Horse farmers and hay sellers, learn me.

gearheadmb said:

Update II; The sequel. I did first cutting on July 15. This cutting happened later than I wanted because of a very wet late June/early July. First cutting was mostly the oats that I had planted as cover crop, so I gave that to dad. It was a lot more ripe than I wanted because of the late cutting so it may end up being more bedding than feed, but his old cows will find a use for it. It was kind of funny, he round baled it and set the bales outside. The bales got rained on and now the bales are growing their own oats. They look like big giant chia pets.  

After first cutting the weather turned really dry, so the alfalfa and timothy didn't get very big. It was green, thick, and healthy though. We cut it again a couple weeks ago, at a time when most guys were on either their third or fourth cutting for the year. It didn't make much, about 50 bales, but I kind of expected that. It was however very good quality hay. I was able to sell what I made though, to a local horse farmer for $3.50 a bale, which put me about the break even point for what I spent on seed. Most hay around here was advertised higher but this guy was ready to buy. A bird in the hand, as they say. Since the hay should come back every year for 5-8 years (if nothing kills it, alfalfa is touchy)I am happy with how this year turned out. It is coming back nice and thick right now and it looks like I should have a good healthy stand next year.

My future plans are to work up another half acre that is attached to the field this spring and put hay out there. I was going to do that last spring. There was 1.5 acres that was beans last year that I disced, and this half acre was sod ground. The sod ground was so damn hard the disc wouldn't even make a dent, so I left it to see how the grass hay would turn out on that patch. It didn't turn out worth a hoot so I sprayed it with roundup last week and it will get plowed and planted next spring. I also need to put some potash down some time before the ground thaws next spring. Potash is usually all the hay needs in this area.

It feels good to be producing something. I grew up on a farm and have done this stuff since forever with my dad and uncles, but its different when its on your own ground and your own product. There is something very fulfilling about it. I'm very happy that I decided to do this instead of continuing to rent out the ground.

I know and understand the reasons you did this. I’ve worked on a farm and now I have my own Orchard.  It’s complex, something about productive work, growing things, and getting back to our roots. 

But even that doesn’t completely explain things and few will really understand except those that have farmed.  

Incidentally  at the core is why those who simply accumulate money wind up being so unhappy. 

CollapsitarianGearhead said:

I have six horses, 2 are draft horses, I have about 20 acres of tillable pasture but it’s not worth it to me to buy equipment when there’s so many hay sellers in my area. I usually pay $4.00-$5.00 for grass/Timothy mix.  I try not to buy anything with clover in it because occasionally I’ll board the local racers mares when they’re with foal.

I buy alfalfa pellets to supplement their diet in the winter which I found was cheaper and more consistent than buying alfalfa bales, plus the local racetracks keeps alfalfa at a premium price. 

I need to reseed two of my pastures but I have to thin the deer population first. I reseeded one ten years ago when I built my lake and a herd of deer would destroy my field as soon as it would come up. 

 

How do you do that? ( Thin the herd )?  I have an Apple orchard and while deer aren’t an issue squirrels sure are.  I get about 50 bushels a year but squirrels get 40 of those and culls get another 5. 

It’s  so bad  I never get any cherries or plums even though both trees produce well.  

In reply to frenchyd : Kill them, I shoot them, my neighbors shoot them, I invite hunters but, I’m surrounded by former large dairy farms that are now weekend hunting farms which only get visited in the fall, the deer can live there and reproduce in gross amounts. It also creates a coyote problem as well, and coyotes are harder to kill. 

Squirrels aren’t a problem so I don’t notice them, my barn cats and dogs keep them away from the house. But raccoons make it tough to keep a garden. 

I can shoot deer out of season because they’re a nuisance but I have to report them to the game warden when I do. I have a neighbor who is an animal rights activist which usually beats me to the call. 

In reply to CollapsitarianGearhead :

Sorry, neighbors are feet away so shooting isn’t an option.  I was hoping a spray or poison.  I’ve heard that human hair deters deer so a visit to the barbershop was planned if deer ever “found” my orchard.  

I put a rotten egg/red pepper mixture around the Paw Paw trees I planted, it worked on about 80% of them, but it was a pleasant chore making or mowing around the trees. 

I had many chickens at the time and I had a hen who kept hiding her eggs so 5 gallons at a time wasn’t hard to make. 

As is the case with any moneymaking venture there is overhead involved. Some is expected, like seed, fertilizer, fuel, etc.

Some is unexpected, like buying my neighbor a new mailbox because I hit his with a haybine. 

"The mailbox manufacturer claims it is indestructible. John Deere determined that is a lie"- Maury Povich

TLDR- I'm kind of an idiot.