Excellent video. Really good production value, too. Thanks for what you do! The TV networks could learn a lot from you - no drama, no special effects, just good information presented professionally.
Awesome video Mike. These are the videos that maybe other farmers/ranchers already know as second nature, but us city folk don't. I feel educated 😀. And for that I thank you. As I drive past several fields and see hey stacks, now I know there is allot more thought and work that goes into it. Thanks again.
Seconded, and it's for this precise reason I also play games like Farming Simulator ... really helps me and my kids understand the hard work that is put into the food we eat.
I'm sure you've thought about this plenty. I noticed you roll out your bails in the winter. Do you have alot of waste left on the ground? I've seen you use bail feeders. Why don't you utilize this more? Or, plastic wrapping them? Again, I'm sure you've thought about all of this already.
Thanks Mike, good stuff, we in NW Colorado have to put hay under roof and if no floor up on pallets due to run off and on a North slope where you have more moisture than on say south facing slopes it's best to keep it off the ground
I really enjoyed this video, here round bales are king but mostly are kept in quonset buildings or pole sheds. We have been known to get freezing rain November and december which will effectively turn a hay pile into a frozen hell. Many times even the most powerful tractors just ruin the bales trying to break them from the ice if not covered after freezing rain. I'm looking at a round baler a couple towns over, makes 4x5 rounds. Cheap hay this year has driven the price on used equipment lower then I have seen in years. Hard not to be tempted to buy some equipment and prepare for next year.
Have to really disagree with you on your preference Of pyramid stacking versus mushroom stacking. We have stock thousands of both, and what you will find as the bottom Bales will always wick moisture out from the ground, regardless of whether they are on their side or on end. The big difference is is the middle row of bales on a mushroom stack will shed water off instead of funneling it down into the bottom row. Pyramid stacking while convenient, we have found to be the worst for longevity.
Like I said, it will differ from area to area, climate to climate. For us, the ends open on the ground tend to hold moisture and it moves up the bale, while stacking on the side then netwrap is in contact with the ground. Thanks - Mike
As you state in your video you have a dry climate, but for others it's a different story like myself in the northeast US. A couple years ago I watched a video from Oklahoma state (sunup tv) about hay loss. Basically you get just as much hay loss from underneath as from on top. I started stacking hay on 4x4s. WOW what a difference! I couldn't believe the difference. I think one study was done in Tennessee and the duplicated in Oklahoma I used those numbers to figure the 4x4s would pay for themselves in 3 years. Then I found the local lumber yard would sell me warped and twisted 4x4s for half price!
I'm in the PNW and stack hay on well-draining gravel that keeps the bottom bales dry and also stagger the top bale to help keep moisture from reaching the sides of bales below, in the event of a tear or loose tarp that needs resetting -- one year the hay barn will be finished!
I would like to just take minute to tell both of you how much I so appreciate all the hard work you do to video, edit and post these videos for all of us to enjoy and learn about your life. The level of professionalism that are in your videos is just phenomenal and the way you both explain things for us viewer at home to understand is just amazing. Thank you again for bringing and teaching us about "Your Wyoming life".
I got two questions in the winter how do you figure out witch way to unroll the bales. My other question is is why don't you use the bobcat to unload the bales does it not reach high enough or do you figure you are just as fast with the tractor or do you not have a spear for it
Good questions. So if you look at the bales there are stripes on the netwrap, that way you can keep track of which is left and which is right. If you load it on the spooler correctly it will come off just as it was made in the baler. You are right, the bobcat doesnt reach high enough, also you cant see anything in front of you when you have a bale on it :) Thanks Marsha - Mike
Ya We move all of our bales with a skidloader but we got just enough to reach to put it on the trailer two high and we don't stack it so it's alright we just make a row and the issue of not seeing in front of you is solved by a few hours of getting use to it and how to look to either side of lift it up a little to see under
@@marshakrebs4348 would a cheap backup camera mounted elevated above the forks help? They are so cheap now. you could put it on a cordless 12 volt battery from a drill you already probably have. They are wireless and the battery makes it a no wires project. Could you screw or zip tie a 2x4 to the forks vertically ?
Yes that would be a thing to do especially if you have to drive down the dirt road a ways with a bale on to feed a few head every few days so you can see in front of you and keep the load on the spear at a reasonable height at all times. But I don't think I will find myself doing it because I don't find it necessary because we learned how to look around the hay bale and can put the money of a camera towards another thing
Hi again Spot on Mike! Really good in depth hay info!! Must say you've learned your lessons well especially for a city dude! Lol lol Seriously you've covered all the bases and I'm quite sure there are some that are very surprised to hear there's much more involved with hay. Mentioned before how I love those nice bales you put up. I look forward to hearing the quality testing results after the hail storm. Thx as always Mike...
