Pickin' Up Hay

Each summer for about as long as we've owned cows, we've purchased square bales of good Bermuda grass hay to feed the cows over the winter.  We have a neighbor down the road who is in his 80's and always makes the cleanest hay and their hay baling is a family affair.  Everyone comes together to get the hay in while the weather is dry. 

Unfortunately, our neighbor who bales the hay had a stroke earlier this summer and is in the VA home here in town rehabilitating.  I visited with him last month.  Oh, how he wishes he could be out there baling hay!  We were called by his daughter letting us know that there would be hay ready for pick-up on Saturday.  We were thinking about Mr. Myers when we drove down the road a couple of miles to where his family was baling.  It was 1 pm and there were many bales already on the ground waiting to be picked up.

We hooked up the old cattle trailer to the back of Benjamin's truck and began loading it down with hay.  Tricia drove between two rows of square bales, Benjamin stayed inside the trailer and stacked, while Russ and I carried the hay and laid it inside the trailer.  We counted the bales loudly as we loaded to ensure that we kept accurate count.  It is on the honor system.  You tell Mr. Myers' daughter how many bales you picked up on the way out of the field and pay as you leave.

There was a tractor 'fluffing' the hay, followed by a tractor with a square baler that dropped bale after bale on the close-cut grass.

We were able to fit 46 bales in the trailer and 4 bales in the back of the truck and we drove back home.  Prior to getting the hay up into the hayloft of the barn, we waited until the late afternoon to do the job as it was hot!  We use a pulley system to lift the bales, one by one, up into the loft. 

Russ hooked the bales onto the rope with a bungee cord and I pulled the bales up.  Russ had his hands full as the cows wanted samples of hay to eat while he tried to get the hay out of the way prior to them eating it all! Every time he'd turn his back, they would knock down his stack of hay.

After I pulled the hay up, I unhooked it and slid it down to Benjamin and he stacked it neatly in the loft.  He had to really watch his step so as to not fall through the trap door in the floor.

With some good teamwork, we were able to get the 50 bales stored away quickly.  As we got ready to head back to the house for some supper, we were able to watch a peaceful sunset.

It's a nice feeling to know the hard work is done and the hay is in the barn.