I' m done.

Off to the auction this morning. I'm officially out of the hay business. It was a good run but it's time to quit.

Memories about putting up/selling/delivering/feeding can make you break out in a sweat!!! be careful. Jim

Well...I got in a little deeper with the purchase of a lot newer baler than I was using. Looking forward to baling hay this year.
Dealing with buyers is no fun.

I had the CaseIH version of this baler, you will enjoy it. Does it come with the net wrap option? Once I started using the net, I never went back to twine

Charlie,

I raised Angus cattle and calves for about 20 years. I baled, fed out, and sold about 1500 to 2000 small square bales each year. A couple of years ago I decided that I was too dang old to be messing with cattle so I sold off my herd. Now I just bale hay and sell it all. What an idiot! I was too old to mess with cows but not too old to buck hay bales? I cut back my hay fields so that I'm only handling 700 to 800 bales per year, but that is really too much even at that.

I hope you find a less demanding thing for your time now.

Tom in TN

I grew up in a family business. Started helpin when I was 11. My dad was a landscaping and excavating contractor, and we had a 40-acre sod farm. He made his living for 35 years with a Ford tractor and box blade. He had a good reputation with all the local contractors for quality work and to this day nobody (including myself) can hold a candle to the skill he had with that machine. He retired in 1983 and I bought him out. He worked 50 years and enjoyed a whole 16 years of retirement. I scaled back the operation and took another job. but still worked 7 days a week for several years. Missed a lot of time with my 2 sons growing up in school functions, ball games, and soccer games chasin the almighty dollar. In 2008 we had a new home market crash and in need of a new cutter the sod operation ceased after 60 years. Labor and material cost played into it too. So as we striped sod crop alfalfa came into play. Got all the hay equipment for the cost of a sod cutter. Plus was mowin 4 times a year verses 4 times a week. Retired from my job in 2010 and had the hay to occupy my time. So I got a local BTO to row crop the farm now and me and momma are gonna enjoy time together and not have to worry about weavels, rain and fuel cost. She has 2 new knees and I got a new pickup. We're gonna work on spendin the kids inheritance.

Great life. enjoy. Jim

good for you Charlie, you and the wife enjoy yourselves, places to go things to see, run the wheels off that truck while you still can

I put in 30 years for the phone company and built my farm for forty years. I raised angus and decided that, at 70, I was getting too creaky to rustle cows, the herd went packing. I still raised corn and hay
through last year. Last winter, I was working on a new project tractor, and decided to rent the farm out this year, do some fishing and hunting and go to more shows with my toys.

Congrats on waking up to reality. Find things to keep yourself busy, and enjoy yourself!!!

I baled 100 tons of hay with New Holland's first prototype belt baler. I didn't care for it, but the new ones work fast. New Holland engineers spent part of 3 summers in the area testing balers and mowers. They also tested new Deeres,Vermeers and Hestons.

I worked full time, had a dozen beef cows, and sold 8K small squares a year. I actually liked it, but when my youngest boy graduated high school I had to give it
up. Good memories with my boys, and they made decent money
Pete

As far as I'm concerned, you are never to young to retire as long as the money works. I was able to
12 years ago at 58 and can't begin to describe how great it has been.

Just to repeat your words, ttown chuck, do all you want to do while you still can, charlie n..... My best friend is in the hospital fighting cancer at the age of 68. Retired from the state at 52, with over 30 years in, and had a dairy farm he bought from his Dad at 45....Sold the cows before he got to age 55, and just row cropped and raised hay. Really hasn't taken any time away....Now he has a bunch of toys he wont be able to play with....