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Few things are as upsetting in the world of hay production as a surprise rain shower or pop-up thunderstorm once your hay has been cut. While a brief sprinkling rain soon after the hay has been cut may not be cause for concern, downpours once the hay has partially or completely dried can be devastating if you’re not prepared. First, let’s discuss the problems created by rainfall on cut hay. Quality loss is the most concerning issue surrounding rained-on hay. Rainfall leaches sugars out of plan …

The month of January may seem like a strange time to discuss the best time to cut hay, but why not use the slow winter months to prepare for a great baling season? Once the grass starts growing, you’ll need to be ready to spring into action! A haying season is divided up by its cuttings. In the northern regions of the US and Canada where the summer season is shorter, farmers aim for 2 cuttings a season. The middle regions aim for 3 while the southern regions might manage 4 or more in a good yea …

With winter approaching, it is time to remind of our customers of the importance of machinery maintenance. Now that the hectic harvest season is coming to an end, more time can be found to clean and service machinery. Then, once spring rolls around again your machinery will be in tip-top condition and ready to use. Below is a list of winterizing tasks for balers, mowers, and rakes. We’ve also provided a handy pdf version that can be printed off and taken to the equipment shed with you:  …

Here at Tractor Tools Direct, we specialize in selling hay-baling equipment not only to small-farm operators who have been haying for years, but also to those just making the jump to haying independence. Therefore, we’d like to cover some of the basics in hay choices and their uses. For those customers who have been haying for years, it can serve as a refresher, but for those new to the adventure, hopefully it can answer some questions they might not have even realized they needed to ask! …

“How much hay can I expect to get from my ‘x’ number of acres?” One of the most frequent questions we hear from our customers who are considering making the jump to haying independence is, “How much hay can I expect to get from my ‘x’ number of acres?” While we wish there were an easy answer to this question, there just isn’t. Unfortunately, the calculation of hay yields depends upon so many varying factors, that a single answer is just not possible to provide. Even an avera …