Hay & Feed
Bale First Cutting a Little Too Green and the Stack Heats Itself, Sometimes Hot Enough to Burn
Hay put up above 18 to 20 percent moisture keeps working after it leaves the field. Sometimes it just molds and loses…
Montana Ranching
Fire Season Starts in the Dry Grass, and the Plan You Don’t Have in June Is the One You Need in August
Cheatgrass cures early and grass fires move fast on a Montana afternoon. A little work in June — clearing fuel, prepping equipment,…
Farm Equipment
Get the Swather and Baler Ready Now, Because the Breakdown at 8 O’Clock on a Cutting Day Is the One That Costs You a Windrow
A rundown on prepping your haying string before first cutting hits full swing in Montana — sickle sections, knotters, bearings, and the…
Hay & Feed
The First Cutting You Leave Standing for Tonnage Loses the Protein You’ll Buy Back in a Sack Come Winter
Waiting an extra week to cut first-cutting alfalfa or grass hay buys you tonnage and costs you feed value. Here's how to…
Hay & Feed
Cut Your First-Cutting Alfalfa at Bud Stage, Because Every Day It Blooms Trades Leaf for Stem
First cutting sets the tone for your whole hay year. Waiting for more tonnage costs you protein, and cutting too short costs…
Hay & Feed
Bale Your First Cutting Too Green and the Stack Heats Until It Cooks—or Catches Fire
Wet hay doesn't just mold. Bales put up above safe moisture can heat past 150 degrees, lose feed value, and in a…
Farm Equipment
A Worn Bearing and a Dry Windrow Are All It Takes to Lose the Swather and Half the Field
Most haying-season fires don't start with lightning. They start with a hot bearing, a chaff-packed engine, or a rock and a sickle…
Hay & Feed
Bale That First Cutting Too Wet and the Stack Will Heat Until It Smokes
Hay put up a few points too green keeps working after it leaves the field. Learn to read moisture, stack for airflow,…
Hay & Feed
Cut the First Cutting at Early Bloom, or You’re Trading Protein for Tonnage You Don’t Need
Waiting on the alfalfa to bulk up feels like the smart play, but every day past early bloom pulls protein and energy…
Farm Equipment
Go Through the Haying Equipment Now, Because a Broken-Down Swather in a Weather Window Costs You the Cutting
First cutting waits on nobody. A weekend spent servicing the swather, baler, and rake before you drop the sickle keeps a good…
Hay & Feed
Cutting Hay a Week Late Costs You More Feed Value Than the Extra Tonnage Is Worth
Waiting for the swather to fill the windrow buys you bulk, but the protein and energy are already walking out of the…
Farm Equipment
Blow the Chaff Off the Swather Before It Lights the Field on Fire
Haying equipment starts more range fires than most people think. A little grease, an air hose, and a fire extinguisher on the…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and the Stack Cooks Itself From the Inside
Hay that goes in the stack a few points too wet heats, molds, loses feed value, and in a bad year lights…
Hay & Feed
Cut It at the Boot, Not When You Get Around to It: Timing First-Cutting Hay
Every day you wait past the boot stage, your grass hay loses protein and gains stem. Here's how to read the crop…
Montana Ranching
Keep a Shovel and a Full Tank Behind You: Fire Season Starts in the Hayfield
Most ranch fires in Montana don't start with lightning — they start with hot equipment in dry grass. A little prep in…
Farm Equipment
Grease It Before It Grinds: Getting Your Hay Equipment Ready Before the First Windrow
A day spent in the shop before first cutting beats a day broke down in the field with a storm building. Here's…
Hay & Feed
Bale It Too Wet and It’ll Cook: Watching Moisture on the First Cutting
Hay put up a little green feels like a win in a short weather window, but bales stacked too wet heat, mold,…
Farm Equipment
Don’t Let a $4 Bearing Cost You a Cutting: Keeping Hay Equipment Running
First cutting is no time to be hunting parts in town. A few habits around the swather and baler keep you in…
Hay & Feed
First-Cutting Hay: Cut at the Right Stage, Then Beat the Weather
Putting up good first-cutting hay in Montana comes down to two fights — cutting at the right maturity and getting it dry…