Any Money In Hay ???

I have the equipment (55 horse tractor, plow, and disc) to rip the trees out and plant the 20 acres with hay but do not have any haying equipment. Haying equipment comes up very often at auctions in my area so getting equipment would not be an issue. I was not raised on this farm and have no experience farming. Would you recommend cutting / bailing for an amateur like myself??? I do have a friend in Southern Ohio that bales about 100 acres worth of ground so I could learn the tricks of the trade from him if need be. In the area that I live there are allot of horse, sheep and goat farms so I would not think I would have a hard time selling good_quality hay but I would need to research that more also.

Thanks,

Scott

P.S. I realize that this would be weekend work and not a full time job. I am looking for a way to make some money on the side and keep my property within CAUV.

• Hobby farm

My neighbor raises goats and he says that he is paying a 3$ a bale for 1st cutting hay ( basically garbage ) and he says that he has been it as high as 5$ - 8$ for second and third cuttings of alfala / timothy mix.

I would be able to irrigate the hay as the previous owner drilled a well for the orchard and there are lines running out in the field. :-) Also my weekends are 4 days long and my vacation time is pretty generous at my full time job.

My wife would rather but our whole property ( 40 acres ) in CRP so I might take the easy route.

Thanks again,

Scott

Thanks,

Scott