Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Thought we might have a little fun. I know I will suffer from information overload because you folks have so many wonderful ideas. Since I am just getting my barndominium built i was wondering how you would lay out the barn to make the best use of the space and ease of work. I have a round baler, inline square baler and Kuhn accumulator, rake, drum mower, sprayer and tractor to put in there and I am thinking my work bench will be built on casters so that I can move it to work in other areas if needed.
All the stuff on the floor on the right side of the first photo is my hay barn that is going up outside so that area will be cleared out. I am looking forward to your thoughts and ideas. Thanks for allowing me to take advantage of the vast experience here.
Buddy
As I've commented before, I'm heading into this season with a Kuhns 1036F that I picked up second hand a couple of months ago. It's a slightly older model (I think it's a 2009), so it doesn't have the belted base (just the little ramp thing). Should I save myself the headaches and buy a belted base kit now?
Those of you who don't have the belted version, do you use chains/bungees/whatever to help your cornering?
Anyone know where to get a used engine for a New Holland 160 skidloader, we have a hole in the side of the block.
Woven wire fence, wood H braces at the ends. I'm supposed to use 12.5 gauge wire on the diagonal right? I seem to only be able to find that gauge in rolls of 2000' or more. Anything less than that and all I can find is 14 gauge.
Trying to be brief but informative here is not easy for me. But the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare as many still call it is the law of the land we live under for the under age 65 major medical and small group plans up to 50. Right off my belief that will remain the law of the land for of course 2018 but also at least 2019. Any changes will need months from time of passage to time to be effective. But there are some options out there within this law and those plans and outside of those plans you may not know.
To buy a true major medical plan for an individual or a family the only option is an ACA plan but the cost is high IF you are not eligible for a tax subsidy to help pay the premium. Many people or eligible for those subsidy but are missing it for either not understanding what they must do or missing tips to qualify. The subsidy is based upon your household income and size of family and does vary with the income. The only time you can enroll or buy one of these plans is from Nov 1st to Dec 15th or you must have a Qualifying Event. These are firm definitions by the ACA law. Those have only a 60 day window to use and they are: loss of coverage no fault of your own, marriage, birth of a child, released from jail, legal immigration or moving to a different service area. To see a full list here is a link: https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/qualifying-life-event/
Now the insurance industry hates these and many companies will not pay an agent to help a person obtain coverage outside of Open Enrollment and some never pay an agent so it makes it hard to find an agent I some areas who will. We do a lot of "charity work" here. If you find you need coverage and do not qualify for a Qualifying Life Event or QLE consider moving so you are eligible. Proof of the move is often rental contract or contract of purchase, utilities there such as cell phone, have seen address with bank changed serving to prove this.
The Tax Subsidy amount is very much affected by the number of people in the household and the person or persons income. If you are a legal couple they count the joint income and you must file joint tax return, however if you have a child who if filing their own tax return do not count them nor their income UNLESS it benefits you and you must then file tax return that way. Using Federal Poverty Levels for South Carolina which does vary from state to state below are some idea of incomes used, now SC did not enlarge the Medicaid rules so if a person is below the minimum income there is often no help.
Single person, must have income of at least $12,060 but not over $48,240 per year.
Family of two, must have income of at least $16,240 but not over $64,960 per year.
Family of four, must have income of at least $24,600 but not over $98,680 per year.
It increases as you are seeing there depending on the size of the family. Now the subsidy is not a straight line amount but it takes is larger on an older person than a younger person with the same size family and income for it also takes into consideration the premium price which does increase with age.
So you look at your income and it is say $75,000 and you say honey you and I do not qualify for any tax subsidy help on this. Not so fast! First it is your personal income, not a business income. If your hay income say was $150,000 but your farming or business expenses are $100,000 then you are down to $50,000 income. But lest look past that, if you have self employed income of at least the amount you pay for your (be sure the self employed person is whose name the coverage is in so this works) health insurance it is tax deductible as business expense. So lets say that is a $1,000 per month so another $12,000 of drop in income. Now just say you do this math and you miss the subsidy cut off by $100 dollars and it is a hard number, what can you do? Fund a tax deductible IRA or such qualified retirement plan, it cuts or lowers your taxable income also. This is one option I really like, select a "HIGH DEDUCTIBLE" plan and this is a term that really means something important. The dollar amount of the deductible has nothing to do with the term, you can buy a plan with a deductible that is larger. But the qualified High Deductible Plan qualifies you for a HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT and you are allowed to deposit again income deferred money there that also reduces your taxable income. Below is Bank of America's chart showing the contributions limits.
