Devonviolet Acres

[Devonviolet]

Actually, I was on the phone with @goatgurl when I first saw the clouds. I told her it looked like they were right over her. Sh said they had clouds, but no rain. Their forecast was for rain. I don't know if she got any though.

 

[farmerjan]

As an adopted "southerner" I have found that Duke's mayonaise is as good or better than Hellman's. Plus a friend's wife who is very allergic to "everything" and has super sensitivity to anything wheat, says that she can eat Duke's with no flareups. Maybe when I retire I will find time to make my own mayonaise... After 9 hours on the Farmall H with the side delivery rake Sunday to do all the little fields we do, with too small gates and too tight corners, and 8 hours monday on the ford 4600 and the big V rake to do the several bigger fields that are 5-6 miles apart, retirement sounds too good to be true. But all that is on the ground will be baled by this afternoon and there is a 40-50% chance of showers late today, and for the next few days. Still have about 1/2 of first cutting left to do, but we are making progress.

 

[Devonviolet]

Wow! That is impressive, @farmerjan! We have neither enough land, nor the equipment, to bale hay.

We are getting to the end of hay we bought last Fall. So, now we have to go out & buy more, to the tune of $6-8/square bale. Last fall we had 47 square bales. At $8/square bale, that would cost $376.

We are thinking about buying a round bale instead, since it equals about 15 square bales, because they cost around $35-50 each. But we want to cover each round bale, to keep it dry, so it lasts longer. Once we figure out exactly how we are going to do that, we will buy the hay. To replace the 47 square bales, with round bales it would cost about $150. That would save us $226.

 

[greybeard]

Last batch of hay I bought (last summer) was 24 round bales at $35 ea = $840. Each weighed approx 1000lbs. I figure equivalent to between 20-25 sq bales ea.

 

[CntryBoy777]

We have the same prices around here, too. A few will even deliver for the same price, as long as ya are fairly close by...otherwise it is $45-50/roll delivered.

 

[Devonviolet]

Last batch of hay I bought (last summer) was 24 round bales at $35 ea = $840. Each weighed approx 1000lbs. I figure equivalent to between 20-25 sq bales ea.

How big are those round bales? 4x5'? Around here, they are selling 4x5' round bales, saying they weigh about 800 pounds. They say they are 2nd cut and fertilizer was applied, they are $50. I can also get 1st cut, no fertilizer for $35.

We don't have a tractor. If we had the farmer load 1000 lb round bales on our 12' trailer, would my DH and I be able to roll them off the trailer?

 

[CntryBoy777]

I think it was @greybeard that replied in another thread a while back that he use to tie the roll to a fence post or tree and pull out from underneath it before he got a fork for his tractor.....I think

 

[greybeard]

How big are those round bales? 4x5'? Around here, they are selling 4x5' round bales, saying they weigh about 800 pounds. They say they are 2nd cut and fertilizer was applied, they are $50. I can also get 1st cut, no fertilizer for $35.

Bales of the same size weigh differently depending how 'tight' the baler is set. That's a problem when buying by the bale instead of by the ton. Tight heavy bales make fewer bales/acre and that means less $$/acre of hay for the owner if he sells by the bale.
Also depends on what kind of forage was baled.

We don't have a tractor. If we had the farmer load 1000 lb round bales on our 12' trailer, would my DH and I be able to roll them off the trailer?

Probably not unless you get the guy to set them on the trailer a certain way--with the flat side Not on the bottom and preferably, flat side toward front of the trailer.. (Bales flatten out on the bottom while sitting in the field or in a barn for a few days and they're hard to get rolling)
I've rolled lots of them off a trailer and out of my pickup tho...it's just a pita

 

[Bruce]

But once you get that 800 pound "gorilla" off the trailer, how do you get it somewhere to store it? Just leave a pile of hay rolls willy nilly on the ground?

 

[greybeard]

I assumed they were going to lay down a pallet or some old tires to roll it off on to...or back the trailer into a barn...
Once on a pallet, it can be tarped.