Your daughter sure looked happy/proud to be driving that truck.

You just managed to re kindle an old memory from my long past youth. My grandfather came and found me, my brothers, and as many cousins as he could round up put us on the old hay trailer and took off as fast as the tractor would go. We sailed in to our next door neighbors place (also a distant cousin) who worked a city job during the day and farmed at night and weekends. Grandpa knew that he had hay down and somehow knew that rain was coming. Hardest day I ever remember working in my young life till that point. Hay bailed, loaded and in the barn just as the first few drops hit. I think I was just about 4th grade at the time.

From an old gal that grew up on a small dairy farm and did a lot of haying don’t buy a tedder. You would be much better off getting a hay mower conditioner instead of using the sickle bar mower. The reason for this is that all the value in your hay is in the leaves and not the shaft, and leaves dry out relatively fast compared to the shaft. The mower/conditioner runs the cut grass between two rollers that crush the shaft that will aid greatly to quicker drying. The tedder while making the fluffy windrows, has a tendency of also causing the leaves to come unattached and thus rendering your finished hay with little nutritional value. We would mow with the mower/conditioner and let it dry like that for one day, rake it the second or third day, and then bale it the next day or two. We always had some of the best nutritional hay around. A tip for the heavier bales is to stack them cut side up so that they can dry out better. A baler like you have will always have on side that has been cut by the plunger blade and that side will be like a bunch of open straws compared to the other sides. Best of luck!

I love that the kids get to drive. Probably making someone go crazy right now though.

Praying The Lord's abundant blessings for you and your lovely family ! O:-D

I love the utilizing of the old tools! Reminds me of my grandfather's farm! Good stuff here.

Thanks for posting the good and the bad. Getting ready to start a homestead in the next year. Learning a lot from your videos.

You are doing very well with the machines you have. I love your channels because I want to learn practical methods. That is why BTE gardening was so attractive. 27 + years of ongoing method. I know your farm stand will be successful and it will bring locals who will have what you need. Blessings to all. ❤️

Getting ready to buy a house with 9 acres, and about 4 is mowable hay. Trying to figure out if I want to buy used everything, or new (compact tractor) that will handle an older small baler. But I can tell you your videos are a big help. .....Blessings

Thank you so much for all the information in this video. The fire thing...I’d have never even thought about and you’re right, no one wants that!! I actually learned a lot about hay from it. I’ve also never seen it actually be bailed and that was cool to watch. Again, TFS! God Bless ~Lisa

Like the scripture at the end. God is good.

We're growing hay this year. you're so right, it's all about perspective when you know how it'll be used.

If your hay gets rained on just keep raking it until it is dry and bale it up. Salt will help wet bales dry but it's better to just get it dry. I use to give my rained on hay to a cow farmer and he was just over joyed to get it. He didn't have much money and his cows loved it. Try not to breath in that mold dust from the moldy hay, it is really bad for your lungs! You may need to use the thicker twin if not using it already. The old-timers would bale the hay in the morning when the morning dew was still on it and just drop the bales in the field to cure or sweet in the sun and pick them up in the evening. I love to see the young kids helping driving the truck for you, awesome. I would not salt much wet hay but used salt when I had to. Thanks for sharing.

Yep, there's always a bit of bad hay to deal with. It sucks, but it's part of farming. Great video man!

Fire? I never would have thought! Great video.

Lots of good options being discussed to minimize wet hay... another to consider is LED flood lights, front and rear, on your tractor so you can cut, rake, bale, and load after dark. Gives you options to beat the rain in the forecast and reasonably priced too.

The hay tedder is your friend my friend.

Thankyou

I hadn't thought of a tedder, I was thinking you need to get a helper. :D

When I was farming 30 year's and making hay here in the UK we had a PZ Haybob which was a two rotor tedder/windrower.It was fully mounted on the three point linkage and we ran it on our Fordson Dexta and Massey Ferguson 35. At the time NH made a similar machine, you could do away with your JD rake.

