olgentdc
Well-known Member
Hi Rich , I concur with all your thoughts concerning hay making , Round Bales will not bring the money in to a FARM GROUP of working men like square bales will . , I think what really matters here is the marketable value of Rounds vs. Squares ,, Fuel., Food, wages ,twine load out time included to balance the entire table . I think there is far more money in squares for the whole neighborhood team . Give Me a good willin Work Crew that enjoys haymaking and one another I can make real money out of 100 acres of square bales and THEY WOULD BE PAID WELL AND FED Good , too. Flip side in 2024 ,,.. It just dont happen like it did in 1989 ,,. We square baled over 6000 bales of wheat straw and stacked 1800 along a gravel road wrapped in a tarp with the nearest house a mile away , The rest went on Semi trailers for 1.50 per bale right out of field .. All Those guys went on to raise good familys , Work a good job and pay their taxes and never went to jail . In 2024 . You need 3.00 per bale to even consider viable straight out of the field ,../ The sq. bale mkt of blowing straw has evaporated here . Today , Those 1800 bales along the gravel road would not last a month before the fire Dept gets called out ,,. In 1989 they were loaded out Dec. 1989. I could find 3 good willing Guys but not 6 today that would show up every day for 6 days . The 1st day someone would get butthurt and quit after a half day , The next day I would be needing 2 new guys. 1 for the guy that quit and another because one did not show up .i would need a revolving door for new workers ,,. And , Not to mention the cash flow needed to pay off bad help each day ,,. My guys back in the day would work for half pay till i sold something or til school started then , It was a easy way to do profit sharing I paid the other half plus 20 dollars per hundred that was logged on the books,.. This was a pay system I learned from a prominant hog farmer that taught Me alot , Especially the evils of 20 % in 1980 . Everyone , had a choice of pay , weekly or bank book ... a couple guys would stick with it each yr. and buy their 1st car when they got their License.. In those days i rode 2 horses and I had FARM help and Home improvement help . Most of the Guys that went to work with Me driving nails started out driving Cows and tractors and feeding hoggs My wife laughed when one of the Guys i flexed on to the jobs exclaimed " You mean I get full Pay this week ? " . Golly back in the day ,,. A lot of U S A ,just LOved to Work , And I was as committed to the cause as anyone
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