We cut three fields of hay this week - around 7 acres.
It's always a gamble when you cut hay but it seems to have paid off this week and even though we thought we'd be battling the rain for Thursday it's still dry here at the moment.
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| Cutting the crop - quite a bit on it this year. |
To be honest other than organise everything and decide on times to do things I've done very little with the hay this year (although it still seems to have taken up loads of time). It was far to hot to have a little one in a tractor with me so Ken offered to turn the hay for me with his old '35. I think he loved every minute! And I had my contractor cut and bale the hay, the girls loved watching the tractors.
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| Spreading hay |
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| Great to see a tractor like this working so well. |
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| The hay drying late on Tuesday evening |
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| Old versus New - The old '35 keeping up with the big boys |
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| I love the fact that we had a nearly new tractor working alongside one that's older than me (much older!). |
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| 41 round bales in total |
So luckily we got it made in time, Tuesday was so hot that it pretty much dried it in one day. The guy cutting it, Rob, said that the one field of ours was the most grass he'd seen on one this year, that's why in the four acre field we had 30 bales!
I now need to sell them all as I have no where to store them.
Anyone want any good quality meadow hay? anyone else been hay making?
Hope to small bale our 3 acres late this morning and then hanging on for someone to big bale the 4 acres down the road, I'm just glad we decided not to do the 4 acres 3 miles away.
ReplyDeleteThis was more than I was planning on this year but I hadn't got enough sheep to keep the grass down. Maybe next year I'll keep the animals ahead of it as it can be a hassel making hay like this.
DeleteThis is the kind of post that makes me amazingly happy! I love seeing all that gorgeous hay ready to feed somebody! Great news to get it in on time. 30 bales in a 4 acre field is fantastic. Gets me thinking there's hope for us being able to grow all our own hay with a little improvement of the fields and the right equipment. Of the tractors, I'm guessing the older one is less trouble to keep running!
ReplyDeleteWell the newer one is only a year old so pretty reliable and it does thousands of hours compared to the little one so not really a fair comparison!
DeleteThe field was re seeded about 6 years ago and grazed every year, this is the first time it's been cut for hay and it's given a huge crop. not taking from a field every year without giving back is key I think.
My, how times have changed.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see the old with the new like that I think and see how they can still keep up.
DeleteMade our small hay bales last month when the sun was shining. We have had lots of wet days here in Ireland this week. So much for the heat wave that your having in Blighty. Love the Massey Ferguson and the John Deere tractor. Horses for courses?
ReplyDeleteI was lucky to get it made as it rained the next day pretty badly. Yeah I like both tractors too, they each have their place!
Deletewow...great hay haul! make hay when the sun shines!
ReplyDeleteWe baled the sunshine into these it was so warm that day!
DeleteCould do with a couple of bales of hay, Kev. ...... just let me know how much for the postage to us here down in SW France!!!!!!
ReplyDeletei'll take one to the post office and get it weighed for you!
DeletePlease! Tell us more about the old tractor. We just added a 1952 Ford 8N to our collection. Your old one looks very similar. We're in Iowa,USA.
ReplyDeleteI'll do a post on it soon I promise! It's not mine though (I have a 2140 John Deere) it's my good friend and neighbours - Kens.
DeleteGreat photos and I love the old tractor . Glad you got some good hay too.
ReplyDeleteWe were lucky but I think that's half of hay making!
DeleteGee whizz, just look at the difference in the sizes of the tractors!
ReplyDeleteAnd the fuel bill will be about the same I should guess!
DeleteI love the picture of the two tractors side by side.
ReplyDeleteWe were all stood their taking photos of it. I might get it printed out for my neighbour as I think he'd love that!
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