Let the Haying Begin

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This week we starting haying, hard. Monday, I ran around raking, finishing up some fields so we could move equipment to a new location. After the raking was done, Wyatt and I loaded up into the pickup and went up on the hill to check hay stack locations. This wind break/stack support sees a lot of tough weather and wind, and two boards gave way and needed to be replaced. We found two replacement boards, removed the old ones, screwed the new ones in and cut to fit. After putting everything away, we unhooked the John Deere 2750 from the square baler and went back to the hill to hook up to the stack wagon to get it ready. After greasing it up, we called it a night.

After a break for the holiday, Wednesday we were back and at ‘em. Claire and I spent most the day working on cattle oilers, replacing filters and fuel lines. That evening I spent time in the swather knocking down hay. Thursday morning, the group of us trudged down to Kevin and Bobbi’s to replace H-braces. We dug post holes, packed dirt, and spun twitches. After the braces were up, Claire and I stretched wires and put the fence back together again. Once the fence was up and tight, we attached the gate and sunk a few staples. After lunch, we ran back to Bobbi’s for a project in the tree line. We were mulching around the new trees to help lock in moisture and keep weeds at bay.

Friday morning, hay wasn’t ready to be baled, so instead we checked off some spraying from the tasks that needed to be done. I sprayed a pasture and reservoir behind Kevin’s to knock down anything that may have rolled in through the creek. No matter how well you spray, the second water runs through a creek, weeds pop up. Moving to the next pasture, Claire and I ran both sides of the creek, killing loads and loads of thistle. This was by far the worst creek I had seen yet. It was almost a constant spray with the booms.

To end the work week, a group of us left the house before 4am to head to Byron’s, Gwen and Gerry’s boy, ranch to dock sheep. The three-ish hour drive to his ranch was worth it though, as it was some of the most amazing views. The red cliffs and buttes were as gorgeous as they were interesting. I learned that The Hole-In-The-Wall, where Butch Kassidy and Sundance the Kid had their hideout, was near the ranch we were helping at. After a long day of docking, we all met at the house and had a good meal and good laughs before heading back to Gwen and Gerry’s.

Submitted by: Jaxon Ondracek
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team