Celebrate we’re done haying

After 99 days of making or trying to make high quality horse hay of 42 pounds each, our season has come to an end. Thank God! 12,951 bales stacked cut side up in three barns. Son Ian delivers to Rhode Island, Mass and Ct. He has his own high end customers. ‘‘Twas a trying season as it was few and far between getting 3 consecutive days of decent hay drying weather. Basically a wet summer. Soil tests said to apply 347 pounds of 30-40-120 per acre at over $800 / ton! I spread on average one third of that amount. That with the rains made a record year. I’ll try the same for next year after more soil sampling. I will figure out the hours and costs to make our product after everything is washed, waxed and stored away till next June1 2024. I do know the way we operated this year we produced 25 bales for every gallon of diesel. And labor was $10,000.    And yes every bale is spoken for!

Now it’s time to return to a much easier less stressful occupation!

Putting away 35 year old 575 which Ian bales with the 7030 and my 34 year old 570 which I bale with behind my 200. The 7000 runs the Paquea 6 spool Tedder and we run a 4 spool Krone with a 185. Aerial view of our Ranch from 3000 feet msl (2500’ above ground level) from a 180 hp Skyhawk with an IFR student practicing slow flight steep turns power on and off stalls unusual attitudes and emergency descents.

Is that one of the prototype 11’ center pivot Discbine? My buddy Gary was the first customer in our area asked to try one in the spring. It had a lot more moving parts than his 2 Discbines that he bought new last year. Performed well but he passed on trading for it.
Nice equipment you have and obviously take very good care of them.

I finished on monday. Over 90 degrees but humidity was so high , it wouldn't get as dry as i hoped. And we all know how rotobalers love tough hay. Forked the last ten bales loose onto a wagon and parked it in the pasture. Onto corn silage.

We only got second cutting on 2 small fields. Others 1st cutting only. Took a big hit this year with the cost of fertilizer and spray only to see it go to waste with very little rain.

This was a 10’ or 11’ version. It had not gone into production yet according to the NH rep. They were asking select farmers to demo it for 2 weeks at a time if their hay crop was ready.