2017 2018 Single coverage $3,400 $3,450 Family coverage $6,750 $6,850
Catch-up contribution for those who are age 55 or older
$1,000 $1,000
The money you deposit into a Health Savings Account or HSA is your money and is not considered income if you use it to pay qualified medical bills. If you are paying a medical provider or for services ordered by one it most likely is a qualified service even if your insurance does not cover it. What does that mean, you put say $5,000 into this account, you lowered your taxable income by $5,000 and you go the dentist but your insurance does not cover that you can still use money from that account and it is not counted as income for you used the account to qualify the money for medical expense. Might not be the wording the IRS uses but my wording. If at the end of the year you have $4,000 of the $5,000 left it is your money and remains in the account. You are still legal to contribute the next year and the next year even if your fund has grown to say $15,000.
I had a self employed person who was able to fund his Health Savings Account and I think max fund his IRA by doing just this with the amount of tax subsidy this make him qualified for. His subsidy amount was about $12,000 for the year.
Go to this web site KFF.org and search for 2018 tax credit calculator. It is very simple to use, just read the input fields given and do select your state to make it the most accurate and while this is not a government site it is very accurate. You are not imputing any info that goes anywhere so just play with the income numbers to see where you are in relationship to the break point on the subsidy. If it says you do not qualify then lower the income till you are and then by small adjustments move up till you loss the subsidy.
My suggestion here, you have your accountant to do this math for you after you have tested it yourself to be sure there is nothing that prevents this working for you. A big miss by those who wrote the ACA rules will hurt some of you on this for if your spouse works for a company who offers a qualified group plan it often prevents the family from being eligible for any subsidy but these still lower your taxable income.
Important notes on tax subsidy on the Market Place: if your income for the year ends up being higher than you used (some degree of fortune telling required) you may have to pay some or all of the subsidy back. Also depending on the amount of subsidy you should consider a "SILVER" plan first for there is something called "Cost Sharing" that can improved those plans coverage but not any other ACA plan.
Now another option is what is called a "FATH BASED" plan. These are not considered Insurance. There are a couple of points here, if they were insurance they could not do what they do due to the ACA but they work a lot like an insurance plan. Some of these have been out there for years. They do vary and there is about five of them. What they do not cover or do cover will vary from plan to plan so this is sort of broad base here. Some will not cover tobacco users period. Some will accept them and maybe keep them covered for a year to allow them time to stop using tobacco. Even if you are a tobacco user these can get you to an open enrollment for an ACA plan if need be. Why would you use one of these plans: you missed open enrollment and do not have a Qualifying Event, you do not want anything to do with Obamacare, you are paying full price for the ACA plans as some of these plans really are about 50% of the ACA plans. You can enroll in these plans any time of the year and they do satisfy the requirement of credible coverage by the ACA rules. I am not aware of any of these that allow you to have a tax deductible HSA plan. There two I know fairly well, Medi-A-Share and Aliera/Unity. These plans operate much like a true insurance policy and some do not. Some require you to have the charge, submit it to them to be then reimbursed maybe over a couple of months. THESE are not for everyone and no other coverage is. If you use tobacco, you drink heavy, you are living with someone but not married or you have serious preexisting conditions they may not be a good choice. They also are limited on their coverage on prescriptions. In those negatives they do a good job at reasonable pricing.
