The wheat hay

... yielded about 44 big squares, or 44,000 pounds, or 22 tons off 33 acres.

That was a little light, but, there was no expense for seed, lime or fertilizer. Just paying the neighbors for custom baling.

Saturday the guys finished disking then seeded soybeans there.

First cutting ...

... of wheat hay.

Hundred-pound bales.

The kids and I probably aren't going to be much help with those.

Mowing hay

Summer's here. We have hay down on two different farms. DH and Grandpa plan to plow up each of those fields later and plant a new crop.

That said ... I should have stayed at work today instead of coming home early. I got roped into helping change a tire on the hay rake; watched Grandpa tweak the ground-drive mechanism; and helped DH hitch up hay wagons and the rake.

With all the long grass growing up around them, the wagon tongues were not only heavy but tangled in long grass. DH had to help me with the elevator.

Spring colors are so bright they looked computer=generated: brilliant blue sky and clear spring green of the new leaves. By the end of summer everything looks tired, dusty and faded but now everything is new and all things are possible as far as having good crops and good prices.

Wheat and double-cropping ...

DH talked to an Extension forage specialist at Purdue about the wheat hay. They decided whether to let it grow and bale it will depend on the stand and how it develops over the next few weeks with warm weather and rain.

If it looks good, one plan would be to bale it in big squares then double crop soybeans after it.

It always seems like we could sell more hay if we had it. This might make more good hay available for sale over the winter.

Hay, hay, hay ...

It's been too dry, but, we're getting some good alfalfa made. When DH is in the highly mechanized part of it, mowing, raking and baling, I enjoy the commotion and the scent of new mown hay.

However, the bales must go from the wagons up into the hay mow somehow. So we all help unload wagons, put the bales on the elevator (think of a conveyor belt) and DH and the boys stack it in the mow.

We have a century-old bank barn. The oldest parts are pegged together. The newer areas, such as a granary and the doorway to the cow stable, is done with square-headed nails. The mow is actually the whole top floor of the barn. From floor to roof peak is 30 or 40 feet, stacked to the rafters and beyond with hay and straw.

It sounds and looks overwhelming, but, like a lot of worthwhile projects, we do it a little bit at a time and "keep everlastingly at it."