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Michigan Hay
Registrace 24. 12. 2014
Information for persons interested in farming. Specialty in hay production and beef cattle. Also a lot of other country living experiences associated with the farming lifestyle. Join me while I do equipment repair, operation, cooking, gardening, hunting, shooting and anything outdoors.
Video
8/10/24 long stretch Baling-making our season 
zhlédnutí 200Před dnem
8/10/24 long stretch Baling-making our season 
8/9/24- 114 acres down-mowing crabgrass Hay
zhlédnutí 182Před dnem
8/9/24- 114 acres down-mowing crabgrass Hay
Michigan crabgrass Hay update - 8/5/24
zhlédnutí 531Před 14 dny
Michigan crabgrass Hay update - 8/5/24
First Cutting, Brighton Michigan July 28, 2024
zhlédnutí 1,1KPřed 21 dnem
We baled over 100 square bales on Maxfield Road. All went well until the baler twine had a break. It took about 20 minutes to get back to baling.
Plunger Speed, chute Wedges, Bale Shape
zhlédnutí 2,2KPřed 21 dnem
Plunger Speed, chute Wedges, Bale Shape
7/19/24 2nd alfalfa no go but more first.
zhlédnutí 269Před měsícem
7/19/24 2nd alfalfa no go but more first.
July 16, 2024, cutting some hay after a long hiatus 
zhlédnutí 209Před měsícem
July 16, 2024, cutting some hay after a long hiatus 
Searching for calf drops in the brush
zhlédnutí 128Před měsícem
Searching for calf drops in the brush
Third grade Ag awareness day at the fairgrounds 2024.
zhlédnutí 76Před 2 měsíci
Third grade Ag awareness day at the fairgrounds 2024.
Swan Fight - trumpeters versus mute 
zhlédnutí 107Před 4 měsíci
Swan Fight - trumpeters versus mute 
Detroit Free Press March 22, 2024 urban sprawl - Livingston County politics 
zhlédnutí 189Před 4 měsíci
Detroit Free Press March 22, 2024 urban sprawl - Livingston County politics 
Hauling Bull to the Processor and Hay to a Client
zhlédnutí 311Před 6 měsíci
Hauling Bull to the Processor and Hay to a Client
I remember unloading Heston bales with a Kubota b2710 that was scary but she did it
That's impressive
I had one had the plastic collar had trouble with it, I had to get a new shafe the clutch mess up. I told the dealer get me one with the old slide pin, he told me the new ones are metal and better. Well there not, it's stuck on pto now. I've spray wd 40, pecked on shuck it, moved it back and forward and no luck yet. I've done all this before then wait a while walk up to it and it came right off.
Coyotes are thick around here. Can't say as I have ever lost a calf though. At the same time they know to stay 200+ yds away ;)
The method that I calf kind of remotely unsupervised set me up for greater chances of predation
Looking good Ray! We stay in perpetual drought down our way and that regrowth certainly makes me envious! We have a saying that summer rains can either make you a hero or a zero. Awesome that the cows clean up the woods for you!
I remember you saying that yeah this summer it’s easier look like a hero up here because we’re getting a lot of rain
Never knew cows would eat skunk cabbage... Maybe that's why we don't have any here at home anymore 🤔 Regrowth looks good!! Dang grass thieves, always stealing the best parts of the pasture..lol..
Re-Growth on the pastuer is looking nice! Hows second cut on the grass looking?
Second cutting grass is kind of coming in slow. It’s surprises me, considering all the moisture we have had in a normal year, however though second cutting grass doesn’t really start growing until about now.
@michiganhay7844 Noticed the same thing this year. Second crop grass is definitely stunted. . . .
I have seen cattle eat poison ivy and poisonwood! Around here their favorite was elephant grass and that really improved the taste of their meat! It's got to be a good year if you are baling that much hay. That must be the best time of the year to visit.
This would be the best time here to visit if you really wanted to see a lot of action and be busy
@@michiganhay7844 That's what I like! I am a person who hates to sit still!
