Is square baleing seriously that hard?

Today, I manage a 3,600 acre farm. Consisting of sod production, commercial tree production, A Vineyard producing vinifer grapes for The Biltmore House winery and a sandpumping operation. Farming has taken many turns in my life. Adapt and change to make it profitable. Haying, although to me was once the most rewarding part of farming doesn't add-up like it use to...Blending grasses, the science and competition of it all takes alot of fun out of it. Whew...This is a bit longer than I anticipated but the message is well worth stating to anyone who might hesitate at farming especially women. Learn about your equipment,listen to it. When something goes wrong.. stop, read and learn why it happened and then you fix it. Learn to ride side saddle in the seat and look back more than forward. Watch everyone around you and observe safety hazzards before they happen. Most of all...Be with someone who doesn't staunch your opportunity to become everything you want to become in whatever you choose to do. I think most everyone who replied to your question would agree that it's not the equipment that is holding you back....It's not even your boyfriend that is holding you back....It's you. I'm a natural blonde too and trust me I hear more than my share...I have had to work much harder to gain respect from many of my so called counterparts because they question my abilities, because I am female. To take me seriously, In this line of work...I have to know what I am talking about. I have to get it right just to not hear them say well what do you expect she's a female. Wrenches,tools, shop equipment...they are not gender specific either.. Just get a bigger extension or cheater bar. I've got a JD4020 split and a Massey 1100 split in the shop right now and I am all over it. After all neither one of those tractors knows what my gender is....but Im'a guessing if'n they did they'd be ok with it. (Smile):}

It sounds like you have a rather more modern setup, with a cab & likely a bale thrower, or you set the bales on the ground, or an accumulator?

It does take some experience to make quality bales, good tension, watch for problems & issues - mostly bad knots, or issues with the thrower/ accumulator, pick the proper speed, and so on. Anyone can steer the tractor; preventing problems, and fixing the ones that happen is where the 'skill' is.

With my wife (girlfriend at the time) I was along to watch for problems on the baler. So it worked good, told her to steer, stop if you hear anything odd, stop right now if you hear me....

If you were going with me & you expressed that type of interest, _you_ would be driving the tractor while baling & I would be the one riding along. Best experience & teacher there is, and your guy would be there to teach you. Maybe after a season, or a cutting, of off & on experience, I'd let you go out on your own, see how it goes.

Sure would not be holding you back, see how you like it & let you help me if it were me!!!

My wwife (who couldn't drive a stick shift when I met her, & still can't in the pickup...) did all the tillage for me but 8 acres 2 years ago. All we did was add oil & fuel. For the 8 acres I did, I got 2 flat rear tractor tires, and blew out a hydraulic hose.

So, if you are interested, a gal sure as heck can do it. All it takes is some interest in the mechnical stuff, and a bit of time & supervised experience. There are many things to watch for, but if you have the desire & some tiny mechanical apptitude all it takes is seat time, run into enough of the problems to learn what to do to make it go again.

Now I suppose I should go look at the rest of the replies you got.... ;)

--->Paul

• Kelly's baling pics

The baling crew (for small squares) which I have consists of my two sisters (43y and 50y), their DAUGHTERS (12y, 14y and 25y) plus may mother (78y) and the husband (occasionally0 of my younger sister. They (sisters, not the younger nieces) run the baler, run the moco, haul wagons, and buck bales, both behind the baler and then stacking them in thn barn.

You just can't HIRE anyone to come out and do this work. 35 years ago, when I was a teenager, baling jobs were my main employment in the summer. I guess guys today, being ever so much more macho than we were, now prefer to flip hamburgers and wash dishes. Oh Well!

Bucking bales is dusty work, tending to get you covered from head to foot with hay dust. Bales can weigh 40-70 pounds and you are likely to move hundreds of them, if not thousands. My nieces and sisters do it, because it is the price they pay for having and liking horses.

Operating a baler, especially form the airconditioned comfort of a tractor cab (makes me jealous, MY tractors are all open station) is by no means arduous!

As for convincing your boyfriend to let you help, you really shouldn't have all that much difficulty in persuading him to teach you how to run the baler. It isn't rocket science!

I wanna square bale. And if I don't get to someone's gonna get to see me have a cute little pouting hissie fit right there in the field. lmao God, this is gettin way to funny.

Yes, I've thrown my share of hay. And I have no problem with it. I like the work out. Only problem is, my back and the semi that messed it up have a problem with it so my hay throwing abilities have somethig to be desired. Yeah, I'll get it done. But, Lord I'm done afterward. lol

My oldest sister grew up on a farm and is now a house wife with two children - just started runnning her husband's combine last fall as his job took him away from home that planned.

so after that pitty speach... I started working )yes( working hay at 3yrs driving the truck

I started running a baler at 12. only because dad had surgury the day before... it takes some learning--- any one can drive it but not evry one can bale.

I am 35 and wishing I would have found you first.

Deep down, my gut feeling is like many of the others, time to go shopping for a new man.

As for finding a new BF, I won't get into that one, too personal ya know? I think I would ask him though that if they think the sister is that ditzy and is still allowed to run the equipment just what does he think of you? Might make him rethink his position.

It can be tough for an 'outsider' to get into the family farm, there are a lot of personality traits & stubbornness that goes on with that, different directions from different generations & all. You seem to understand people traits pretty well from your replies, you should be able to make it work out.

Fortunately, I did the 'Tom Swayer' thing with my wife, made tractor stuff her choice, if she wanted, don't have to ever bother if you don't want to.... We got married 6 years ago, & I don't know if she knows how much I dpend on her.... She was bugging me to get the tractor to pick up round bales today be4 the rain came, but I had to use the tractor for baling so didn't work out.

But now, if I told her she _has_ to go out & get those bales, I'm not sure if she would ever want to or get anything done....

This way, she is bugging me to get some tractor time. :)

--->Paul

Mom told her daughters-in-law to never learn how. She said once you learn thats it. So they only drive the trucks. We even had to keep a MF135 since it is the only tractor she likes to run. She said get rid of it and I stop. I think she really wanted dad to get rid of it. I say it never hurts. Have fun and be careful.

casey in SD

The secret to your problem is this, you made the mistake by letting them know it was your idea to help. What you have to do is learn how to make them think it is THIER idea for you to bale and you will be in there so fast it isn' funny LOL!!! Of course they might also be figuring tha once your doing the baling then they will have to go back to hauling, in that case even I would be slow to teach you..LMAO!!!!

Keep working on them, they will come around eventually. :)

When I was dating my wife, she learned to drive truck, drive the combine, etc, while her best (girl) friend would sit in the car, not wanting to get dirty, or dusty.

Then we got married, and her friend married a friend of mine. My gal no longer had any interest in anything to do with the farm, and her (dainty) friend learned to run the big round baler and A.I. cows, both of which she still does to this day. She's made tens of thousands of bales while her hubby is out partying!

Oh, and did I mention there's NOTHING sexier than a gal who's not afraid to work around the farm! And a gal that can handle machinery is at the top of that list!