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…