Fathers day hay

Yay! Finished first cutting hay yesterday on Dad’s day with my son. We’re partners. 9400 bales of the most beautiful horse llama sheep goat cow hay all stacked cut side up in 3 different barns. We have never had more or finished this soon. I even had the window before we finished to spread fertilizer as per the soil samples. Im so grateful for Everything …family, hired unloaders and stackers, and equipment. Our newest Allis’ that we use in out hay operation are 45 to 54 years old and our New Holland balers are 30 to 40 years old. OK now let the rains begin! Cap’n Dana

Happy Father’s Day Dana.

Impressive, how many bales per day? That’s what I call production with 1 baler!

What is your high/low on tonnage/bales per acre in your area? Where I live in central missouri I get high 120 to a low of 60 per acre on different fields. Depending on soil,slope, and trees surrounding fields

Still impressive Dana, those guys unloading are busy especially pulling them out of a kicker wagon. How many do you normally get on a kicker wagon?

Our best output was 840 square bales in one day a few years ago with 1 baler. That's not unloading, just filling wagons, a few wagons we borrowed because we knew we couldn't unload also in the same day. Just 4 of us and we just kept switching out driving the baler tractor to get a break in between loads. what a day that was.

We do 40 pounders for out customers. Started out around May 25 at 68 bales per acre and by June 10 most fields were closing in on 100 bales per. Our best yielded 157 bpa. That 5 acre piece is solid brome timothy and orchard grass and always yields so heavy its a challenge for all the equipment. I have 11 wagons so we get a good start usually around 2 pm and the 4 hay crew boys have day jobs and start here unloading around 5. A few nights they stacked until almost 10! My 2 new wagons are all metal 9x20 hold average maybe 150. We always stack a 35 bale barrier up front then fill them aiming the kicker. I don’t get in the wagons after stacking the front. Most other wagons probably average 130. Been haying like this since the 60’s. If I had fewer smaller fields we would finish in half the time. And other years I was flying jets and working hay in between trips. This was the first in 24 years when I stayed on the ranch haying.

Edited by AC7060IL - 19 Jun 2024 at 2:56am

One client I fly (worth 100 mil) buys anything and everything for his ranch operation with 700 red polled Herefords. I usually help him buy. We bought a New Holland stack wagon and a bandit. Then a bale Baron. His ranchers liked the Baron best so I was offered the Bandit. Or the Stack wagon. After contemplating what changes and buildings and equipment purchases needed for either of his picker uppers…I have done nothing. I would need to erect a new tall hay barn. I would need a loader rig and trailer out in the field. I would need a loader rig back at the new barn. I can see several hundred thousands of dollars of investment for this change. I’m debt free. Labor was $4200 for first cutting. I know theres always the liability issue with the guys….and Im 71, Ians 51…we are thinking of trying a bale wagon to bring us to the 1970 technologies from our 1960’s way when kickers came out. My first baler after Cornell Univ.had the Briggs and Stratton motor with the long throttle cable running to my arms reach! Next was a newer same baler…next was a 277 with 54ae kicker and I thought I was in heaven so much quieter without the briggs🤣. Next came the 315 and 311 which we still have as back ups at the ready. We’re using 570 and 575 balers now. So what should I change to?