Baling the last hay of 2023!

Hi all! Sorry for a belated upload here. This is my final batch of hay from the 2023 season, in early October. Two fields of second cut, one field of third - (though all regrowing for just about the same amount of time, so who am I to say what's second vs third growth at this point...)
2023 was one of the most difficult years I’ve ever had, but with the most astounding 6536 bale record. So many farms struggled this year, and my heart goes out to each of them. To wind up with a success feels wildly unfair yet miraculous.
Through it all, I somehow broke my all-time record by 850 bales (my July self would have perished from shock). A total of 6536 bales this year (4139 first cut, 2164 second , 233 third). 50 acres. 75 hay days. 5/14 through 10/4.
May saw the earliest start (5/14!) and the most pre-June bales I’ve ever made.
Then the rain started. June and July were a game of “The floor is lava”, as I moved my hay circus all over town just trying to find dry ground. By July I was having nightmares about never finishing first cut, and even had to pivot to early second cut on drier fields.
I was resigned to a terrible year as we rolled into August, and it took a bit to realize that the weather had shifted. Still a battle to find dry ground, and remaining first cut was comically late, but with a varied acreage base and different soil types and rainfall amounts, I realized being spread out was my biggest asset, even if exhausting. I had options.
Suddenly I had unprecedented second cut yields, and an 8-day stretch into September saw 19 acres and 1360 bales knocked out in a single muti-batch go, finally finishing first cut and making a huge dent in second.
Final second & third cut gleanings finished out the year on fields that had only been regrowing since early August. (By then the second cut was third growth, which solidified that this year was “a haying version of ‘Who’s on First’”.)
2023 was emotional whiplash. I feel beyond lucky, though also proud that I leveraged a lot of elbow grease and never took “it’s too wet” for an answer. Every possible weather window I was out the door early to “don the ole galoshes” and walk fields until I found something dry enough to try.
Thank you to EVERYONE who was so helpful this year - bale helpers, the nicest and most understanding hay customers and land owners, other generous farmers, and of course the cheering section - both local and on this wonderful youtube community I'm now lucky enough to be a part of. I’m beyond grateful.
Thanks for following along!!
~~~
(We are a 53-acre haying operation in Conway, MA - making all small square bales for the local food, fiber, and livestock community. Learn more about our farm at windrowfarmconway.com, or follow us on instagram @windrow.farm)
Equipment List:
Massey Ferguson 275 Tractor
Massey Ferguson 165 Tractor
Massey Ferguson 135 Tractor
Vermeer TM610 disc mower
Vicon RS410T Tedder
New Holland 256 hay rake
Massey Ferguson 124 baler (with New Holland 70 bale thrower)
Four kicker wagons
Delmhorst FX-2000 Hay Moisture Meter
Sundown Fertilizer Spreader

[@HumbleHaymakers]

Excellent! The old MF tractors and baler still delivering the mail…👍

[@windrowfarm]

Thanks! Really lucked out on equipment holding itself together this year (jinx alert) - was challenging in enough other ways, I’m grateful for the good fortune. Hope all wrapped and winterized for you smoothly!

[@presidentialviewfarm]

I enjoyed watching your hay video and making me wish I was out doing it now instead of looking at the snow! 😂

[@windrowfarm]

Thanks so much! Same here re: winter (thankfully what snow we got so far has melted - I’m definitely not ready).

[@rickkearn7100]

Great post! Kudos getting decent yield on third cut. I grew up in the same environment, all farms, rural, every family knew the others, we all looked out for one another. All gone now, bulldozed away and McMansions built where the 300 year old loam used to be. I envy you sir. I certainly enjoyed your posts this season. Top shelf. Cheers.

[@windrowfarm]

Thanks so much! I know that feeling, land lost to development all the time here too. Where abouts did you grow up?

[@rickkearn7100]

Andover, MA @@windrowfarm

[@richkramer2777]

the pump needs a seal kit and so you know there is a screen in your lift pump probably needs to be cleaned . when it's dirty it makes the injector pump pull for it's fuel.

[@windrowfarm]

Oh, thanks! I didn't know about the screen, I'll make sure to look at / replace that this spring too. Someone else pointed me toward the seal kit for the injector pump too, so it's helpful to have that corroborated. I appreciate it!

[@richkramer2777]

those massey tractors are great haying tractors but you need a massey 398 or 399 4x4 to.

[@windrowfarm]

@@richkramer2777 oh I wouldn’t say no to one! The last major dairy in town has a pair of 399’s, one is 4x4 with a cab and I think well over 10,000 hours. Although for what I’m doing, the 275 has plenty of power (and the 165 isn’t too far behind it). I can pull the baler train up/down all of the hills, and knock on wood I haven’t gotten a tractor stuck yet…

[@richkramer2777]

there should be a shut off on the bottom of the fuel tank.

[@windrowfarm]

Yep, there is - but while using it like that I didn’t want to risk getting air in the line if I shut the fuel off completely. And I did determine it’s only when the tractor has been run recently. Sitting for long periods it doesn’t leak. Thanks!

[@kcphillips1000]

Why do you swing the camera about so much , it makes it difficult to focus on what you are doing .

[@windrowfarm]

Yeah, that got pretty bad again on this one, sorry about that. It happens when I’m scrambling and tired, which definitely gets worse at the end of the season. Some times are better than others for being careful about it. Though at the end of the day, this is just a hay journal for me to look back at, so I take remembering to record anything as a win. Thanks for watching, poor camera work and all 😊