Now some of you will not fit in either of those. However small group plans can be an option. You normally need at least two employees who can be owners or owner and employee and might be owner and spouse but spouse must show up in tax papers as partner or employee. If you are not eligible for a tax subsidy but can do a group plan probably offering you better coverage or better network or both than today's individual plans. You should be able to find help on these plans rather easy for there are more companies in the small group business than individual plans. If you are larger size company and this number will vary with the market but about ten is the lowest size in SC but think takes twenty five employees in North Carolina for what is called a self insured plan which you do not want a "TRUE" self funded plan but you may like what is a limited self funded or a level funded is the name most companies call them. Small group is rather straight forward but if you go with any plan you be sure you ask if I want to terminate this say in six months what happens. That is where the level funded plans can be dangerous. You do not want to go with one of Level Funded if you have ANY doubt you may not keep it for the full term of the contract, you can be liable for any claims that have occurred and not been paid if you do. These can be very good plans but they have moving parts and some of that movement can bite you if you stop the plan early.
This is already long but want to cover those on Medicare quickly.
Depending on the state you are in you may have a guaranteed issue of Medicare Supplements if under 65 and on Medicare. Many states you do not. There is no Federal Law on this for under age 65. However you probably are eligible for a Prescription Drug Plan and or a Medicare Advantage Plan. If you are aging into Medicare at age 65 normally and have part A and B of Medicare you have full guaranteed on all of those plans. Any Medicare Supplement by any company in your state with no health questions asked and some will not even ask on tobacco usage. You have a 6 month window on this beginning the month your Part B begins. You have a 7 month window on a Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan but time table is different. You have 3 months before your Part B begins, the month it takes effect and 3 months after. My suggestion is make application for what ever you will be doing 6 to 8 weeks before your part B begins. Then all is in place for your effective date. If you work for a company who provides group insurance and has at least 20 employees and plan to keep working and will be keeping the group insurance....you probably should not enroll in Part B just because you are able to. It will most likely provide no benefit on top of the group and you will be paying somewhere at least $130 or more per month for the Part B and your guarantee enrollment period is lost.
I am not a big fan of the Medicare Advantage Plans. But many like them. They do offer some little trinkets of dental, vision and maybe hearing that is not under traditional Medicare and lower premium. However they have a network and if you travel you best look at their rules on out of network. If HMO you for certain best be pleased with the rules and the network. You also have copays and out of pockets on it that in our state can be as high as $6,700 per month. But they do have lower premium and are better than nothing for they do cap you limit of liability and Medicare itself does not with Part B, there is no cap to the 20% you are liable for.
As to Medicare Supplement plans (there are three states this does not apply to, Massachusetts, Minnesota and Wisconsin, they have their own plan designs) I prefer Plan G for the pricing and coverage. Also check on nontobacco rates and household discounts. Household discounts may not be in your state but in some states a company will give you a lower price if your spouse or such has coverage with them or if you live with another adult of a certain age. There is reason for this as a person living with another responsible adult normally lives a healthier life style.
Medicare Supplement plans travel very very very well. Nothin travels any better. You are not in a network, you do not have to get a referral and you have no limit on number of visits and you may wonder why Medicare is in financial trouble. You could get on the road and stop at every hospital and see ER doc and with a Plan F probably have nothing to pay period. Plan G would have to pay the Part B deductible which for 2018 is $183 for the year.
there is lot more that could have been in here but have covered I hope the by far most common areas I see confusion. I do not mind trying to help any one but will tell right now will not be on computer next week, first week of April. In my office we work hard to know these laws and what can be done and who does what. Many agents do not and not finding fault. Health insurance has become a very changing and moving industry and it is not easy. Had BC rep in office today and I asked him to me a couple of simple questions and he said, I do not know. But will ask and get the answer to you. We hit that often.
KT
https://hotair.com/archives/2018/03/27/mcconnell-time-finally-legalize-hemp/
I got offered a running gear off one of my hay customers today, and I've been trying to figure out what model/capacity it is. Sadly, the serial plate has been painted over about 5 times now, so it's impossible to make out too much info, I could see "392" which I assume is part of the serial number (upper number on the plate).
Painted JD green, and the tongue assembly looks similar to the previous JD gears I've seen, but I'm no expert by any means.
5 lug, plain spherical dust covers (not the embossed jd ones)
Any ideas on what it could be?
