Small farm hay project?!

[KTGR]

I bought overgrown property, built a house a couple years ago and started a farm because I like to suffer I guess lol. There was nothing here before or it was so old it didn't count. Currently a lot of poultry and a dozen Boer goats (big meat goats) but will expand when my kids get a little older. It's like 30 acres half wooded. I have a spot in the back for hay, 2 acres. I just upgraded and got a Kubota L3902, L4802 was too big for my woods, love it. Regarding hay, I have a disc, a tiller, broad cast spreader, a drag and a roller for it. I have no rake, no baler and no way to cut it YET other than a brush hog, but I know that's less than ideal.

I just did a 2x pass with disc and followed through with a single tiller pass to clean up any sod bits. I just bought mostly orchard grass with a little red clover and alfalfa for most of it and I have a small separate area I was going to try only timothy grass. I know whatever happens I have over a year to figure out the rest now.

I was thinking of collecting it loose and piling it in a barn with the cats to start. I have forks and debris tines for my FEL and figured I could just get a rake and then plow and scoop up huge rows to haul it in. If I love doing it maybe I buy a baler later but for now I'm not that committed.

My biggest question right now is how do I cut it? I've got so much stuff to use for this project already I figured I'd give a shot. A rake is cheap, a baler isn't necessary for 2 acres and now how to cut it without breaking the bank again. Drum mowers cut so low I don't like that idea but might be wrong. Disc mowers are expensive? Or should I just check the auction sites for used sickle bar mower? Buy a new sickle bar mower?

Wondering what your thoughts might be on any of this? Thank you.

 

[super55]

You really have to look into cost analysis before investing $$ for two acres hay. But buying hay especially small squares can get pricey in a hurry.

Hay equipment typically goes along the adage you get what you pay for but for small operations older farm implements can be picked up pretty reasonably especially if you are in central lower Mi or thumb area.

Sickle bar mowers can be bought pretty cheap but they can be finicky. Drum mowers due cut low but you can put risers on them to get around a 4" cut height. A budget mower/conditioner will typically be worn out at a budget price and will need a little $$ to get in a dependable status.

Older economy balers such as a JD 14/24T, NH 68,69,273 or an IH 47 can usually big picked up for a couple grand. They may be tired but if you keep the bale density on the lighter side they will fill the niche you have.

My small square operation I use a 5' drum mower, bar hay rake and a NH 273 with a JD 32hp tractor. I wouldn't recommend getting a wheel rake, they just don't work well on smaller sized plots from my experience.

 

[LHF2019]

Don’t do it. Buy your hay. Fence it all in and do rotational grazing. Cattle goats or whatever it is you would like to do. Don’t get to many. I don’t know your area but here in NWPA if done properly you could graze late April-November weather pending. Find yourself a couple reputable hay suppliers and spend your free time enjoying your animals.

 

[bearthebruce]

If you want it, we have a sickle mower sitting in the corner of the barn. We no longer have a use for it. See this post: Road Side Mowing with a Sickle Bar

I can and will post photos if you want to see it.

We can talk price and so on if you have interest.

 

[KTGR]

@super55 Thanks for all the info. If I look at the cost analysis too much I shouldn't be doing any of this lol. The entire hobby farm thing is a total money pit. But I think it's worth doing for my family. My wife likes it and it's good for my young kids for many reasons, especially now days. If I were to look around for a sickle bar mower what older models are best to look for? I have zero experience with them. If they're all projects might have to look for a new one for compacts or see what happens if I brush hog it with the back side off so it feeds out quicker. If I figure a way to use brush a hog all I'd need to buy new was a wheel rake. That's pretty cheap to try doing hay at that point.
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@LHF2019 I would fence in more but currently I am installing as much as I can and it will be about as big as it can be without needing to clear mature forest, which I'm not interested in. The last remaining available open space is the 2 acres in the back. I don't want animals that far out for chores and I want to keep that lower traffic for deer. They love it if I'm not back there a ton. Absolute chaos in rut. I figured the deer would like the hay field during grow periods and I could supply us with some good hay.

