Memorial Day Weekend

 

Saturday I went up to the farm and fed the steers some grain. Dad put new chains on the mini bikes and added oil to them. I got the battery charger out and brought it over to the 584 and plugged it in. I started the 584 and got it hooked up to the tedder fluffer. I went and fluffed the pasture hay field and on my last pass, I had to stop and help my sisters take care of a duck that the haybine caught. I unhooked the tedder and then parked the tractor at the shop. I came home and mom and dad were on their way out to get plants from a greenhouse. I mowed the house yard for a while and when they got back, dad went up to the farm. He put the hay elevator into the barn and got everything ready to put hay up in the mow. Mel went up and helped put the hay on the elevator and dad stacked it up in the barn. I came up after mowing and helped stack 30 bales. Dad unloaded the round bales from the hay wagon and set them out of the way. We got the elevator pushed out of the way and dad backed the round baler up to the barn and let out the round bale that was in it. 

Sunday I got on the mower and started mowing the ditch. I mowed up to the farm and then stopped by the shop, so I could air up the back tire a bit. Instead of continuing my mowing, I got my tractor out and hooked it up to the tedder. I added some gear oil to my tractor and then began to tedder the front field, so it could get some much needed air. The hay just wasn't drying all the way, so fluffing it will make the breeze dry it faster. After I finished, I unhooked it and returned to mowing the sides of the road. Mom and dad and my sisters worked on planting stuff in the garden while I mowed, and then when I got back, dad and I went up to the farm and baled 2 loads off the front field totaling 236 bales. When dad and I came back home, we had a party and cookout with family. It turned out to be a nice evening with a slight breeze and great food. 

Today I went up to the farm and checked on my cows. I threw in some hay and then went to go start the 584 with the battery charger, but it was not working even with the jump start setting. I went up to the house and got a newer battery and got that changed out. The tractor started right up with the new battery. I unhooked the baler and then got hooked up to the hay rake. I went and began to rake the pasture hay field. I double windrowed the hill and then did the rest of the field. While I raked, Dad used the loader to put the 4 round bales in the barn. He stood them on end so we could fit them in and be able to get stuff by them still. Dad took over a load of hay to our neighbor's house down the road while I raked the outside windrow inwards and raked the ends of the rows into a straight row to bale up on the front field. Mel and Paige helped me push the elevator up into the barn, so we can unload hay. 

I began filling water tanks at the farm and then me and Paige went over to the neighbor's house to help them put the hay up dad brought over. After we finished we brought the hay wagon back to the farm. We came home and I worked on adding up totals on hay and stuff for my cows over past winter to see how much they consumed. Dad went and sprayed some stuff with round up, and then we went up to the farm to start baling. I hooked the baler up to the 784 and then we started baling the rest of the front hay field. We made 391 bales off this field and then moved over to the pasture hay field. We didn't even make it around the outside loop once, when the baler broke. I saw the shear pin was gone, but opening up the hood, we found a bigger issue. There are 3 pairs of forks that push the hay into where it gets compacted. The assembly with the forks had broken, and the 2 of the 3 pairs of forks went in and got hit by the knife with which cuts and compacts the hay. Anyway I brought it over to the shop and we blew it off and took off the broken pieces. We had to pull a fork out of a bale because it got baled up. Later I went back up and bedded the small pen with some straw and fed hay and grain. I fed the cows down in the pasture some grain as well.