I am converting all my hay racks to 22' and selling off my 20' and 25' racks. The 25' racks are made by eazy trail on 10 ton running gears and the 20' is home made 2x12 stringers on 8 ton gear. All are in good shape track 35 mph full and 50 mph empty. New 25' easy trail decks are $2800 new, what is a reasonable price to ask?
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/grd/d/20-hay-rack/6541662373.html
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/grd/d/25-hay-rack/6541672069.html
https://chicago.craigslist.org/sox/grd/d/25-hay-rack/6541668447.html
Dennis Hancock, forage specialist with University of Georgia, is conducting an informal survey on hay hauling and handling trends. He's publishing an article on his findings in our May issue of Progressive Forage. If you have a minute, would you help him out by responding to his survey to find out where producers are headed with hay operations?
https://goo.gl/forms/2qChygVi300ReQCf2
(And if you let me know you took the survey, as friends from HayTalk, I'll gladly send you a PF hat.)
Lynn
I have a friend looking for a PTO shaft adapter . It needs to be 1 3/4" 6 spline female to 1 3/8" 6 spline male. Any help will be much appreciated.
How many of you discount on a regular basis?
Stuart
I'm working on replacing two spacers that had the stone-guard holes broken. The outer module and spacer that holds the cutter-bar to the machine came apart by hand. The next module and spacer is kicking my butt. I can not get the module to separate from the spacer. I'm guessing it is the shaft stuck in each module. Would anyone have any advise on how to get them separated.
Thanks,
Hi all, I've been quoted $29.4k for a new Vermeer 504R With Net Wrap. Does this sound like a decent price? If you own or looked at one of these, any information about their going rate would be appreciated. Thanks.
Pretty sad state of affairs all the way around.
https://twosparrowsfarm.com/the-end-of-the-road/
Does anyone know of a distributor for a acid based hay preservative in central Texas?
Thanks for you help. We are trying to grow alfalfa and have found that this may be a must.
Bill
I usually hit it with 100 # pounds per acre in spring and at least that in late summer. I only have small fields so not a big operation.
I've got an alfalfa field that will be 5 years old this year, so it's on the tail end of good production. Going to drill some OG into it this spring, and was talking to my seed guy who advised getting it in the ground before greenup, so the next couple of weeks. Since this is my first time doing a spring overseeding, are there specific factors I should take into account before drilling it in? Soil temp etc? Any gotchas or other tips from people who have done this regularly?
We have been thinking about buying a forage chopper. I have a JD 4640 running at 200 hp with a fresh rebuilt engine. Any idea what the tons per hour would be chopping triticale direct into trucks would be with a JD 3975 chopper.
1. Massey Ferguson 240 2wd, diesel, canopy, front end loader with bucket. 1800hrs. My guess $7,500
2. New Idea manure spreader. Rough, but stored inside and works when parked 1 yr ago: My guess $900
3. Ford 8' sickle bar mower. Looks great stored inside. My Guess $2,000
4. Horse carriage. Stored inside. Looks very good.
5. 2 bottom plow.
Pictures below
Can anyone tell me anything about these? I only want to do 2-3 hundred a year. What size are the bales etc. Good and bad points. Thanks
I've been thinking about making a rolling cart for our shop. I've seen the little ones with drawers and I like the idea of having something more mobile with the most commonly used tools in a more accessible and easy to move unit. While researching I came across this as an idea on instructables.com:
I like how everything is right in front of you and it looks cheap and easy to make. Plus, I think it offers a lot of flexibility as to how you configure it. The last positive I can think of is I am getting old and I don't like bending over if I don't have to and this is a little higher up.
Has anyone built something like this and have any feedback on it?
We have had recurring problems with the knotter clutch disengaging partway through the tying cycle for as long as we have owned this baler. That would be 18 years/35,000 bales. There have been some random incidents that I have seen, but usually I find that something is wrong with the clutch, like worn or broken parts. Late last year, this thing started to really act up, and I haven’t been able to figure out for sure what the problem is, even after pulling the clutch off the baler and inspecting it on the bench. Something I am really wondering about is why the clutch always disengages at the same point in the cycle. If you were viewing the knotter clutch from the left side of the baler, the crank arm for the needles is always near the 1:30 position. This is roughly one third of the way through the cycle, before any of the knotter components have begun to move. Items 3, 21, 23, 24, 25 and 63 have been replaced sometime around 30,000 bales. Many of these parts are NLA. Any insight would be appreciated.
