My mom and dad
raised big Holstein cows and sold the
milk. There were also many acres of
alfalfa hay, corn and grain to be tended and harvested every year.
The job of
raking hay was delegated to me as soon as my legs were long enough to reach the
double brakes and the clutch on our little Ford tractor.
Photo borrowed from
farmgirlfare who’s blog I read often
to get a hit of ruralness without all the long hours and hard work.
to get a hit of ruralness without all the long hours and hard work.
Even after being
removed from farm life for decades I’m still fascinated by what’s happening in
the fields along the highway.
Oh, no, rain on downed
hay. Mother Nature makes farming such a challenge.
My dad put up
our alfalfa crop into bales a standard size and shape which could be lifted by
one person and stored in hay stacks by the barnyard.
Now when I check
out hay fields I see a variety of bale shapes.
Like everything else, even hay is supersized.
In grassy fields
there are round bales which look a lot like giant chunks of shredded wheat.
Alfalfa is
usually baled into big blocks which can only be moved with heavy equipment.
Big blocks
stacked.
Wheat straw
blocks.
So I wondered
what I’d find if I Googled square
vs. round bales. I was surprised
to find strong opinions on both sides.
Square bales are more expensive, but are
easier to haul, and stack. Round bales can carry botulism. Square bales, almost
no waste.
Round bales last well in damp
weather. Square bales wick
moisture.
Round bales can be moved by a grandma and a couple of grandkids.
It seems to be a
lot like asking which is better…Ford or Chevy.
I just know that after a summer of lifting fifty pound bales I could beat my younger brother in arm
wrestling and fend off a fresh zit-faced juvenile male when necessary.
Oh, yeah, saw
these on my morning bike ride. Guess what just fell off the tater truck. Spud harvest has begun.
