[NethertonSH]

Got all mines in tonight. 832 lovely bales 

Wondering if it was beginners luck. Perfect weather and my cheap "take a punt" baler didn't miss a beat.

Thank you for all the advice from everyone.

[SallyintNorth]

All but 6 of the 54 big bales in one field today are hay   This was cut Sunday evening and worked hard yesterday and today, baled late this afternoon.  Blistering days here yesterday and today

The other field is too damp, we think, to make hay by tomorrow, so it'll have to be wrapped.  Loads of rain forecast for Friday

[oor wullie]

Whilst I am stuck offshore missing this great weather my (slightly mental) darling wife has learned how to use the mower, taught herself how the Vicon Acrobat works and turned the hay a couple of times, and hauled the baler out into the field ready to try and work out how it works tonight.  I keep trying to say "just leave it in rows until I get home" but seem to be being ignored!

Also, at the weekend she bought a tractor at Dingwall Mart and she has a full time job so is doing all this hay making in the evenings.
 

[CarolineJ]

Argh, John wasn't available yesterday afternoon - if he had been, we could have rowed up the point and baled it early evening.  There's been a big temperature drop overnight, everything is soaked in heavy dew and it's still so misty that I can't see past the end of the field next to the house.

Crossing everything very hard that the promised 22C and sunshine later today materialises and it dries out enough to bale this evening, because John's not around tomorrow and we've got rain on Saturday 

[SallyintNorth]

Same here, CarolineJ.  The sun is just beginning to burn off the cloud now.  (11am.)  Our remaining field will be wrapped anyway, but my goodness are we glad we baled the other yesterday, in baking heat.

I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed for you too

[CarolineJ]

Thanks Sally, fingers crossed for you as well.  The mist has gone, but it's overcast and the ground is still soaking.

[devonlady]

Whilst I am stuck offshore missing this great weather my (slightly mental) darling wife has learned how to use the mower, taught herself how the Vicon Acrobat works and turned the hay a couple of times, and hauled the baler out into the field ready to try and work out how it works tonight.  I keep trying to say "just leave it in rows until I get home" but seem to be being ignored!

Also, at the weekend she bought a tractor at Dingwall Mart and she has a full time job so is doing all this hay making in the evenings.
 

Bless her heart!

[Rupert the bear]

Thanks Sally, fingers crossed for you as well.  The mist has gone, but it's overcast and the ground is still soaking.

fingers crossed for you   

[CarolineJ]

We left it alone, it didn't dry until 9pm.  6.30am this morning the phone rings and it's John, saying he's rearranged his day and will be with us at 10.30 to give it a final flip before rowing it up and baling - we've had a breeze all night and it's gloriously sunny 

[Grant]

The joys of working abroad - my hay field got ignored this week as the big boys have there priorities elsewhere - oh well it looks like the neighbour will be getting cheap silage again.
Last year was the same, my neighbour got 18 big rounds of silage and I ended up spending 5 days rolling out his round bales of hay in the shed, putting them back through the small square baler and got nearly 200 small bales. At least it heats you up in the cold days.

[NethertonSH]

At least you got something in return Grant, for the last couple years a local farming has been taking 150+ large bales off our fields and I didn't get a thing in return. Thats why I decided to invest in some equipment and this year took over 800 small bales of hay off. If I sell most of the bales I've made my money back.

Hope the baling is going well Caroline!

[CarolineJ]

*whimper*
I wasn't expecting to get 305 bales off that field!!!  All safely stacked in various barns, sheds, trailers and vans around the village and my first year of taking hay off my own fields is done.  443 in total - I only needed about 100!

We finished at 10.30pm, so pretty much 12 hours.

[Rupert the bear]

well done , long hot soak in the bath now.

[SallyintNorth]

Brilliant!  You've got some in hand for next year, now, too.  And some to sell as well, by the sound of it!  Congratulations!

[oor wullie]

Well I finally got home and have the hay in.

Whilst I was away my wife learned how to hitch up the mower and mowed the field.  Learned how to use the Acrobat and turned the hay a couple if times.  Went to the auction mart and bought a bigger tractor, learned how to work the baler and started baling, learned how to change shear bolts but unfortunately came to a halt trying to unjam the baler - I just can't get the staff!!!

It rained a few times but we have just had a weather window just long enough to get it baled and in, 200 small bales.  Lots of hard work (which I mostly dodged!) but very satisfying looking at it in the shed.