Just wanted to pick y'alls brains on replacing the tires that were destroyed on my baler.
I can go back to the Carlisle Farm Specialist tires that were on it
Wondered if any of you have tried a different tire and like it better?
I didnt really have any problems with them, just wanted to know if someone liked a different tire more than the Carlisle?
I have been looking all winter for some summer pasture for my cows, and finally was able to pick up some. It is only about thirty minutes away, and is meadow with live water. All I have to do is build about 160' of fences and fix the rest of the fences. I was expecting to pay $20 per head per month. I think I got off pretty cheap on this one. I was getting concerned that I was not going to find any; I have seen all kinds of guys looking for pasture on Craigslist.
The guy is also building a new home, and I get to bid on hanging and finishing the drywall, so I may end up with a job out of it as well.
Oh, and that farm I was looking to lease; I decided to stay as far away from that as I can. I talked to the son of the guy that owns it, and he has been trying to farm it. I think is problem is that he does not have the money to do it right; One would think that the owner would set his son up to succeed. When he was talking with me he was willing to go haves on the seed, fertilizer, and spraying; one would think that he would do the same with his son. I think they may have a communication problem; and maybe best if I keep looking for something else.
Hello all. Put up a 60x80 Morton for hay storage. Store small squares on pallets and get along quite well. Used 3/8 minus, ag lime, for the floor. Over time with all the travel in and out with the grapple, the highly traveled area has turned to dust. It can get quite dusty when filling the building. Any ideas on how to get it under control. Concrete is not likely to happen. Thanks
Successful Farming.
Regards, Mike
https://www.agriculture.com/machinery/planting/pricing-out-premium-used-planters
I've got a NH 1075 balewagon that I picked up last year and I put around 40k bales through it with no real issues with the sensors or computer. I got an early cutting of alfalfa this year and I took the machine out to find that it will not stack in auto in any stack pattern. Here what it will and wont do
Will do:
It will complete the E stack pattern with the machine sitting still and the hydraulic engaged while manually tripping the first table.
It will stack will all settings in manual mode
Will not do:
The machine will not retain stack counts for first and second table during use in automatic or manual mode
In auto once the machine loses its stack counts it flips the first table up and proceeds to make a center rail tie (3 tie bales)
It appears that it most commonly happens when I'm driving over bumpy field conditions or when a bale hits the loader hard. I understand that theres a count retainer thats supposed to keep the count for 6 minutes after the key is turned off (my machine has never done this) could that count retainer be bad? If so does it look similar to a starter solenoid? I've checked several times for shorts because the machine did blow the 15 amp hydraulic fuse but cannot find any. Is it safe to assume the computer is good because it will stack it if the machine is not moving? Also looking to see where the computer ground is attached to. Thanks for any help in advance!
Hello folks,
I wrote off my Polaris Sportsman 400 ATV a few days ago (I was carrying a sheep on my lap, stopped to open gate into its paddock, sheep kicked throttle, ran into gate post and bent up front end, importantly no damage to me). So now I am looking at options. I am happy with Polaris, it has the best suspension and my place is rough.
In Australia there is a push by government for farmers to move from ATVs to side by sides for safety reasons. I had a roll bar on my ATV. I need the manoeuvrability of an ATV because I use it to muster sheep and cattle. My other uses for it are general running around: checking the property, spot spraying, fence repairs and so on. The safety benefits of a proper rollover frame are real because my riverbanks are steep and I have a lot of rocks so there is definite risk of rollover. Having said that, I have never come close to a rollover and this is the only time I have damaged it.
I am thinking seriously about a Polaris Ace 570 because it looks to combine the manoeuvrability of an ATV with the safety of a side by side. Best of both worlds. That's the theory, anyway. I plan to get one with power steering to make it easier to drive, both for me and other family members, which means I would need the 570 rather than the 500.
