Haying

Well, one of the pictures posted twice. That's ok I guess. :) 'Tis the season for haying! Chip has been on vacation for the last week which for him of course doesn't mean vacation. There is always a lot to do around the farm. In the summer, the first and foremost priority is haying. For the last 8 years that we have been married I have discovered that haying really depends on the weather. You can't hay when it is raining and since haying is a multiple day process, you have to have a few days of dry weather. At times, Chip and his dad will be out until 9 at night if the forecast calls for rain the next day. You can't leave hay down when it rains because it gets ruined. Thankfully, Chip picked a perfect week for vacation because it has been dry and he has been haying every day. There have been summers where it has been really wet and he and his dad get anxious thinking they aren't going to get enough hay in for the winter. Our cows really depend on it.

The process goes something like this: First you cut the hay. It has to dry a day or if it is really hot, you may be able to start the next process that afternoon which is: ted. This takes step takes another apparatus attached to the tractor. The tedder I guess? You go along the cut hay with this and it basically stirs the hay up to dry it out. Then for the next step: raking. This is yet a third machine attached to a tractor which puts the hay in rows. I had a good picture of this but instead I posted the other picture twice. After the hay is in rows, you are ready to bale which of course takes a baler. They are using the round baler in these pictures as you can see. We have a round baler and a square baler but our square baler just broke the other day so we are getting a new one. Round bales are faster. I thought baling was a pretty easy task but Chip explained to me last night that you really have to watch the gauges on the baler to make sure it is even, and then you have to do something else with the gauges to makes sure it is tied correctly. Yesterday, his dad was raking at the same time as Chip was baling. I think the fields are pretty much done. But often times they will do a second cutting for bedding hay and any extra hay we may need.

Yesterday after Anna and Van woke up from their naps we went out to watch them hay. We have been watching a lot. Chip will often take Adam with him when he is getting the bales. Today he did and when Anna and Van woke up, they were coming back with a load of bales. We went over with them and I drove the truck through the fields (while singing if you're happy and you know it to Anna because she was getting antsy) and Chip put the bales on the trailer. The boys really enjoy being involved. I will post in a month or so when the calves are being born. It is SUCH a fun time. :)