Ready For This One? :)

I can understand the horsey people wanting to bunch up a little of that old road ditch brome grass to help get ol' Snort thru the winter; it's no good for anything else anyway, might as well use the goofy stuff.

I mean, these types of fellers like that sort of thing. You know, playin' cowboy and farmer all at the same time, the way they like to do.

But other than that,

Why would anyone in their right mind want to put up hay by using small square bales?

No offense boys, but I think this borders on being just a little bit wacky in the noodle. One of our steering tires with a definite slow leak, so to speak.

Heck, I'd even rather stack the stuff by hand while using a three-tined pitchfork and a loader sweep; it is one whale of a lot less work and aggravation all the way around.

Secondly, where is it chiseled in stone that we gotta put this darned stuff inside a good, useable barn anyway? Are we tryin’ to keep the fire marshals loaded with something to do, or what? (oh, that’s right…..higher nutritional value, better color and all that…Sure, now I remember.) :>)

Okay, somebody return the serve,

Allan

LOL, your turn.

later

slim

You bet! I was going to use the subject of Ford tractors to see if I could get a rise out of you fellows, but thought the subject of hay would be more a little more flammable. :>)

At least, we got 'em going!

Allan

When you get right down to it, no farm commodity (sp) is easily grown, handled, or stored. Look at all the work involved in raising corn...

Hay is a "staple" of farm income. Back in the day, MOST of the hay produced was used as "fuel" for a farmers "equipment". 3/4ths of the hay produced was used as feed for the horses that were his "tractor". With the advent of modern farm equipment, that NEED diminished somewhat. More "cash crops" were planted. Hay remained essential as a cattle feed, but when horses weren't so common as work animals, there was no longer so much demand for hay too feed them.

Enter the modern "Yuppie"

Today there are THOUSANDS of horse owners that just ride for pleasure. They buy MOST of their hay from farmers that need the extra income. (Like ME!) They want SMALL square bales. (I'm getting hundreds of request's for what is known as "craft-sized" bales--about half the size of a normal small square) When the market speaks, good business people respond with an "I'll sell you that"!

In addition, there are still plenty of people that buy 1 or 2 cows a year to "raise their own meat". They buy plenty of hay too.

Finally, there are lots of smaller operations that 1.)don't have the money for investing in a GOOD round baler, 2.) Don't have a big enough tractor to handle a round baler, 3.) Just don't want to change from "what they know".

Also consider that even BIG cattle operations benifit from the convenience of small squares.

On the "barn thing"...MOST of these big spacious barns were built with the sole purpose of storing hay. They wouldn't even be there if it wasn't for hay storage....

It has already been well documented the need for protecting hay from the elements...(Rain, sun, ect) With the high cost of producing hay these days, you can afford to loose even a small percentage of it to the weather. Even a large percentage of round baled hay is stored "indoors".

This year has been a bad one, as far as my hay "profitability". Wet weather all spring and summer made a HUGE dent in the ammount we have to sell. In a NORMAL year, such as 2003, hay sales ammounts to around $18,000 net profit for me. While not a "stand-alone living", it is a goodly portion of my YEARLY profit. For that, I'll toss a few bales....

Now ALLAN...GO PICK ON SOMEONE ELSE....Us dumb ol' hay-balin' hicks gotta make a buck somehow, so we can live in this yuppie world....John

Ouch!!! Just a minute while I go wipe the blood from my nose and pick the gravel outta my hair! One eye is swollen shut to the point that I can't even see anymore! Geeze, ya knocked me down right out here in the middle of the darned driveway! :>)

Where the heck ya been anyway? And don't give me that old, lame excuse about how you're having to be out running the combine or some such silly nonsense.... :>)

Later

Allan

Large bales for large operations, small bales for small operations.

Bales and milk cows can go a long way to helping children become adults.

I thought those problems were caused by the lack of having to pull weeds from the beet and bean fields.

Also, if these young kids had to grind ear corn by hand using a potato fork into an old table grinder, they would appreciate the value of hard work.

I don't ever remember seeing a 7 or 8-year-old kid that weighed 150 lbs either.

Yep, she's a goin' to he!! in a hand basket, that's for sure.

Allan

On the outside storage of hay, fine for you guys in Nebraska. You think about the 40" to 50" of rainfall we get in the east. It will go right through a stack or round bale. It's called manure without the cow.

Course I'm with you right up to the pitch fork comment. COurse about the barns, with 60" of rainfall barn storage (or something under cover) is essential here.

Most of my customers of squares stall house 24/7 except for training their horses. Most are feeding some mid dollar ($10-100K) stock (I cant break the high $ horse market).

As for putting it up, its all about what I can sell. I'm wrapping more hay this year in the roll b/c some of the dairy farms are buying it over squares. Couple of the dairies still want them. Like to give them 20-30 bales a day in the tie stalls after milking. I cant give you the logic, if I had to feed them (small squares), I'd quit.

Any of the dairies back there grind their hay? We found this by far, to be way more efficient.

Allan

Heck mine weigh around 1,800 lbs put one out a week for the cows in a feeder. The little ones are for the horses in the other barn. The Cows like it when they here the tractor start up!! That is about all my lift I built will carry but it works on the 2,500.00 Massey 135 Tractor. Mark H.

Nice herd of horns too. How many of those beasts you runnin'?

Allan

There my Daughters she has 18 or more of them. She has a mix of Scotish Highlands, Longhorns and Angus Cross. This is one of her Highland Bulls called Jake. I put a ring in his nose when he was little and he lost it but never forgot who did it! Mark H.

This was Jake when we got him sporting his new Nose Ring he lost. There hai grows much longer in the winter and the other picture is a summer coat. He gets a 4-6 inch coat. If the butcher gets him this year we ar tanning the coat but will wait till January to do it. He is for sale but may go in the freezer for the Dogs food if he is not sold. Can't use him for breeding anymore do to his off/spring is now in the herd. Mark H.

I gotta tell ya, "I am impressed!!!!" Where are you? Sell breeding stock?

Oooops. Now, my wife is paying more attention to you than she is to me.....Darned you Mark!!!!!@!$#@ :>)

Allan

Don't let your wife see this one! The mom is forsale right now if you did want one. They are realy cute when they are young!! We live in Eastern Washington. She is building up a herd of them and sells some for meat each year to pay for there feed bill. Mark H.

Put 4th cutting alfalfa up in small sqs. and sold in the field. Buyer picked them up.

And cows have long memories so be careful how you treat them. And you gotta watch the Red Angus.

steveormary

You don't mess with there calves for a while!! They are a wild breed but can be tamed with a lot of handleing. Never heard them called the Pit Bull of the Cows but you are right. Just get between a mad one and her Calf and I think I weould brather deal with a pit bull! This is Forest the Bull pushing a 5 ft spread. Mark H.