Most everyone around here did their first cutting a month ago. However, it took us a while to line up someone to complete ours (since we lack the machinery). He started cutting on Monday and finished about 1/3 of the area we wanted harvested before the PTO broke on his tractor. Then he raked and baled that area before moving on to the rest of it.

The results of that initial cutting below.

Last year, our field (about 8 or 9 acres) produced 221 bales but it was an exceedingly dry summer and the farmer said we should expect double that in a normal year. Well this year, that 1/3 initial area that was cut produced 300 bales!

With minimal drying time, I was leery of storing it in the barn so is under a huge tarp out below the shop. With rain forecast, it is now wrapped pretty tight. If it doesn’t spontaneously combust before then, we’ll uncover for more drying when the forecast clears.

Luckily, I had help with Remy staying with us for a few weeks. Here we are hauling the final load to the hay pile. I have a dozen bales in the big trailer with Remy pitching in with his tractor and trailer.

The “next batch” was cut on Wednesday and then raked and baled on Thursday late into the afternoon. Also, after asking the farmer to tighten up the bales a bit, we ended up with ONLY an additional 252 (heavier) bales to add to the 300 already under the tarp. We had no choice but to leave it in the field overnight (with a 40% chance of rain). 

Thankfully, it stayed dry and we set out to get it under cover this morning. We finished moving all of the new bales into the shop by 1PM. We stacked it loose with plenty of airflow so it can dry out more in there.

We’ll let it settle in there for a week before moving it under the barn lean-tos. Now, nearing 4PM, the skies are rumbling and rain is approaching. So, we are extremely glad to be done with that fiasco.

God is good!!! Anyone need any hay? Our total of 540 is about 400 bales more than we needed.