In reviews I have seen, the only real drawback seems to be the rear engine means traction on steep uphills is not as good as a mid-engined ATV. I don't see the lack of a second seat as a problem. On the occasions when I need more capacity I could tow a trailer.
Your thoughts?
Thanks,
Roger
does any one know how many bales i can get roll from 9,840 net warp i have a JD 458 baler 4x5 bale i put 2 1/2 wrap on a bale and with a roll of 11,500 foot net roll to
thanks foots
Came across this ad for some Hay Guard, (I use Harvest Tec 'CropSaver'),
https://thumb.craigslist.org/grd/d/hay-preserative/6520623945.html
is there a difference between the two that I should know about?
If this was frozen, does it lose any potency?
How does it age (deteriorate) over time?
Is the pricing fair?
Any other words of wisdom?
I'm guessing tote is like 250 gallons and I only use 50 to 150 gallons a year,
Larry
We don't sell any hay and all of the hay we put up is used on property. We've been using a 3x3 CIH 8575 and it is a fantastic baler. The problem is I need to use it at another site that is 50 miles away and don't really want to transport it back and forth. So, my solution is buy a couple round balers to bale the 500 acres at home. They are inexpensive and seem to be plentiful. For less than half the cost of a good used 3x3, I can buy 2 good used 5x6 round balers. This would also allow me use the tractors I already have and save me from having to buy a 130 hp tractor that I wouldn't really use the rest of the year. The question I have is, are round balers harder on the hay than large square balers? That is, is there more leaf loss in the process of making round bales vs large square? Thanks
I just sold my New Idea 5209 mower conditioner, wanting to replace with a newer, wider machine. The 5209 mowed very close to the ground. I am wanting to leave more stubble in the field. I have read hay dries better and regrows faster if you cut higher.
I have a New Holland dealer about 30 miles away , with no other dealers that really handle hay equipment any where near. What model mower do I need to accomplish this. I of course want a disc mower, going to stay with conditioning rolls over flail.Any suggestions and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
my new holland hw345 goes into prop failure in reveres. goes foward fine. the header off new but was still doing it with header on. i'am i missing a safty procedure. what could i be doing wrong.
Looking to upgrade hopefully yet this year, have a 1690 coming up for auction, the only thing that throws me is the weird width, 33.5 foot. Would have to cut it back down to thirty foot. Would prefer a 40 footer actually, ditch the marker arms all together and just follow last years planter passes.
Anybody on the site running the 1690’s? Anything to really look for in case I make the drive down to inspect personally?
https://www.auctiontime.com/listings/farm-equipment/auctions/online/23847647/2005-john-deere-1690-ccs?lot=3783&lnds=1
Is it enough?.....not likely.
Regards, Mike
From DTN.
Regards, Mike
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2018/03/12/beefing-barns-become-barndos-2
What length bale spear do you guys recommend for a 3x4 bales. After years of wanting to learn how to weld I am taking a welding course at the community college; I always wanted to take a class when I was working there, and the tuition would have been free. I always had students to oversee, so I could never take the time to take a class. I thought that a bale spear would be a good project for me to build. Since I am not taking the class for a letter grade I just can't see the sense of making a 5" square box. It serves me no purpose; besides I like building things that I can use, and I can't use dumb little box. Of course unless I used it for a paper weight, and I don't really need one.
I was thinking of using the 39" spear, is that going to be to short. The 49" one just seems to long to me.
What is the best GPA rate to get the best results? I'm not talking chemical rate but the whole solution rate, ex. 10,12,20 etc., gallons per acre. I'm going to hit the hay fields next weekend with glyphosate so this is mainly what I am interested in. Been using 20 with so, so results at best, too much water? I've been using 2 quarts glyphosate.
Ok, our current "want to try project" is a self propelled bale wagon. The 1049s are in our $$ range. I've read on here about the high priced tires. Does anyone have a source for the actual replacement tires? Some have replaced them with duals, any specific things that have worked well? All our fields are on the same farm so highway travel isn't an issue.