Never heard of skunk cabbage. That was a good effort trying to get out of school lol
I had big ambitions as a youngsters
Who woulda thunk they’d eat it with all that grass and 900 bales in a week is a lot of bales. Hope you have a bless day and weekend Ray.
Thanks, Tony you probably haven’t seen skunk cabbage since you were a kid in Michigan
Have to carry a longer reaching lead slinger.
I got a lot bigger fire stick in the truck now
Even down here coyotes can be a problem, except they usually eat pets like small dogs. My ducks were driven into hiding by raccoons and I had to trap and move three of them. Can't really shoot any guns around here without 5 cop cars coming. I love how it looks like you are moving bales from the field with the Bobcat, that's where I wish I was working!
Hey Rick, wish I could show more bobcat work but it’s impossible to film driving that thing
@@michiganhay7844 You are right, it's a rough ride. One day I hope to see it in person and then you can make videos to see how I do!
Everyone here has donkeys with their herds, they will attack the coyotes for some reason. Thanks for explaining the tarps, I was wondering about that . Take care and have a blessed day Ray.
Hey Tony , I was strongly considering a donkey
You should keep a bang stick in the pickup.. hopefully your cows will get him if he's an issue.. Been years ago, but the neighbors had coyotes come in the barn at calving.. in a week, they are 2 calves out of the cows while giving birth. They eat a lot of the cows hind quarters too.. leaving the cows alive, but they can't get up and won't survive.. Hopefully you don't lose any!!
Wow, that’s pretty bad attacking full grown cows yeah maybe I gotta get me one of those 17s like you carry around with you
@@michiganhay7844 they were going for the calves as they were coming out of the cow.. at a point the cow couldn't get up fast enough..
@@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin same thing happened to one guy that I know he used to have an area in early spring. He would calve out in the woods and he had to stop.sa
Love the sound of your JD raking. I grew up with a B raking and hauling wagons. That ole girl would lug down going up a hill but never die. Wolves have thinned the coyote population here. Haven’t heard yipping and howling all summer. Just bought my first pair of Thorougoods. Love them!
Bale yard is coming together! You ever try them fancy Protexia tarps?
I’ve tried some actual production, Hay tarps and they are waste of money. They’re really heavy. They really don’t last any longer than just the six mill bunker covers and none of them really have a provision to have coverage on the ground. You’re still usually just stacking on the ground, probably work better way out west and dry, interior desert type climate.
Gotta love those Olivers humming along
JD but I used to have a couple Olivers
Getting it done 👍 Good night for the coyote hunter!! Beautiful sunset too!!
You sure have been active lately! Great to see the Bobcat out in the field! My boots never get wet inside unless I get in water. Despite our hot weather my feet never get hot. I spent the day doing electrical work, bending conduit and pulling wires. Wish is would cool off but I know it never will.
I pulled a big wad of that sedge in just as the twine arms dropped today and it made a weird noise and I thought oh boy here we go, but everything worked out. Does that tarp setup work good? I am never going to have a place to put all my rounds inside but I'd like to find a way to keep them in better shape.
For us, tarps are ok for temporary.. but over winter, may as well not tarp, as the loss is 80-100% either way..
@@GosselinFarmsEdGosselin There are some advantages to being frozen solid from November to April I guess.
@@farawayfarm2520 yes! But even there, a roof would make a difference. Most of Eastern Oregon and Washington used to stack outside. Deal with the loss.. then they started building roofs.. only takes a few years for the roof to pay for itself.
If I tarp them correctly and they are on a high and dry spot, it comes out just like barn stored hay. There’s a special way I’m doing it however, do you see how I’m putting plastic on the bottom as well most of your rotten humidity under the tarp comes off from the ground, if you really wanna do it, do it right me because it took me years to do it right wrong then yeah it’s not good but I’ve done square bales
Nice stack of hay Ray and my wife wears footie socks and swears by placing her shoes on a boot dryer. Take care and have a blessed week my friend.
You're getting there. Home stretch. 👍🙂
No money bricks? Awesome video!
Money rollS. I said the hell with it we needed to cover some ground doing the square bales really does slow us down.
