tedder. I have done this more than a few times with my tedder. Usually, it’s best if the rain happens a day after it’s cut, since the hay is still wet and green. That kind of ROH can typically be saved. However, once it’s mostly dry, if rained on, the hay will get moldy and lose it’s nutrition value. There’s no way I’d sell it for feed hay.

This hay I have down is completely ruined as feed hay. However if it’s dried properly (if it ever stops raining lol) it will be perfectly fine for mushroom hay. Loss of material while raking & baling will be higher than normal since it’s been laying for quite a while, though.

 

[sixdogs]

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.

How did you get into mushroom hay? Did it find you or did you find it?

 

[Hay Dude]

How did you get into mushroom hay? Did it find you or did you find it?

Its a local industry here. Avondale & Kennett Square are known as “the Mushroom Capital of the World”. Millions of tons of mushrooms grown here.
They have an endless need for hay, straw and horse manure. So we have a lot of hay fields and equine facilities. Many champion Thorobreds have come from the area (Smarty Jones, Union rags, etc.). They can easily dispose of horse manure to the mushroom growers who use it for fertilizer.
Its been going on here for 100+ years.
We have hay coming into my area from as far as New York and Virginia.

Me personally, I started out 100% feed hay. Small squares & round bales. After 10 years of dealing with mostly psychotic horse owners, I switched to 80% mushroom hay and about 20% feed hay. I just couldn’t take 9 out of 10 feed hay buyers anymore. I kept the good ones though. I make a 4’x4’x5’ “stubby” bale to compete with the round bale sellers.

Much happier.

 

[WM75Guy]

Its a local industry here. Avondale & Kennett Square are known as “the Mushroom Capital of the World”. Millions of tons of mushrooms grown here.
They have an endless need for hay, straw and horse manure. So we have a lot of hay fields and equine facilities. Many champion Thorobreds have come from the area (Smarty Jones, Union rags, etc.). They can easily dispose of horse manure to the mushroom growers who use it for fertilizer.
Its been going on here for 100+ years.
We have hay coming into my area from as far as New York and Virginia.

Me personally, I started out 100% feed hay. Small squares & round bales. After 10 years of dealing with mostly psychotic horse owners, I switched to 80% mushroom hay and about 20% feed hay. I just couldn’t take 9 out of 10 feed hay buyers anymore. I kept the good ones though. I make a 4’x4’x5’ “stubby” bale to compete with the round bale sellers.

Much happier.

Hey, I resemble that remark. Yep, my wife and I are a finicky bunch when it comes to hay. But some of it is understandable when we pay $50,000 - $100,000 for a dressage horse. Last thing you need is a case of colic from bad hay and lose the horse. That is why we quit round bales and only do coastal small square bales from one supplier.

 

[Hay Dude]

Hey, I resemble that remark. Yep, my wife and I are a finicky bunch when it comes to hay. But some of it is understandable when we pay $50,000 - $100,000 for a dressage horse. Last thing you need is a case of colic from bad hay and lose the horse. That is why we quit round bales and only do coastal small square bales from one supplier.

I understand
It's wasn't an issue with hay quality, it was the weekend phone calls, constant small amounts of hay being bought

 

[Dryland Farmer]

Maybe you've covered this already, sorry if I missed it, but is it possible to save hay that's been rained on by just running over it with a tedder to help it dry out? I can imagine why a bale might be ruined, but why is cut hay laying on the ground ruined from rain?

Rain causes the nutrients to leech out of the hay.