Thank you

WOW man i would love that kind of hay here... here in Ireland hay making is a nightmare and in most cases it rots in the barns as it is always too moist. I had a whole lot almost go up in flames it overheated like mad in the barn the first year i got here :) so what you throw away there would be premium over here lol .... just thought i cheer you up

If you ever have wet or even marginal hay bales you can put a good dusting of salt on top of them help them dry out. We did that for years and never had a problem. It might even provide some minerals for the animals that eventually eat the hay.

Good information thank you.

We used to drag an old barn door behind the baler to centralize the bales.

Awesome video!

Also... you've mentioned your hayfields are starting to age and probably have a few years left. Are you considering fertilizing and overseeding or cultivating and replanting? Or some combination to start a rotation? As you have said several times, the hayfields are a huge asset that need to be managed. Love your equipment! Including the mower! Brings back 50 plus year old memories...

Spreading some salt on each "wet" bale can help dry the bale preventing fire and mold

you can use the other edge of your rake to split a large windrow not easy but possible sometimes you just loose some hay. ms whitaker is right most of your food value is in the leave if you rake it more than 3 times youve lost most of your value . good luck from oklahoma

never over feed a baler; and for adjusting a baler when dad and I got our new baler (once the old one played out granddad retired) it took us (professionals) 2 years to get it tuned correct

Love the videos but I think my favorite part is the scripture at the end of them.

If you're breaking strings it could be the twine. I had 2 years of really inconsistent twine that would get thin and break

Use it as hay for raised bed gardens. Good job not bailing wet hay. Too many don't know it could sponyaniouly combust in the barn.

when you are stacking your hay, do you sprikle a little hay salt on top of each layer? it really help keep the hay in good shap, weather it been rained on or not,, it is used all the time here, i use it my self if i get sqare bails, i first seen it used in 1070 helping a farmer do his hay, he had a stook sled hooked to the back of the baler, i ridf on that stooking the hay, when 6 bails were on it i tripped to dump and the stook dumped off, was like little teepees in the feild, we went back later with the tractor wit a 3 fork unit on the loader an picked them up and put them on the hay wagon

For the ruined stuff, you might consider planting in the bales

I know funds are limited, be sure to fertilize after taking the crops off. A little nitrogen and phosphorus goes a long way(or even manure, I imagine you are using it for your gardens.). Keep up the good work.

You should look to getting say a lely hay spinner/tedder that spins and pulls the hay apart which dries better.

I so need to get you a new shirt! I know that one was free and all -- But For Real Though -- Go Blue!

We use to use that type of hay for bedding. If they the some all the better.

That's why farm kids always know how to drive before they're old enough :)

Haybob, it's both a tedder and rower in one machine.

I've seen haybines at auctions under a thousand dollars! Just throwing that out there because of the crimpers help break the hay so it starts drying! I've only used new holland equipment so I don;t know about any other?

you got some silage going on there you could still sell it if you wanted to the cheap skates for less but usely they want that price every time after >.< you mite want to look up some round bales through winter that get kind of nasty looking and see what they do I know its different but the problem is the same

Maybe rent the hay spinner from a neighbor . The hard part is everyone needs to work hay at the same time, but someone may have one that is not in use because they aren't making hay that yr.

I was thinking dry it out a little more use for bedding?

When you say in got raining on how much rain r we talking like a inch or so

All that sun and no hat.....definitely not in Texas lol

Were are ur hay huks

I know that it's a old video but this is a old problem. I've got three words " barn dryed hay ".

A hay tether would be useful

Sell it as Landscape bales ?

If you weren't so far from me I'd let you use my tedder till you can get one. I always hate to see a person lose part of a crop

might try and invest in an electric bale elevator to stack your hay up high

A haybine or mower conditioner will be a better investment than a tedder.

You better buy a haybine. That sickle mower takes to long.

or a better mower with a conditioner on it

*First?*

I love that the kids get to drive. Probably making someone go crazy right now though.