The Life of a Custom Mowing contractor

[Peter 315]

Its the disrespect you show. And it’s not the first time, either. You’ve made comments like this more than once.


Really when ? Didn't I go look at a truck for you a few years back...

I guess you took the funny guy comment the wrong way..

 

[LHF2019]

Timothy has always costed double.

It should for what it takes to make a good clean timothy crop. I still have thoughts of putting in a small field. Know what price I would sell it for and it probably wouldn't move. $7

There is no money in hay because nobody will pay what it is worth. And you have everybody selling there's for no money. I'm $3 out of the field and still don't have enough customers to clear the fields.

I'll sell 2nd cutting out of the barn for $6 and it won't move and that is if I can get any extra. 1st will be $5 this year. 1st 4x4 round bales will be $55. That represents a 5% savings over the equivalent amount of square bales but everybody thinks that is to much. They think they should be $25

A 50lb bale of hay was $3 here in 1990. Now 35 years later, it’s like $8.

 

[Hay Dude]

It should for what it takes to make a good clean timothy crop. I still have thoughts of putting in a small field. Know what price I would sell it for and it probably wouldn't move. $7

There is no money in hay because nobody will pay what it is worth. And you have everybody selling there's for no money. I'm $3 out of the field and still don't have enough customers to clear the fields.

I'll sell 2nd cutting out of the barn for $6 and it won't move and that is if I can get any extra. 1st will be $5 this year. 1st 4x4 round bales will be $55. That represents a 5% savings over the equivalent amount of square bales but everybody thinks that is to much. They think they should be $25

Exactly

 

[RayIN]

It should for what it takes to make a good clean timothy crop. I still have thoughts of putting in a small field. Know what price I would sell it for and it probably wouldn't move. $7

There is no money in hay because nobody will pay what it is worth. And you have everybody selling there's for no money. I'm $3 out of the field and still don't have enough customers to clear the fields.

I'll sell 2nd cutting out of the barn for $6 and it won't move and that is if I can get any extra. 1st will be $5 this year. 1st 4x4 round bales will be $55. That represents a 5% savings over the equivalent amount of square bales but everybody thinks that is to much. They think they should be $25

Big round bales of ordinary grass were selling for $25/bale 40 years ago here.

 

[LHF2019]

Big round bales of ordinary grass were selling for $25/bale 40 years ago here.

And there were 5x5 for $35. I'm $34 out of the field for a 4x4 bale and they will be $55 this winter.

 

[Hay Dude]

Damn thats a bargain for hay.
You look at hay farmers in MY area and all their equipment is old, used, etc.
My dealer just sent me an offer for a Claas 450T single rotor rake $20,500!!!
I bought the exact same rake in 2018 for $12,500.

 

[Gregster613]

Damn thats a bargain for hay.
You look at hay farmers in MY area and all their equipment is old, used, etc.
My dealer just sent me an offer for a Claas 450T single rotor rake $20,500!!!
I bought the exact same rake in 2018 for $12,500.

Isn't that a darn shame (or a crime) too -- For 8 years an 1150.00 a year mark-up!!

 

[Hay Dude]

Today was just another day of the same threat of Thunderstorms. Sunny, then threatening black clouds. This has gone on for 3-4 weeks almost every day.

I have deployed a new raking/baling strategy……..only rake what you can bale in about 20 minutes. Here I am this afternoon in partly sunny, hot & humid weather baling only like 4 or 5 rows at a time, never knowing when the skies will open-up. Anyone who bales hay knows the misery of hay thats been raked and rained on.

This is a small HOA customer I do the hay, rotary-mow some other fields they don’t want baled, and clean up downed trees.

Same HOA. This fields hay was trashed with multiple days of rain.

Hoping for some improved weather, but it aint looking good.

 

[Gregster613]

Today was just another day of the same threat of Thunderstorms. Sunny, then threatening black clouds. This has gone on for 3-4 weeks almost every day.

View attachment 3795489


I have deployed a new raking/baling strategy……..only rake what you can bale in about 20 minutes. Here I am this afternoon in partly sunny, hot & humid weather baling only like 4 or 5 rows at a time, never knowing when the skies will open-up. Anyone who bales hay knows the misery of hay thats been raked and rained on.

View attachment 3795490

This is a small HOA customer I do the hay, rotary-mow some other fields they don’t want baled, and clean up downed trees.


View attachment 3795545


Same HOA. This fields hay was trashed with multiple days of rain.

View attachment 3795546

Hoping for some improved weather, but it aint looking good.

Man, you are sure having some temperamental weather!! Hard for me to figure out how you can even make any hay under those conditions! Any type of wet hay always caused mold and over-heat situations for us and we only made 2x4 small bales. Wishing you some stable weather.

 

[mrmikey]

Those are some beautiful looking spots HD, especially that last one, as usual the pics are great.