Doesn't look like you are having issues cutting is it sickel mower or rotary?
Getting it done 👍😎
Great job! How much first cutting do you have left to do? It looks like more days of dry weather ahead.
Well, I cut 130 acres and I still got probably about 30 more acres of First cutting after this
A great hay day
Getting it done and bringing it in!
Fine looking hay. I’ve heard guys baling big bluestem and grama grass southwest MN, native plants on the big prairie. Bison like it. The stuff we call hay is probably considered invasive😅. 114 acres is intense work if you’re baling alone. I’m happy with 40!
Great looking stuff. How do you keep the johnson grass out of those fields?
Don’t really have any in this area. It’s not an issue this far north.
Looks nice and green.
Getting any hay mow yet
@@michiganhay7844 Yes sir, getting it done.
Man you got some grass I’ve never heard of but keep up the good work Ray and hope you have a blessed weekend my friend.
Hey Tony, hope you guys are enjoying your new Homestead. Excited to see some upcoming videos getting back out into the country.
Hammer down Ray! We unhooked the cutters tonight with 107 acres down. Was gonna drop another 90 but hoping to get the rye harvest and bale the straw. 5.8 inches of rain last 6 days and more coming Tuesday.
Yeah, I figured you really had the hammer down. You must be going like nuts. You got the ability to bail. A lot of hate at one time.
A good few days. That crabgrass looks really thick
Doesn’t that Foxtel kind of look like the German millet you were doing except just a little bit thinner
The German millet I planted gets a really big head like a cattail
@@AgWildNebraska looked a lot more coarse this stuff is the green and giant Foxtail that everybody hates because it gets into the wheat corn and beans but makes great Forage if you cut it green
@@michiganhay7844 but it's not good for horses right?
@@AgWildNebraska only because there are some instances supposedly of the seeds getting caught in horses, gums and causing inflammation in the mouth. They’ll tell you the same thing about cattle as well but then there’s something they call Foxtail in the west like California that is not related, but it’s just a common name that actually gets an animals eyes and causes serious issues because of the seeds.
Looks like it will all make fine hay. There's a Pheasant farm up here that grows Big Bluestem for bitd cover. I've been wondering how it would do for hay.
Actually, the farm I was on as a pheasant hunting farm and I think that’s why they got that big blue stem. I don’t think it generally makes very good. Hay looks pretty coarse and it doesn’t do well to repetitive mowing and grazing from what I understand. Pheasants that far north huh? I can’t imagine you actually have any wild pheasant that survived the winter up there do you Almost extinct the 77 blizzard is took them out
@@michiganhay7844 No wild pheasants here. They have to grow there own. On a mild winter like last year some that escape do make it.
Looks good Ray!! We've got places the 💩 annuals have taken over. Gotta get them worked up and replanted... Makes me shutter every time you mention Italian rye grass.. a few guys grew it for seed 10-15 years ago.. they've been fighting it ever since.. one guy found that if he plants gulf annual ryegrass, it will crowd out the Italian.. but then hes selling contaminated seed..
Do cows eat it
Gamagrass is commonly found along roadsides around here. The only place around me that still has any wild grasses is under the powerlines. i have been thinking of making a video to see if any of the remnants of the old pasture grasses still exist.
Yeah, I think it be a cool video about if you did something in your area with the displacement of small farms and meat production in the area and now what people are used to seeing is processed and fast food carbohydrate model there’s a lot to talk about there
@@michiganhay7844 Yes I wish I had more pictures of what we had. I always looked forward to visiting our farm friends because they had all the fun equipment, animals and the great stories from the old days. Even in our suburbs we had small farms, plant nurseries and every yard had fruit trees and some vegetable gardens. Now people get doordash and Uber eats!
If it has a few legumes…excellent hay🙂. Gama can get real tough 😉. That’ll work the mower.
Hey Jack, Yeah, that’s what a couple other people had said as well
Man that calf looks like it high strung. Well Ray It happened, I finally started cutting hay. Have a great week.
She still raises a nice looking calf. 9 days of good weather. 😳 You must be living right. 👍
Just got in cut 45 acres today probably gonna cut another 40 tomorrow. I’ll be all caught up if the weather holds up good way to go to fall.
