Blog
Hidden Gold: Cutting Hay in Waterways for High-Nutrient Forage
On many small farms, waterways, buffer strips, and other marginal areas are often overlooked. They may be too narrow or damp for row crops. But with the right approach these spaces can produce surprisingly nutrient-rich hay–especially valuable for cattle. With proper timing and compact equipment from Tractor Tools Direct, turning these areas into productive forage zones is both smart and sustainable. Why Waterway Hay is Worth the Effort Hay grown in waterways tends to be hig
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Jul 25th 2025
In-Season Equipment Maintenance
As the old adage claims, prevention is worth a pound of cure. More applicably, in the world of hay production, prevention is worth pounds of curing hay--and the best way to prevent problems in the hay field is through regular maintenance of your equipment.
Several of our previous blogs have discussed maintenance to
prepare for the hay season and maintenance to close out the hay season. This blog will provide a check list of maintenance that should be performed each time your equipment is us
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Aug 1st 2021
The Raking Process
Over the past few months we have been covering the basics of hay production. We have already discussed
mowing and tedding. In this blog we will discuss the raking process.
Once your fields have cured, it’s time to rake. Though by this point in the process your sights are set on a field full of sweet-smelling bales, raking should never be overlooked in its importance to the final product. Raking done well can increase the quality of a bale while raking done poorly will surely decrease it.
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Jul 1st 2021