June 30, 2005

Making Hay While The Sun Shines

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Fields of Gold- hayfields that have been cut and bundled into these huge bales Taken on the front lawn of Petersen Farms Corporate Operations offices near Decatur Arkansas

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Woody and I are facinated by hay making. It started in Ohio last year where we saw these huge tubular hay bales and we couldnt figure out how they got the grasses so tightly rolled up. It was such a contrast to the Amish farms with their traditional haystacks, and we KNOW how that is done... pure human sweat power. Being it was October, that was the last crop we saw being dried for the winter. A forklift like device picks them up and loads them on a flat bed and we assume they are stored someplace.

Upon arriving in Arkansas in the late spring we saw the other end of the process and a number of times, as we drive through a farm area, we have pulled over, braving dust, hayfever and the drainage ditch to watch this unusual looking machine cut then sort of line the grass up then come around again and scoop it up, eventually producing this carpet roll of a hay bale.

A special manger or feeding appliance is required for these monster bales and we again had seen them empty in pastures around Mansfield Ohio and werent sure what they were until we saw a forklift (Woody has been in the forklift biz for years and finds this facinating, never thought of a forklift as a farm tool) hauling one of these rolls out and depositing it on the metal "stand". Sort of looked like a candle, or a birthday cake on a cake stand. All I know is the cows were thrilled and ate like crazy, thats their job you know. Sometimes fields that we have seen cows on are mowed like this so the cattle get fed and they get hay off it for sale. I love the system, and how it cycles and the farmer has little to do but see that the hay is cut on time in a cyclical way to promote the next rounds growth.
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Where this shot was taken this company factory farms chickens so they are raising this for sale. Rather than have a huge grass lawn, that takes maintaining, and gives back... well only golf course lawns seem to thrive in this heat, and that takes a huge amount of water and we are in a drought situation...so lawns arent practical,but this getting your lawn to earn its keep is a great idea and I like it.

We have seen this at public buildings and corporate offices like the JB Hunt offices near Lowell (gated or Id have shot a picture of that... a fortune 500 firm in the hay biz. )I see i as a wise use of nature's resources and a understanding of the nature of the landscape of this rural area. Would that open areas could be kept around all commercial buildings like this. Maybe it will only be for a short time untill "the northwest corridor" as its called, from Bella Vista to Fort Smith is too grown up to allow these bits of it rural past to be maintained.