Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Cliff and I don't make our living farming.  We do manage to produce enough hay for our horse and cow, and for the other two horses who live here.  Modern farm equipment costs in the thousands of dollars, and of course we can't come up with that kind of money for a "hobby farm".

So we buy old, used farm equipment that has to be babied along when it's put to work.  Equipment that a real farmer would haul off, probably, as junk.  Stuff we buy for $500 or $1,000, bought new would cost more than our entire forty-plus acre place is worth.

There's a certain sense of adventure each time Cliff gets ready to mow a hay crop.  You can bet that the mower or the rake or the baler is going to need some sort of repair before the job is finished.  At the very least there'll be a sheared pin.  Don't ask me what that is, because I don't have a clue; I do know Cliff keeps extras around, and they don't cost much.

The big round baler often has a problem tying the bales properly, and Cliff will get off the tractor, climb up onto a step he added to the baler, and help with the tying process.  Hey, it beats picking up a hundred-fifty small square bales in ninety-five-degree heat, putting them on a wagon, hauling them to the barn, and lifting them off the wagon!  Cliff can move the big round bales with a tractor equipped with a bale spike, so the tractor does most of the work.  All I had to do was open the gate for him as he was coming and going.

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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've always seen those big bales, but never got to see how they were made before.  Farming is work no matter whether  you do it for a living or not.  You would have to love it in order to do it I think.  I like the porch very much too.
'On Ya' - ma

Anonymous said...

Our neighbors do the same thing...they have a small  hobby farm and we also give them our property to mow our hay and they can have it for mowing it and keeping it tax free on our land.  Works for both of us!  Our neighbor is always out fixing something on his machines too and jumping on jumping off.  We often wonder what he's doing.  

Anonymous said...

I wouldnt buy any big new equipment either, its just not practical. So yall have had those 90s too...its been unbearable. Can't breathe in the humidity. One more day of it and we are supposed to cool off a little bit. I think that tractor is awesome looking and the baler, well if it keeps him from having to do that backbreaking work then thats a great thing. :) Kelly

Anonymous said...

I don't believe there are many things that Cliff can't fix. That is the best way to go instead of the small square bales. Helen

Anonymous said...

It is hard for us to realize that "inconvenience" and breakdowns are what the jobs are all about.  How wonderful that you can consider them "adventure".

Anonymous said...

I would imagine this is like what my Hubby is going thru with his lawn mowers only on a GRAND scale.  lol  Good luck.  It is awfully hot out there.  I remember as a girl going with my Mom to drive the truck around the farm to pick up the bales of hay.  I remember lifting one up and finding several little bunnies.  lol

Anonymous said...

An adventure every time he bales hay....

Hollie