It's hay time here in North Idaho.
To that end, we've been keeping an eye on the hay market for a good price. We were interested in about five tons to tide us over the winter. We ended up buying hay from the same farmer who sold us our first batch a couple years ago. There was a hitch, however; we would be required to load the bales from the field onto the farmer's truck.
Rather than killing ourselves by loading and stacking 125 80-lb. bales – common sense prevailed and we don't feel equal to the task at our ages – we capitulated and went for larger round bales. Hey, at least round bales can be moved with the tractor.
Last Friday, the farmer (whose name is Byron) brought in a big semi-truck loaded with round bales. He was delivering both to us and to another customer. His truck was far too big to maneuver up our narrow lower driveway to the front of the barn, however, which meant the bales had to be unloaded in our regular driveway in front of the house. We'll move them later at our leisure.
Ironically, Don and Byron talked about the weather shortly before Byron left his place to drive here (he lives about half an hour away). Don expressed concern because rain was expected, and wondered if we should put off delivery for a few days. Byron assured him it wasn't raining at his place, and since he had to make the delivery to his other customer anyway, it would certainly be easier to tackle both deliveries at once. We agreed, and set about moving the cars out of the driveway and making room for a semi-truck and a bunch of 600+ lb bales.
Byron arrived and then, literally – literally – the moment he got his truck backed into our driveway, the heavens opened and it poured.
It started with a good brisk hailstorm...
...then settled into a steady downpour. Byron was incredibly apologetic about the timing (as if he had anything to do with it!).
Don was able to offload the bales using the tractor, though he got soaked in the process.
Meanwhile a thunder cell was approaching, with lightning dancing no more than a half-mile away. We heard some of the LOUDEST thunder I've ever heard as an adult. Seriously, when I was a kid in New York State, we use to get incredible thunderstorms, the kind where children burrow under the covers and the whole house shakes. (True story: Lightning actually hit a neighbor's house one time, blowing a hole in the roof of their garage. That one scared even my dad!)
Yeah, it was that kind of thunderstorm we were experiencing as Don and Byron wrestled with the hay bales and I pulled out the biggest tarp I could find to cover them. At one point, a crack of thunder was so loud I clapped both hands over my ears. Whew!
Byron left, the thunderstorm cell passed by (though the rain continued), and since he was soaked anyway, Don took the time to stack the round bales in an orderly fashion so we could tarp them.
We kept the hay tarped for a couple more days until the threat of rain passed...
...then uncovered it to let it dry in the sun. We're keeping the hay untarped in dry weather to make sure no rot sets in, and periodically re-tarping it when rain threatens.
Bringing in the hay normally isn't this exciting. But, regardless, at least now we have the the livestock feed for the winter.
I grew up on a 60-acre farm in the rainy Pacific northwest. Harvesting hay was a balance of, "Is the grass in the hay fields ripe yet?" and "Can we get it cut, cured, raked, and baled before the next weather system comes in from the Pacific Ocean?" Getting those last bales of hay in the barn before the rain started was often a race. Good times.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the '60s in a small town in central Oregon, it's not so small now. We usually had several thunder storms thru out the summer. One time my dad and brother were watching a storm from the back door, when a exceptionally loud clap of thunder came, along with some shingle pieces from off the roof. Lighting had hit a pine tree next the house, then jumped to the house. No roof damage, but a few shingles had to be replaced. Later in the day my sister went into her bedroom and discovered a hole in her outside wall. The tree was just outside her room. Fortunately, neither the tree or house caught fire.
ReplyDeleteWow! It looks like little Stormy's chow arrived on a stormy day just like she did! How is the little tyke? Has she doubled in size yet? Any new pics of her and Mom?
ReplyDeleteI live across the Valley from a small Hay Farm/Ranch, around 600 acers.
ReplyDeleteOne fine year I watch the Ranch Forman get the Hay cut about the usually time of the year, they get 3 cuttings a year, Well as it sat for the first couple of days all was good. Until the first Thunderstorm hit and "washed" the Hay, they diligently "turned" the Hay, Next storm 3 days later, again Rain......
This happened 5 times, I kid you not. 5 TIMES.
Finally they got it bailed and picked up, obviously ruined, and just stacked outside for anyone to have.
Being the kindly Ole Neighbor I am, asked them if they were "Charging additional for the Multi Washing of the Hay to make sure it was 'Clean'".
NO sense of humor at all HAHAHA.
Made GREAT Mulch for the Garden after composted for a year, No seeds at all left after the "Spin Cycle" LOLOL
We live a couple of miles from where we buy hay directly out of the field. Hay has been expensive, sometimes up to $115 a bale. In dry years we feed it almost year round. That forced us to downsize from 3 beef cows to one 3-4 years ago. Last year we added a heifer, splitting the cost with one of my daughter's and son in law. This year the half ton bales are $40 because of 3 things. We've had plenty of rain, we pay the same day, and my husband fetches the hay, one bale at a time, but all the same day. My husband drives to the field in his '97 Ford Ranger, uses the owner's tractor to load the bale into the pickup bed and brings it home. Then he rolls it off the pickup into the field, then moves it with his 1953 Ford tractor. Then he goes back for another. He's also done a couple of minor repairs to the tractor for the owner. Good relationships are important!
ReplyDeleteDon’t worry, if it was baled dry and relatively tight. Those look like hard core bales.. they will be fine. Rain won’t rot them. 35+ years of experience and 700+ round bales a year.
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