After the loooong winter, it's been a late spring here. The alfalfa has been seeded and is coming up nicely, and Jim finally got the ryegrass baled this week.
After mowing it on Saturday morning, he tedded it, raked it, and hoped that the "iffy" weather forecast was in our favor. We had a light shower on Monday evening just as he started baling, and the rye seemed just a bit too wet yet, so he stopped after a few bales. Yesterday morning (Tuesday), the rain came again. Thankfully it didn't last long, and the afternoon was warm and breezy.
This is the tedder that he uses to flip the ryegrass (or hay) so that it can dry underneath...
This is the field they were working in, at the highest point on the farm...
Looking back towards our barn...I love the colors at this time of evening...
Over milking time, Jim and our Amish neighbor Dave began baling. For the amount of acres that we bale, it's more economical for us to rent a baler like this, rather than buy, maintain, and store one of our own. It works out nicely. Jim pulls the baler with his tractor, and Dave rides on a platform between the tractor and baler. He tells Jim when to stop, he operates the controls and the bale rolls out the back.
This video is a little long...over two minutes...but I took it after milking last evening as they were finishing up. You might find it interesting to watch...
They ended up with 28 round bales. They're now wrapped and lined up along the driveway, just doing their thing...curing so that they can become great feed for the cows in a few weeks!
Now...it's time to get the corn planted, if only the rain would hold off a bit!
My hat always goes off to our farming families. My whole married life I have been hearing stories from hubby's family where aunts, uncles and cousins in North Dakota tell us what life is like on the farm, about weather and wheat crops, and everything else that goes along with farming. Our son grew up going with his grandpa back to the old homestead where he was put to work and it was a great learning experience for him. He is 34 now and still has wonderful memories of those years.
ReplyDeleteSo you bagged this hay? What moisture do you want it to be to bag it? Great pictures again!
ReplyDeleteRay...I did some checking, and the rye grass should be between 40% - 60% moisture. Last year it turned out beautiful, so we're hoping for a repeat this year!
DeleteI love your video. That is how they used to do the baling when this was farmland out in front of our house.
ReplyDeleteIt really does look pretty in your pictures. I like that. It looks so pretty like home.
our field was baled early this year (well, earlier than normal) but the rains came in before the rancher could move them off to his place. and we've had 2 heavy rains with bales standing in puddles. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteYou are so lucky to be baling already. The water from the flood is just draining off our fields now and the grounds are still pretty wet. It will be a late season for us too.Then it will be hot and we'll never catch up.
ReplyDeleteI love the video. Great job on videoing this harvest.
Hugs,
JB
Really beautiful! Makes me homesick , and can jsut smell it toommmmmmmsweet smell of hay. Thanks. Merri
ReplyDeleteGlad you got your hay. Farming is such a gamble.
ReplyDelete