Hay Fever

Finally...FINALLY....we have a streak of hot dry weather and can get some more hay baled.  The plants are pretty mature, but it was impossible to make hay up to this point because of the weather.  We make the traditional small square bales to feed the sheep.  It takes about 4500 to carry the flock through the winter and have a little cushion besides.  Some people prefer to feed big round bales outdoors, but in our case a) we already have the equipment to make the small bales and b) we don't have a good way to feed the flock outdoors. 

Notice the bale in mid-flight courtesy of the baler's "throwing" belts

And here are a couple of full wagons. 

Two of five

We have five, and try to orchestrate the work so that we don't have more than 5-7 wagon's full per day.  Why don't we cut more, especially when the weather is favorable?  Unloading more than that per day is pretty hard when it's just the two of us (and takes time - if we're trying to unload wagons we aren't baling hay).  Each wagon carries approximately 135 bales, and at about 40 pounds per bale that's almost two and three quarter tons per wagon.  Times five makes thirteen and a half tons that we each have to move by hand - me taking it off the wagon and putting it on the conveyor and Andy picking it off the conveyor and stacking it in the mow.  That's about all we can handle at a time and stay standing!

And the hot weather has also brought out the lilies, just in time for the 4th of July.

Red lilies for the 4th of July

Happy Independence Day!