I've looked online at parts and most seem to still be available or things that could be shop made. Am I missing something there?
Jeff is comfortable running the pull type so the basic bale wagon operation learning curve has been gone around 
Thanks,
Shelia
Looking for a source to purchase this or a very similar style hook as well as parts as needed. Have researched for a while now and have come up empty handed so I am sure I'm missing something. Dealers are not any help, just want to sell whatever they have hanging behind them and the one source I found looked to be an OEM supplier of safety chain as a complete unit but was of no assistant to an individual.
As I have walked the property for the last few years I have identified some wet areas in the pastures. Assuming they were springs I thought about trying to utilize one of them for watering the cattle.
This week I took advantage of the soft ground and snow to locate potential "springs" and came up with some long forgotten tile lines. I can locate the ones I remember growing up but these I knew nothing about. Talked to my uncle and learned that Grandpa started tiling in '49. Thinking of getting excavator in here and get new pipe put on them. Will be paying close attention to the hills and low spots near fields, can only imagine how many more have disappeared in the last 70 years.
This one my sons and I found on a walk couple years ago and told them it was a spring.
This is the one I thought of using as a water source
I am confident there is one near here but out of reach of the loader. Water is running enough it won't freeze.
Found this one while fixing fence. In the side of a hill that is eroding away. Heard running water and investigated. It was running half full at the time. Best running tile I had ever seen. Most of ours is just a gentle flow.
I recently purchased this machine to start my custom baling business with. (Im not planning on doing 10s of thousands of bales a year.) I feel i got a good enough deal on it for $2000 as it has all new belts. My concern is that i wont be able to be competitive with a twine only machine. I am wondering if there is a way to add net wrap to this baler? Also if anyone has anything they could tell me about this machine i would be very appreciative! (problems, common issues, Etc.)
\
Thanks
Hi. I was wondering if someone with some more experience can help me figure out what to do.
So I have a kubota MX5800 and I've been bailing with a NH 311, which works pretty well, but I've been having a bit of trouble looking for suckers - I mean helpers- to put up the hay. So due to this, and because I have a hay hut and net that I like to use round bales with too, I've been thinking about getting a smaller round baler . I think a 4x4 one is pretty much what my limit will be, especially given that I have hills. I know nothing about them, of course, just that the new ones are pretty expensive (understatement of the year). So I'd like to stay under 5k, but could go a little higher. As an end hay user, I like net wrap, but I'm fine with twine because I store the hay inside. I'm also very much into low maintenance/reliability - I have my eye on a 483 New Idea that isn't too much, but I'd love some more input.
Thanks in advance !!
40 acres of pretty level ground (for south central pa, not like real level ground. B and low C slopes). I would like to be able to use my gas 460 in a pinch, but the case 1494 would be the regular power.
Have been reading all different posts and forums, but can not find a good answer.
I am thinking about seeding a 5 acre field around the house with Teff. This field is just for donkeys no hay production. Does anyone have any experience with grazing Teff? Good or bad. I can get Teff grass seed for a fraction of the cost of what they want for Coastal or Tif grass seed. Was hoping to choke out some weeds with the Teff along with spraying, but if it is not a good grazing grass I will not do it. Just curious.
From DTN....it's all about location. I talked with a farmer in Southern Illinois Monday and he said that hay demand was very strong there.
Regards, Mike
https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/article/2018/03/02/tight-supplies-strong-demand-winter
OK, well we made it through the deluge... I mean winter, OK. I planted some winter wheat along some wash places, and it seemed to do a relatively decent job in holding most of the soil in place. I put in 3 different plantings. 20ac of Alfalfa/orchard, 10ac of Timothy, and 40ac of KBG/Orchard. The fields were previous corn/soybean rotation with a single year of Annual rye last summer.
In KY, we have had a ton of moisture all winter. And now, that it is beginning to warm up in the days, my fields are greening up rather nicely. HOWEVER, a lot/most of what I am seeing is Dead Nettle, henbit, and whatnot sprouting. I see some KBG and Orchard grass in the 'latest planted' pasture, and I see that at least some/most of my alfalfa/orchard and Timothy made it through, although I don't know how the stand is really going to look.
