Coldest Harvest Ever || 5th Crop Hay Harvest

[@ileenmcminn2062]

I cried when I saw how much was missing the cart. Years ago I was chopping some late hay for my cousin with his Gehl flail chopper and a Dump Chief dump wagon. Same thing a lot was not making it to the wagon. We took the hitch off and built a new one that was a lot shorter. We got almost 100% of the hay. Had to be a little more careful turning but not too bad.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

We weren’t too sad about it this year because hay isn’t worth hardly anything

[@6582rg]

So many things to go wrong. That's got to be frustrating. Wish I lived in Idaho. I'm next door to you in Central Oregon. I like the way people think in your state, if you know what I mean. 👍

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

I hear you. I like it here

[@denisegrosch6940]

I can’t believe y’all are on your 5th hay cutting!! Here in central Texas we get 1 and maybe a thin 2nd cutting if we are extremely lucky. Very impressive!!

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Yeah we get more than even most people around here because we do silage instead of bale.

[@tuberNunya]

There are always two harvests and some years more in Idaho. It is a function of rain. ;)

[@davechristel5408]

Good video. Hate to see all the hay hit the ground, wonder how tight the blower fan paddle clearance to outter band is. If too far, it could lead to lower velocity of the product when going out the spout. But thin crops are hard to blow.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Yeah, we didn’t have any problems until this fifth crop

[@rauldelafuentejr.2376]

Working with Mexican Labor 1.0: as a Mexican American (born 1956) in Weslaco TX (full blooded American, I is) I can give a little bit of advice about hiring these excellent workers from our South. As a Business Ad. Min Graduate (I love Business) I hired them when I started a Parking Lot Maintenace business in 2002 to 2011 (I think totally illegal, oh well). They are excellent workers "par excellence". They tend to like being paid daily in cash after work and will rejoice with a couple of US beers to boot. This will keep them happy. After a while they will want to go back to their beloved land (just like we love the USA land) they adore Mexico. You never know when this will happen (like a storm out of the blue).

[@mattypurcell]

Awesome vid mate, cheers 🍻

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Thanks I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@Really658]

That's what I'm talking about. Good job.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Thanks for watching.

[@larryaswdder2bvvae3taylorc60]

most of the farms i have seen the pole from the wagon to the chopper is much shorter so they loose less

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

It used be shorter but we had to lengthen it because The trucks were hitting it.

[@penndragonharvesting8217]

Wonder in a light crop as that if you should put 5 rows raked into 1, not sure if your rake is capable, looks like you should be able to at least get 3 into 1. If hay isnt worth that much, then it would make sense to catch every bit of silage in a light crop to make it pay for the fuel and labour at least, then again, we're lucky to pull off a 4th cut, let alone a 3rd lol. Cool video, I'll definitely be checking out the rest of your archives!👍

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

I’m glad you enjoyed the video. I have many more. Our rake is only able to rake two rows together. Normally it’s not a problem but fifth crop tends to be extra light.

[@farmguy2400]

I know it's too late, but I'd check paddles clearance of blower on your choppers. I don't know about the Dion's clearance gap, but I believe that on NH FP240's when you drop a nickel and a dime in the blower it's supposed to pick up the nickel and leave the dime behind. Something is clearly not because the silage not even making the front of the box is pathetic.

[@farmguy2400]

Is the chute/spout clean not all gummed up with alfalfa sugar paste? Is the tractor running at 1000-1100 PTO RPM?

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

The paddles probably do need to be adjusted, but also they don’t seem to like the lighter hay especially it’s dry

[@zachashcraft6243]

Well I know those bald eagles have a nest in the trees lining our pasture bout a mile away. 😂 fun watching em.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Nice

[@MiguelRibes]

I live in Brazil and the seagulls and herons seem to emerge from the ground every time we go to work the crops. You arrive at the field and there are none but in a few minutes they appear.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Yeah it’s crazy

[@ManMountainMetals]

Ever get a wild hair and plant some carrots 🥕 with the potatoes 🥔 😋 wonder if it would dig em? 🤣

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Never thought about it I’m not sure the planters would work together.

[@Quarry4x4]

I normally send the birds an email or for some of the older flocks I send them a fax.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Interesting

[@koryleague8833]

We chopped hay after Halloween on year near Jerome. Cold time

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Yeah it’s not great. But it has to be done sometimes.

[@FrankLatham-he4fo]

Go to a darf. Or a wheel rake. Lot less problems

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

We tried that, but it raked all the rocks into it, which is fine if you’re bailing, but not if you’re doing silage

[@chrisgilbert2152]

YET ANOTHER GET INFORMITIVE VIDEO!!

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

I’m glad you enjoyed it. I’ll keep them coming

[@huibzonderland5402]

if you cant blow it in to the high dump, why not side load the trucks?

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

We aren’t set up to do that.

[@sgtmark8844]

? You I thought I heard you say you killed the field with roundup. Then you harvest the hay for cattle feed. Is that safe for use on cattle that will be consumed by humans. Just asking not a greeney by no means

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

The roundup gets washed away and the hay is not affected

[@gkoproske]

You're supposed to put the clip in the hitch pin!

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

It doesn’t come out we’ve done it like that for years

[@bioplus5b]

@@RockyMountainFarmer It goes right until it does not. Many accidents happen because busy people ignore safety. The statistics show that agriculture has the most fatalities in my country.

[@cowboyfinleys2757]

I love Idaho

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Me too

[@joserubalcaba3920]

Do you get the manure from a neighbor

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Yeah my uncle has a dairy

[@michaeladams4168]

Do you chop hay for your cows or someone else cows

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

We sell our hay to a dairy

[@jotk9440]

Silage Or hay?

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

It’s alfalfa hay silage

[@rossnolan2883]

Yea haw 😂😊

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Thanks for the comment

[@twistedshadow5]

If the value of the hay is that low, and the yield was that light, why not just disk it under and save to cost of running those trucks for only half the hay. Well, if you really need that hay for the cattle then I guess it would actually be worth it... It would be interesting to see the financial calculation on the either or of that.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

The dairy needed the hay and paid for the cost to put it up.

[@rauldelafuentejr.2376]

Working with Mexican Labor 1.1: Again, when you hire them, pay them the most you can, not the least you can get away with (the Lord is watching you). They're not stupid, they know the going labor rate and the BOSS who pays generously and will reward the BOSS generously. Again, you get what you pay for. They can see the equipment, houses, barns, & storage places and figure out that you're not poor as they are. If possible, when you hire them, give them food and beers, and ask them right away if they can provide a replacement worker if they leave.

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Well, our laborers come from Mexico with the U2 program and we are required to pay the rate that that program has dictated which is more than most people around here make so they get paid a lot, but they also do a really good job so it’s worth it.

[@andrewdougal2262]

Shorting the draw bar on the wagon 2 feet the Hay would Go in the wagon

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

We had to lengthen it because the trucks kept hitting the chopper

[@TheSlagman0]

Looks like your wasting a third of the hay either by not getting it to the dump wagen or shooting it over the top . I have chopped alot of hay , wet and dry with a pull type chopper and never lost that much material. But it's America to each his own .

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

We are losing more than normal this fifth crop hay doesn’t like to chop very well it’s too light. We never had a problem with any of our other crops. Hay isn’t worth much these days anyway.

[@rwisti11301962]

Those eagles are waiting for you to hit one of them stupid seagulls 😅

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Right they would probably love that

[@rwisti11301962]

@@RockyMountainFarmer I wonder if seagulls taste like chicken....

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

I don’t know if I want to find out

[@nativeindian8672]

Lock nuts work better

[@RockyMountainFarmer]

Yeah they do