Swathing barley and oats (like the old days)

We take an extra step in harvesting our small grain by cutting it with a swather and letting oats, barley and straw dry for a couple of days before combining it. Take a look at our classic Versatile 400 swather in action!

[@tyerock7851]

Love that 400 versatile!

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

It still works but it's a handful to operate and has some significant wear. I'm looking for something a little newer for next year.

[@tyerock7851]

@@Rollinghillsfarmsmn international 4000 we’re good machines too if you can find one for a decent deal

[@farawayfarm2520]

It's looking good. I've never swathed grain either.

[@brycewiborg8095]

We used a IH pull type swather on oats. I didn't know anyone still did that. Thank you.

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

Glad you found this video. I’d love to find a reasonably-priced pull type swather to replace my aging Versatile. We used a swather as a kid for oats for the same reason I need it now…drying grain with sun rather than gas…harvesting weedy straw without spraying and picking up lodged grain. The reduced stress on my old combine is a side benefit since I don’t jam slugs of wet material through my cylinder like we did straight cutting.

[@brycewiborg8095]

@Rolling Hills Farms-MN I think Dad's IH combine had a 8 foot header, but the 12 foot swather made the combine do a better job. That was in Sibley County.

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

We have always direct cut grains here.. grass, clover, vetch, all get swathed. Although, I can see some definite advantages

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

Wish we could. Just too hard to dry it down so you either clip the tops off and go back to mow straw or you swath like we do. Here the straw is as valuable as the grain.

[@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin]

@@Rollinghillsfarmsmn yellow gold... Price of straw this year is the same that good grass hay was a couple of years ago.

[@azvildar71]

👍🤝

[@jerrycybulsky6756]

Had a massey ferguson 36 talk about a nightmare

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

It’s like running an old-time snowmobile. Ride for an hour, fix for two🙄

[@jaycool7805]

👍👍

[@RTH1207]

🙂👍🇧🇻

[@pinesedgefarm1155]

That looks like a nice stand of barley. What do you do with the grain? Always interesting how each company gets the power where they need it. We used to have a Massey Ferguson and now have a MacDon. Lots of Versatiles around yet.

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

We’ll mix with oats and have the local mill bring it back for feed. Extra oats can be sold. This Versatile is pretty worn. I’ve been looking at a John Deere 800. Like the dual rear wheel but don’t know much about them.

[@pinesedgefarm1155]

@@Rollinghillsfarmsmn I think they were pretty good.

[@e.a.bfarms]

Was the grain to wet for direct cut? Only time people swath around me is when grain isn't drying down. People have even started spraying before harvest to kill it and dry it down.

[@Rollinghillsfarmsmn]

Hard to straight cut here because of the cool nights. You end up with damp grain and get slugs of weeds through the combine and I don’t need the extra wear on my old JD 4400. This gives me dry grain and clean straw in one pass.

[@leonardobatistarocha7956]

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