Mike, there looked to be enough rain this year for a large crop, and then the hail storm hit. I'm not sure you mentioned it, but what was your final bale count this year? How many animals will it feed? How many bales do you think you lost to the hail? Asking for my friend the Armchair Rancher, as I think his mother grounded him again.
Interesting to see how you go about baling. Here in Norway (at least on the west coast) we use net and also wrap the bales in plastic since we have quite a lot of rain/snow.
Do you think it’s safe for round bales to be completely tarped from top down and all sides (nothing exposed)? We have 22 4×5 round bales sitting outside on pallets that have been completely covered with tarp and have been anchored down with J hooks into the ground. They seemed completely dry and the hay farmer said they were baled at 10% moisture. Under the pallets is the ground (grass) and we live in northern Wisconsin so I’m not quite sure if they’ll mold or even worse - catch fire. This is what the previous owner told us to do but I see so much conflicting information online (some sites say to completely cover too) about storing hay so I’m not quite sure who/what to follow. Thank you!!
I am a bit south of yall probably. in Colorado well between denver and cheyenne vs east of denver depending on price per acre and deal to be had. Almost tempted to flip the house here and finally go to my retirement project of that farm life. Was curious how different in precipitation it might be. I almost assume slightly warmer and slightly more precipitation in some months. Pyrmid stacking hay could be good just not sure on if (got quotes on a 200x100x20 steel building around 150-175k a bit high but i am looking into if i can put it on a conventional along side a modular home if there is a way) Or just pyrmid stack and shelter the hay til sold to fund the steel barn project. (even contemplating building the living quarters inside a 200x100x20 with an indoor pool and aquaponics and maybe indoor poop yard for the doggos when i dont feel like freezing toes off here due to their escape artist nature.
i'm always enjoying your videos, but always skip the first minute of the video coz i know there is the annoying say " please subscribe and like and hit the bell button etc etc.....Please common
Do you do soil testing to determine if there is a need for fertilizer? I have a good friend in KS who farms mostly corn (dryland) One year, It was a really dry year (2012) and he made the decision to have it chopped. I asked him it he would have to increase the rate of fertilizer because the residue wasn't left in the field. He said it does affect the inputs. So, I thought it might be an interesting video to show the whole process, including how the lab results from the finished product affects your plans.
Alright💥another one outta the park👍 Good video Mike. So heres a question for you my friend. How big your building have to be to store all your hay for 150+cows? You can wait till Thursday to answer. Have a great week.
I see you guys unroll your hay. We found that building feeders with slanted bars and skirts greatly reduced waste. Below is an article on this. fyi.extension.wisc.edu/wbic/2012/01/10/tips-to-reduce-winter-feeding-hay-costs-for-beef-herd/
If you pyramid stack here in East Texas you'll wind up with a rotten mess come winter. Single file a few feet apart works well here in hot,humid,wet area.
hey Mike you said you send your samples to the university, any special reason? only game in town? price? special educator discount? I think I remember them helping design cattle flow though the pens, are your able to take advantage of all that brain power often
I wonder why you guys don't have any more of your fields from what I understand you hey only a few hundredacres of your thousands that you have it sounds like you get a better yield when you have a the field then just let the cows roam through naturally so why don't you hate more of your fields to get better yield
just got back in the house from the hay field mike , great video . A few years back we tried the mushroom pile it destroyed a lot of hay . For around here line rapping is the best . then barn stored , but again the major investment. Good luck and hope all is well.
Another great video by the man! Quick question, thinking in the long run would it be financially better to downsize or just buy the hey you need? Thank you.
Nice job delivering the info....direct, informative, no filler!! I'm in the n.east...we had some dry stretches, & put up some good hay, & have cut fields that sometimes don't get first cut before mid to late August...so the quality is very good...unfortunately now we're in a wet spell...we got 4 1/4" of rain the past 3 days, with humidity @ 97 0/0!! I had put up dry small baled hay, off the ground, under cover...but am concerned it will sour, & get moldy from the moisture in the air...thanks for the info...you could do voice overs, or radio with that voice...good job!! Looks good for a 2nd cut for us, we've been in a drought, but I think we're coming out of it. Thanks again!
@@OurWyomingLife lol thats why i said here its a problem ..wish it wasn't just breaking ground on a 50x80x18...hay barn for 25000...thats with a 20 foot lean too for equipment just another expense
Hay jockey here. Worth mentioning, not all weathering is attributed to moisture, bales in direct sunlight will darken over time just as well. Also, ANY place those bales touch will mold. That is why I usually advise against anything but single rows stacked apart if they are going to be stored outdoors. I agree, net wrap is worth every penny! Faster to make, easier to remove, and actually sheds water (to a degree).
