Blog
Haymaking for Horse Owners: What You Need to Know
For horse owners, few things are more important than quality hay. Horses are picky eaters with sensitive digestive systems, and poor-quality forage can lead to health issues, wasted feed, and high replacement costs. If you have the land and equipment, making your own hay can be a smart and rewarding way to ensure consistent, high-quality nutrition for your animals. But it’s not just about cutting grass—it’s about knowing what horses need and using the appropriate tools to g
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Jul 9th 2025
Yes! Cutting Height Matters in Haymaking
When it comes to haymaking, one of the most crucial decisions a farmer or producer must make is the cutting height. The height at which you cut your forage plays a significant role in the overall quality and yield of the hay, as well as the long-term health of the pasture. Below, we’ll explore why cutting height matters, highlighting the benefits of getting it right and the risks of cutting too high or too low. Impact on Forage Quality Cutting height directly influences the nu
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Jul 1st 2025
Weather Watchers: The Role of Weather in Haymaking
When it comes to producing high-quality hay, few factors are more critical—or more unpredictable—than the weather. Rain, temperature, humidity, and wind all directly impact how effectively hay dries in the field. For small-acreage farmers using compact equipment, understanding and planning around weather conditions is essential to protecting your crop and maximizing forage quality. Rain is one of the biggest threats once hay is cut. Moisture during the curing stage halts th
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Jun 24th 2025
Small Farm Success: The Case for DIY Hay Production
At Tractor Tools Direct, we are committed to helping small farm operations achieve haying independence. Our extensive range of commercial-grade, high-quality implements for compact tractors is designed to make hay production not only feasible but also efficient for small-acreage farmers. In this blog post, we’ll explore why it’s a smart move for small farmers to start baling their own hay, empowering them to take control of their haying operations and improve their farm pro
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Jun 16th 2025
Stop Cutting Hay with a Bush Hog or Flail Mower — A Drum Mower Wins Every Time
Here at Tractor Tools Direct we field quite a few phone calls, chats, and emails asking about different types of mowers and their uses, more specifically, asking which type can be used for hay production. This blog will discuss the differences between three types of mowers – drum mowers, which are a fantastic choice for cutting hay, and bush hogs and flail mowers, which are not. However, the latter two definitely have their own important roles on a small farm. A Drum Mo
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Jun 2nd 2025