How is your haying going

[HAY MAKER]

We are pretty much finished up around here and the hay crop is no better than 50%,rains just did'nt come to the TX hill country this year...........good luck

[Shelly]

We're not even half done yet. It's slow going cutting because the crops are so heavy and thick. Best friend is cutting with me and he's plugging on and off all the time because he cuts faster than me. Myself, I find slow and steady wins the race. As long as I'm moving, that's all that counts. I'd lose time if I had to keep getting out to unplug the haybine. Balers are all caught up to what was cut yesterday, so it'll be a couple of days before they move again. Humidity stays up so high, it makes for tough drying conditions. Looks like it could rain tonight too, and it don't need to!

[Soapweed]

Our haying is winded out for the day.

Mrs. Soapweed does the mowing with a John Deere 4020 and a Rowse double 9' mower. She tips the guards up a bit in front, and just goes a steaming. Eighteen feet at a whack, and with the guards tipped in front, she very seldom clogs up enough to have to back up. The hay lays flat, dries evenly and is usually ready to bale the next day. Our son then rakes it with a sixteen wheel H & S rake, and Saddletramp and I try to keep up with the baling. A young man has been helping us since this spring, and his job is to haul the bales to the hay yards. This is done with another 4020 John Deere pulling a D & W six-bale hauler, with a loading arm. He loads on the go, and the hauling works pretty slick.

I hired some other hay put up. Even though it cost $28 per ton to have done, it seems to work well. For one thing, the hay is put up when it needs to be, so the quality is better, and then if we get rain, the after grass comes on quicker and thicker for fall grazing. The hay contracters finished yesterday. They did 713 bales weighing 1330 pounds each on the average, so I paid them for 474 ton. They did a nice job of baling high quality meadow hay, much of it timothy and clover. They hayed for us the two previous years, also, and covered more ground but got less tonnage those other two years. With early rains and breakdowns, they are running behind on other commitments, so asked if they could be released from the rest of our haying. Our own crew should be able to finish haying here and there sometime by the middle of August.

[Faster horses]

You are an understanding guy, Soapweed. And it seems to me like you manage your place really, really good.

Fat slick cattle, fat slick horses...

[ranchwife]

the hubby is resting right now and will be soon rising to finish the baling up of the last 100 acres....first cutting is darned near done for most in this area!!! Phewwwwww!!

[Silver]

Just got started up here and now we're getting the rain we wanted all spring. Got about 70 acres on the ground and about 50 wrapped up so just the tip of the iceberg.

[Jeannie]

Got the first cutting of the grass swathed, baled and stacked. Dad is finishing up the 2nd cutting of the alfalfa even as we speak. Got half the pivot baled and either stacked or sold. 2nd cutting of grass should be starting in about a week or so. Don't know how many ton of grass we got, but the 1st cutting of alfalfa yielded about 200 ton (I think).

[BRG]

We will finish up with the rest of the oat hay this morning, then we will be done since it doesn't look like their will be any second cutting. Thought we may get some but this heat rolled in and took care of that. Looks like we got about twice as much as last year and put up less ground.

We decided to hire all of the cutting done this year. We desparately needed a different cutter and we put a pencil to it. It was cheaper to hire it done at $8 an acre than to make a yearly payment on a machine, then we would have the high $ fuel, parts, and labor on top of it. So we tried it and it worked great. They moved in and cut while we raked and baled behind them. When they broke down and had a $1000 part bill, I was glad that it wasn't my machine. Usually we would have a couple of those a year before.

It was a great haying year for us. Our ranch is by Timber Lake, SD. Best spring that I can remember. It is nice to see than it can remember how to rain here.

[alabama]

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Hmmm, thought we were done baling for the year beings it was so dry..but after goin out to check hay fields after the previous weeks rains looks like we may be gittin a 3rd cuttin after all. Won't hurt my feelins none....cuz we need it.

[jigs]

we are about 350 acres from finishing the 3rd cutting here. and 15 days from beginning to drop the 4th......

4th will only be 60% due to the dry weather, but right now we are looking forward to the break!

bought a second baler right at the end of the first cutting, and the thing is already showing 1200 bales, boy they add up fast!

I'm gonna try to get some digital pics of us baling to drop on here.....

[Mike]

Do that Jigs! I would like to see them!