Have bought hay that was net wrapped, nothing worse in the middle of winter than net wrapped hay stored outside in the northeast. ice forms on the bales and makes it impossible to get it off. Bought net wrapped hay off of my neighbor a few years back and he gave me a pyramid stacked pile of hay from the year before as a bonus. The middle bale had about half of the hay left, the rest had rotted away. Funny thing was the cows liked that hay the best because it had a lot of clover in it. My dad used to say never try to figure out how a cow acts, they are females. I'll be in trouble for that statement I am sure.
What a trip down memory lane. When I was 15 years old, I went to work on a cattle farm. Every child should have that experience. I love the smell of cow manure, and I'm a fence fixing maniac, lol. Love your channel.
great videos you make. Here in NW Florida, if youre stacking outside you cant allow the bales to touch due to the amount of moisture we have. Stack them or push them tightly against one another and in 2 months max youll have mold there. Have to allow adequate spacing between each bale to give it a chance to dry.
Hey Mike this past weekend I went up to the Amish country in Ohio and noticed that they started their hay harvesting and they were running their big bales through a machine that put a white covering on the hay and the rows where long is football fields . Is this just another way to preserve the hay ?
Love your channel Mike! I live in Louisiana and one of my friends had a hay cutting business. He would lease land and cut it for hay. He asked me to help pick up square bales one day and I said sure, sounds like fun, boy was I wrong. I got to his house and he started laughing at me because i was wearing shorts, it was 95 outside so i asked why shouldn't I he said you'll find out. We got to the hay field and man, there must have been 1000 square bales to load and about 2 hours in, i found out why he was laughing at me for wearing shorts, my thighs were tore up and bleeding. He was throwing and i was stacking and his dad was driving. Needless to say I was wore slap out when we were done and I learned a valuable lesson, do not wear shorts to load hay. Lol. I have family that own a ranch in Alladin, Wyoming. Its close to the South Dakota border and my Mother was born at Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City. We went to visit them several years ago and I loved it. We rode tractors, moved cattle and they had a rodeo with some of the locals. It seemed like a great life. Thanks and keep the videos coming.
The hay is wrapped in plastic before it has time to fully dry. The moisture in the hay, plus heat, minus oxygen will cause the hay to ferment. It smells wonderful when the plastic is finally opened!
If only the ranchers in my area got their hay stacked as quickly after cutting as you do. I've seen some that leave their bales in the field over winter and only move them once they need to cut again. And we aren't exactly a dry climate either.
For the sounds of it an investment in irrigation would be money well spent. Even if ya go the cheap route aka a well with a drag line could greatly improve yields in a small portion of your haying ground
Do you guys ever feed barley straw or oat straw to spread out the hay you have? Also where do you generally get your hay you end up buying when you need to?
NW PA here in the Lake Erie snow belt, lots of snow, plenty of rain and usually 3 cuts of hay, sometimes 4. We net wrap bales but due to the wet weather we also wrap them in plastic (the big marshmallow bales) lol. Sometimes they are wrapped in a solid line like a big white worm going down the field. Since selling the dairy cattle my brother crop farms soybeans, corn and hay. This has been a super wet year out here. Most farmers couldn't even get crops in. It was to wet to even get into the fields.
@@OurWyomingLife He has crop insurance but they have so many stipulations & rules on things they don't usually pay much or tell you you're a bushel short on something to get any help! Typical insurance!
Mike. One other thing. I just came across you channel. I am giving you a "shout out" to all my other farming YT favorites. Hopefully, we can get you some extra hay......Rick.
What an informative site. MORE people NOT associated with farming should visit this site. It makes you realize there is much, MUCH more to farming than what you see.
Thanks Joe Bonola, We try to impart some knowledge to the non-AG people for just that reason. Everyone needs to know where their food comes from. Thanks for watching. -Mike
Mike couldnt catch a cow pooping for the manure video but he caught a lightning strike on camera for this one!?!? Something fishy going on @ the OWL Ranch!
Haaaaay... i see what you did there. Been around farms my whole life and I dont reckon I've seen the mushroom stack. Doesn't even seem like s good idea. It's funny though, you do so many things without knowing why. Was always taught to single stack tight end... just never knew why. ... now I do!
WOW! Thank you. We had no idea there was such a science to stacking hay. When I lived, as a child, on our ranch, the haying was taken care of by the adults and nothing was explained. It's nice to find out why things were done the way they were.
I noticed when they make hay bales here they use that netting first and then they put a plastic wrap over that netting. My relatives would store their hay in the upper part of the barn. Thank you for all the information on hay bales. Look forward to your next video.
If you feed your hay in round feeders you would save a lot of hay over the winter. whenever I feed hay on the ground the way you do it the cows always leave a decent amount behind and poop allover it