My question is... the weeds.
Should I spray these weeds? Is there a 'time' when it would be best? These pastures and hay fields were only planted last fall, but I'd like to keep them as clean as possible. I'm not trying to jump the gun, but neither do I want to ignore something better dealt with now rather than later. I suspect I need to just relax and let things grow and see what actually comes up. I put about $5K worth of seed down last year... I want to do what I can to make it work well.
If I 'should' spray... what would you recommend using on the fields?
Alfalfa/Orchard mix
Timothy straight
Bluegrass/Orchard
Stumbled across this very good collection of warm season grass info from TX A&M.
Regards, Mike
https://foragefax.tamu.edu/files/2017/12/GrassyWeeds_Debbie.pdf
looking at a new holland 740 , whats the bad about these things, and whats the good? it doesnt have new wrap, and i think electric tie dealer tells me its only baled around 3ooo bales it looks good enough belts look a little fuzzy , wondering what the bad is about these.thanks.
AgWeb.
Regards, MIke
https://www.agweb.com/article/the-new-section-199a-deduction-naa-paul-neiffer/
Successful Farming engineman Ray on cavitation. Really good explanation and advice. Ray does a terrific job.
Regards, Mike
https://www.agriculture.com/video/engineman-diesel-cylinder-liner-erosion
Note; I had some issues with the volume in this video and I remedied this by clicking the speaker symbol off and on. I hope yours will work.
Howdy! I've noticed that some parts of the country make round bales and other places make big squares.
Where I live in Texas the only time I see the big square bales is when I am on the interstate and a truck load goes by.
It seems to me that the big squares would be easier for loading; however, what are the advantages and disadvantages
with rounds vs squares? Your views are appreciated. Around where I live it is mostly coastal bermuda hay.
Always, Gene
I have a New Holland 311 Square Baler with string tie knotters. It seems like the knotters aren't tying the knot tight... and they are slipping loose. The knotters are new. I've currently scheduled a local dealer to look it over and adjust them. What I'm interested in is learning how to adjust them myself. I would like to attend some training on this.... if something like this is available. Any thoughts or comments on this? Thanks.
Does anyone have experience tank mixing glyphosate and Prowl H2O? I am wanting to do an application on my coastal field and use the Prowl for pre-emergent and gly to burn down the rye and other stuff that has already come up. Soil temperature is at 55 degrees. The Prowl label is vague on what it can be mixed with.
Bought a 273 Hayliner last year. Baler works great and makes nice bales when I drive straight and turn left away from the pickup. The second I try to make even a slight right turn it starts banging and shears a bolt in the fly wheel. Not sure where to start. Tired of shutting off the baler to make right turns. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I found a Hardi sprayer I'm interested in, but the original PTO diaphragm pump was replaced with a hydraulically driven Ace centrifugal pump. Likely done as a cost savings when the original pump failed. Any drawbacks or advantages to the centrifugal pump?
trying to find out where to buy Evermore Alfalfa seeds. Need approx 1000 lbs.
thank you!
Drovers.
Regards, Mike
https://www.drovers.com/article/mineral-supplementation-changes-when-feeding-distillers-grains
Hi All- just hoping to find out best place to buy bulk Evermore alfalfa seeds. Also looking for BM Orchardgrass seed prices as well. Thankful for any info!
I have an 8 acre piece I plan to seed into hay next month. When I took over the hay ground on the farm 3 years ago it was all in straight alfalfa, straight timothy, and straight brome. All the hay I produce is to be sold. There are two other stands of alfalfa I plan to take out after first cut is taken off so my alfalfa acres are going to shrink for dry hay this season. I'm kicking around trying an alfalfa/orchard mix - on the premise that one or two hay brokers told me it sells well. I've never had any to sell, so not certain about that. Looking for your thoughts on this, and I have the following questions & considerations:
How much difference in yield (tons) could I expect for the season if I switch to a mix vs. straight alfalfa?
Is a mix any easier to dry, or more forgiving in terms of preventing leaf loss?
What ratio do those of you who plant this type of mix typically use?
Thanks!
