Devonviolet Acres

[OneFineAcre]

Just caught up
If you are a southerner your mayonnaise of choice is Dukes

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've rolled lots of them off a trailer and out of my pickup tho...it's just a pita

You are right about that! But it can be done.

 

[Bruce]

If you are a southerner your mayonnaise of choice is Dukes

Guess I won't be trying it anytime soon, their website has a "store locator" which goes out 100 miles. No one in that radius.

Hmmm they say they sell it at Walmart in Chicopee, MA. That isn't too many miles south of my Vision Therapy optometrist. I have an appointment in August, maybe I'll remember to check it out. But I BETTER LIKE IT! They only have the 32 oz jar. Lots of mayo if it turns out you don't find it tasty.

 

[babsbag]

My next toy after I win my million will be a tractor that can lift and carry a 4x8 square bale that weighs about 1400 lbs. My goal is to be able to move one to the field intact and let the goats eat off it. My other toy will be a "Hay Boss" feeder for above mentioned bale. Right now I can bring one home in the my dump trailer and I unload it onto a platform in the barn and feed from that. You never see round bales here.

 

[greybeard]

I live pretty far South, you'd have to live in S. Fla to be further South. Never heard of Dukes.

 

[Bruce]

I think you are too far west.

 

[farmerjan]

Yeah, I think you are too far west in Texas for "duke's" mayo. Will have to look in the groc if they make it in pint jars, I only buy qt jars. At $3 to $5 a jar, if I can find it on sale, I figure that it wouldn't kill me if I didn't like it. But I like it and is as good as Hellman's so...

Greybeard is right, the size and density of the bales varies but we figure an average 4 x 5 round bale here in the 800 lb range and the ones we usually make with the big baler are 5 x 5 1/2 to 5 x 6. Average in the 1200 + range. Yes, make sure the flat side is not on the bottom when they load it. I have many times had it loaded on a p u truck so when you drop the tailgate it can be "rolled" off. Never tried to get it on a pallet but usually would figure out where I wanted it, tailgate down, back up fast and hit the brakes....it rolls right off. I usually took the tailgate off so it wouldn't bend it. Or head up a hill quick....let the clutch out with a jerk and off it would come. If you have a tree where you want it, put the pallet in front of the tree, do the back up and hit the brakes quick and it might roll off on the pallet and the tree will stop it from continuing to roll. Done that before without the pallet under it. That's a redneck yankee way of getting it off when you are female and the only one around to get it off the truck with no tractor.
It is easier to "unwind" the hay off it to feed if the flat side is down, round part on the "sides" so that you are taking it off like a spool of thread.

 

[farmerjan]

Be careful of the round bales though. We do almost all our first cutting in round bales since the weather can be "iffy" and often it is over mature when we get first cutting done. Rather wait and be over mature, than to have it get "washed" a few times laying on the ground due to those pop-up showers and 20% that turns into a downpour....If your farmer does both round and square, try to get 2nd cutting as it will be less stemmy, and have finer blades. We use 2nd cutting for our calf hay, more palatable, usually tests a little higher in protein. Also, another thing, we cut 90% of our hay in the evening. The sugar content of the hay is higher in the afternoon/evening after the sun on it during the day. The roots will actually draw some of the sugars down during the course of the night so it is actually a little less nutritious early in the morning...Several studies have been done on it. Mostly our schedule makes for cutting to be done after work at our "real jobs" , but it has that benefit.

If you like to read farm related stuff, try Acres USA and Stockman Grass Farmer. Alot of good information even for the "little guy".

 

[Devonviolet]

WOW! Thanks Jan! That is great information. You have given us some food for thought.

 

[OneFineAcre]

There's a series of YouTube Video's

Sh%t Southern Women Say.

One of them is "Bless her heart, she didn't use Duke's mayonnaise"