Earlier this year we found someone who was selling baled hay for a reasonable price. With our hay fields in need of reseeding and money being tight, we decided to plant more corn and seed down one new field of alfalfa. We had the hay tested and found out it was high quality baled hay so the price became extremely reasonable. As in we should have been paying 60 dollars more per ton than what we actually did. The problem with buying this hay was we needed to haul it back to our barn. The barn it was stored in was 20 miles from our place. With us buying 3000 bales and only 200 (give or take) roughly fitting in a wagon, that was going to be a lot of trips.
Kurt's big sell on buying our baled hay was we could load it up when we wanted and that the weather would be nice (not humid), blah, blah, blah. But with Kurt working every other weekend that really does not give you much choice. So we picked a weekend and went from there. Turned out we ended up cutting our own hay on Sunday and Monday and chopping it on Monday and Tuesday before our big hay hauling day. This was our second crop hay and typically second crop hay is baled up in either small squares or big or round baled. The first two are the preferred method for feeding dairy cattle.
We lined up two other guys who could haul wagons so we would be hauling three wagons at a time. Plus we needed a few more for unloading. Originally I had two young boys who love helping their grandpa out. Their dad decided the two older boys needed to come as well so they could see what kind of work their dad did as a kid. I had seven guys to feed and only planned for five. Not that should make a huge difference but it did. They cleaned up the brats and hotdogs I made them for lunch. I was kind of freaking out about what I could make them for supper when I remembered I had five freaking cans of Manwhich. Helloooo. I was wondering how in the world they were going to leave the shelf.
My friend Loree called because she was interested in helping unload hay, but I told her she would be the only girl. She sounded kind of disappointed that we didn't need her help but thankfully she decided to come visit with me. I liked that since I do not get to chat with her much anymore since I married Mr. Wonderful/Clean. She is also planning her February wedding so she's just a little involved with her busy life. She kept me company while I did the afternoon milking and my throat got a little sore from talking too much. Wierd how that happens if I milking by myself and someone is there to talk to. Maybe I should practice when no on is there so my voice is exercised because I obviously over exert myself when I have company. Poor me.
I love these pictures of Maclayne running this way and that way. This totally portrays a life of milking three times a day, husband with a part-time job off the farm, and a seven-year-old who asks each day, "What are we going to do today?" Happy times!
Final note. We had great weather last weekend for loading and unloading six wagons full of hay. Eighty degrees, partly sunny, and a nice breeze. Perfect now bring on the rain! Our fields are very thirsty.
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