Awesome!
Your herd is part of the ecosystem. makes me miss when we had cattle around here The oldest I remember was a 20 year old bull who would hide for days then reappear. never knew cows could live almost that long and still make calves!
Yeah, the keyword Rick is that ecosystem. You must know a little bit of body ecology but yes, there’s some smarts and some of these cattle. She’s had bull calves the last three years and generally want to keep the heifers if she has them to pass those genetic 20 years old for a bowl that’s really oldballs don’t last very long
@@michiganhay7844 I have no idea how his bull lasted so long he dropped dead shortly after turning 20. He wasn't an aggressive bull either. Became more of a pet than anything. Many people don't realize that small farmers and ranchers sometimes keep a few of the herd long term, they are almost like pets. I know that bull was a top breeder but somehow he got old and was just put out to pasture.
Good to see you found the old lady!! And her calf! Little chilly this morning.. 47 to start the day.. heading for 90-100 this afternoon...
Oh, you are getting cold
@@michiganhay7844 lol.. first 100° spell in the spring, mornings were 36-42... UHG
Great save! She’s a survivor. Super Grandma Cow rules!
Sure, Does Dave
I have a couple of fields wet with low organic matter. I wonder if crabgrass would work.
Probably have to wait until about mid June up there to plant it. It’s gotta be hot. I suppose it will grow in wet areas. Nice thing is it’s a short day crap so could wait till a field dries out Midsomer to put it in.
It's amazing how your pasture in the summer looks like what we used to have year round here. Crabgrass would naturally grow on fields of coral rock and sand. Cattle loved to graze crabgrass but I never saw anyone make hay from it. The amount of seeds is incredible. Cattle used to hide out in the elephant grass and under Brazilian pepper trees here. believe it or not we have coyotes coming into the suburbs here, and even near the city!
It’s amazing what suburbia you live in now and you talk about growing up on all these farms. It’s just sad that those farms must’ve disappeared really fast.. yeah I might sound like a broken record about this crabgrass but like you said the stuff just grows anywhere it’s like a miracle Forage
@@michiganhay7844 The drug money of the 1980's really turbocharged development. People used to laugh at how our area was the boondocks and living with horses. There us still a tiny part of horse country west of me, and there was one east and it became Mc Mansions especially in the last 15 years. That used to be fish farms, landscape nurseries and tiny homes with homesteaders. I need to make a video about the history of the area as soon as I can figure out how to get my computer to cooperate.
@@chargermopar that would be a good video how much of that Miami Vice stuff was true did he get that crazy down in Miami?
@@michiganhay7844 When I was a kid there was a shootout at the mall we went to (Dadeland). We had a neighbor who got into a shootout with police who were raiding their drug operation. There was also an explosion that damaged a friend;s family home not that far from here because the drug dealer rigged everything to explode. There were a lot of exotic cars in Miami in the 1980's.
So will that stuff re seed itself for next year? I imagine it'd probably be patchy. I had a slow calf that I couldn't find for a couple weeks I figured it was dead. The grass was so tall this year you could find him unless you practically stepped on him. I found him when I was driving around on the gator spot spring and some thistles better than ever.
Well good maybe there’s hope I find that old cow. I’ve got a field from last year that I put in the crabgrass. Let the seed get ripe before I bailed it it up this spring put in some ryegrass and clover and all the crabgrass came right back up, so yeah that’s the beauty of it. If you let it go to seed it’ll come up the next year. I think the stuff I show in the video. I don’t think the seeds ripe yet,
Looks good, bale it.
Crabgrass looks good! I don't know of any around here.. never seen it, to the best of my knowledge anyway. Dang coyotes!! Hopefully you find the cow!
Thanks, Ed. I’ve already got a Coyote Hunter out.
I've never seen or heard of crabgrass grown around here. Looks like it could be a good thing in places, like the second little field I cut yesterday.
I think you could get it grow up there, grows everywhere.
@@michiganhay7844 I bet it would do fine. I'll have to do a little research.