Alternative Haying

How did they hay in the old days? I'm a poor boy originally from the city....so I dont have the money for all kinds of implements- or the patience to endlessly tinker with retched old balers, yet I'd like to produce my own hay. So lets say I want to grow hay on 5 acres of my land- what is an alternative way to the mower/baler route?

Can I cut it with my bushog? The one implement I could spring for would be a cheap old rake. So if I rake it up with the tractor, what are the alternatives to baling? How about the old fashioned haystack (and how would that fare in a windy area?)

There must be an economical way to do small-scale haying!

Some day it would be nice to have all the equip and do it ourselves...but it's hard to justify when you can find a deal like this.

Boy howdy! Got yourself covered and no equip headaches. :-)

My baler cost $500 ($300 cost and $200 in parts) Got my mower for free, put $125 into it. Old side delivery rakes can be found cheap, like less than $50. Just grease 'em and they keep working. I bought a Ferguson PTO rake at an auction for $275. Alfalfa hay cost $100 / ton around here. With the water and power situation here in the west it will only go up from there. Two years ago it was only $60 / ton. I have only 2.5 acres of hay, but am on track to produce 5+ tons / acre (probably going to be more like 6+). You can see I will recover my investment pretty quickly. Plus I hay for neighbors. Some get charged some don't. ;-)

Different methods make better sense in different areas though. Good luck with what ever you decide to do.

Arne

Never heard of such a contraption.....sounds interesting..... would like to know more.....anybody?

Ultra: Yeah....not only do the old ways promote "clean living", but I look around at all the farmers and farmer wanna-be's who have all sorts of expensive equipment.....and a job in town to pay for them (the farming doesn't seem to pay well enough to justify such equipment)and I'm suddenly happy to get out there with some simple hand tools and muscles! Guess I'll just have to learn how to make a good haystack!(you can store hay outside in a haystack? Right?)

Mike: I've heard people advertising to cut hay on shares- but you confirmed my suspicions that they wouldn't be interested in just 5 acres. I have 27 acres total- about 7 is woods..... and when I get going, the rest will pretty much be used for other things. Plus, I kinda like the idea of being self-sufficient. If I had more land though, that'd be an option to consider.