Anyone with experience cutting a couple acres of hay with a brush hog?

 

[zzvyb6]

Where in Michigan ? I'm in Brighton. Stop buy and I will give you the low down. It's more than just an animal feed supply task because it has tax, kid education & learnings, plus self-satisfaction points and a chance to buy some great & useful tools. I just went thru the same 'edumication' course for two local gals and they are now even going to try round baling with a $1000 Vicon 4x4 machine after learning to square bale with a junk 14T (after repairs of course). They learned to swear really well (and at the appropriate times, too).

BTW: decent weedy hay is selling for $6 - $12 for square bales at the local auction in Webberville, so opportunities exist if you have neighbor(s) who just want their acreage mowed down. Training your family to repair, adjust, and resell junk equipment can also be fallout from your experience. Cash, not Venmo). Something to think about considering the apparent lack of local skills that can run a lawnmower, much less change the oil or air filter. (A decent new ExMark/Toro lawnmower is now over $15k, so 'landscaping' companies are dying like woodchucks around here...

 

[LHF2019]

Research Silvopasture. I would be curious what you are considering chores. I rotationally graze and the only chore is moving cattle every couple of days. No feeding involved. Just depends on your motives but 2 acres really is not enough to consider equipment for. Sounds like you have the deer as your animal of choice. Here the only thing deer are good for is eating what your trying to grow. Just varmints and dealt with as such.

 

[LHF2019]

Where in Michigan ? I'm in Brighton. Stop buy and I will give you the low down. It's more than just an animal feed supply task because it has tax, kid education & learnings, plus self-satisfaction points and a chance to buy some great & useful tools. I just went thru the same 'edumication' course for two local gals and they are now even going to try round baling with a $1000 Vicon 4x4 machine after learning to square bale with a junk 14T (after repairs of course). They learned to swear really well (and at the appropriate times, too).

BTW: decent weedy hay is selling for $6 - $12 for square bales at the local auction in Webberville, so opportunities exist if you have neighbor(s) who just want their acreage mowed down. Training your family to repair, adjust, and resell junk equipment can also be fallout from your experience. Cash, not Venmo). Something to think about considering the apparent lack of local skills that can run a lawnmower, much less change the oil or air filter. (A decent new ExMark/Toro lawnmower is now over $15k, so 'landscaping' companies are dying like woodchucks around here...

We are in such a depressed area here. Have a barn full of over 2000 2nd square bales at $6 and they won't move. Weed free.

 

[ericm979]

We are in such a depressed area here. Have a barn full of over 2000 2nd square bales at $6 and they won't move. Weed free.

Are people so bad off that they're getting rid of their animals? Or was last year a bumper year for hay and there's too much for the market?

What do you do with hay that doesn't sell?

 

[LHF2019]

Are people so bad off that they're getting rid of their animals? Or was last year a bumper year for hay and there's too much for the market?

What do you do with hay that doesn't sell?

They will just scrounge until they find cheap crap. Had 2nd cutting 4x4 round bales priced at $65. That is a 5% savings over squares and this year it took until Feb to start moving but once they started there was no stopping and sold out. Only had 40 some. Normally squares sell better but there are still lots of people making "hay" that will sell it at $4 or less because they just do it. They also don't put money into the fields. Just bale. We are trying to set ourselves apart. We here this often. Your hay is so nice. No weeds. So much hay in a bale. My animals clean it all up. IT IS TO EXPENSIVE. We offer 3 price points. Summer out of the field. Prebuy and store. And if surplus then winter sales. Had a regular customer that shorted herself this year out of the field. Called asked price and said wow. Haven't heard back from her. So I guess my labor fuel and time and all the other expenses that go into putting hay into the barn should not be compensated for. I would bet if I called her up and said we had hay to put in the barn she would be a no show.

We will just sell the hay next winter as well as use it to lock in customers prebuy and store orders as they come in. Maybe take the stress off some of the fields and not take a later cutting. Just depends on how this year goes.