[AT] Loose hay

[Ralph Goff]

----- Original Message -----
From: <robinson at svs.net>
To: <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 5:18 PM
Subject: [AT] Loose hay


> Now I bale everything. I am still working on methods of handling it easier
(on
> a very low budget).

Speaking of hay handling, the first big money I made was stacking heavy,
sloppy oat bales in the August heat of 1969 behind a New Holland 69 hay
baler. Hard, dirty work but for the kind of money I was making I did not
complain. (I think it was 5 cents a bale)
Nowadays I too am looking for easier ways to handle hay for cattle. I still
make square bales but most of the baling in this area is by big round balers
which is certainly taking the manual labour out of it. I actually had a
neighbour roll up a few for me this past summer but I have not got around to
hauling them home yet. Plus I do not have a bale feeder to put them in. I
hear many reports that there is a lot of wasted hay from this system as the
cattle will pull hay out of the feeder onto the ground and stand on it.
Still, I guess if a person has lots of hay put up they can afford a little
waste if it saves manual labour. I don't mind handling the square bales in
winter, just a few a day. But picking and hauling them in summer is getting
pretty hard on the arthritic knee lately. So I am watching the auction sale
bills for a decent older round baler.

Ralph in Sask.
http://lgoff.sasktelwebsite.net/