Hay Farming......

Haying is a process.

All four of us are busy when its a go to begin.

Cutting the hay down is primarily Seth's job but I also get in some swather time.

And its mainly my job to get done when the boys are gone off to school or camp.

And its definitely my job when cabinets are being built.

Running the swather isn't too much of a chore unless the XM doesn't work!

Or the air conditioner but thats our own fault.

We have two irrigated "circles".

We cut down one half circle at a time. Move the irrigation thats been turned off days prior and then cut down the other half of the field.

On the fifth day it has dried down and "cured" enough so then we rake two windrows together.

Again one half at a time.

Raking is done by Seth and Daryl mostly.

Clark will help too.

I enjoy raking too when allowed. I was told by the farmer that Bunky's (tractor) seat has issues that would wreck havoc on my back.

Everyone likes raking. Its a faster paced task and its only takes a couple hours before the "fluffing" is finished.

That evening we bale it up.

Its usually in the evening into the wee morning hours when the heat tapers off and the dew sets in when baling works the best.

If the hay is too dry the baler plugs up with hay(not a good thing!). If the hay is too wet then the bales mold(so NOT a good thing).

Hay needs to be just right.

The Farmer is constantly checking the hay-or so it seems.

Once he has a bale made up he stops and uses a hay probe to check the interior temp and moisture of the bale to see if he should continue baling or not.

Daryl, Clark, and I do the baling.

Baling isn't too difficult. There is a monitor in the tractor thats screams at you like a GPS does. But the monitor doesn't have a mute button. I checked. More than once.

But it is an important instrument to listen to. It tells you when each bale has been knotted and dropped. Then you must turn around and make sure all the knotter's reflectors on top of the baler are syncronized dancing-all the while you are still travelling in 10th gear.

If one reflector doesn't "dance" with the others then you must stop. Immediately. Because if a knotter malfunctions it could wrap twine around a knotter and with all that power in that big baler snap it right off. Parts run. Down time on baler. Big baler, big pieces, big prices, big shivers for the farmer's wife.Big stress.

Listen to the ever screaming monitor.

Or sometimes it changes to a new bale of twine and the connecting knot between the twines came undone. Not a big deal other than the farmer has to drop what he is doing(usually stacking nearby) and check everything.

There are a few reasons that monitor screams at you.

And sometimes I am convinced it just likes to scream at you for no apparent reason.

Which is why it needs a mute button like a GPS.

I cant believe I am saying this...but sometimes I wish the swather had a screaming monitor in it too!! Like when a sickle breaks off in the head(the cutting device)and its under the windrow so you dont see it til the hay has been raked. And there amongst the well manicured field stands a tall row of hay all across the field. Undetected by the swather operator as you couldn't see it til you break another sickle on the side that shows up.

Yeah only sometimes do I wish that tho!!

But I think I'd rather have a screaming monitor than see a "hairy" field.

Sometimes we let the bales set for a day and "rest" (or not) before loading them up. Or putting them in stacks along the field.

And sometimes Daryl just loads up the truck when Pete, his cousin, shows up.

Only Daryl and Pete load the truck. In the winter and before we had a loader the neighbor loads the hay.

The job of stacking is only done by Daryl and Clark. Someday they may get Seth's arm twisted enough to help them out!

But not mine. No sirree!

The D.O.T. has strict requirements of how wide the trailer can be loaded so its always nice to get a thumbs up!

Then the hay is on its way to the Iowa dairy with Pete's assistance!

Usually in Wyoming we only get three cuttings a year as the elevation is a mile high there. But being our first hay crop was hit hard by hail we were forced to cut early. Therefore putting us early on our second and third cuttings too. So now we are hoping that the frost holds off and we can get a fouth cutting put up!! Time will tell.

It can take up to two weeks from first day of cutting til the last bale is stacked per hay crop. There always seems to be rain showers when the hay is down that sets it back.

This last crop that Daryl and I did mostly just the two of us only took 10 days to get finished. A week or so of sweltering hot days were good hay curing weather even tho we wilted!

And thats about all I know about hay farming!!

Now you know a wee bit more about what has kept me from blogging all summer long!