We got our hay put up last night by about 9pm. Good news: we didn't get as many bales as we hoped, only 162 bales.
So why is fewer bales good news? Because we cut this hay before it got so tall (we decided on the spur of the moment to cut it because the weather forecast looked right for now) we didn't have nearly so many spindly blades in the mix - the grass just naturally tended to pack tighter. And, because the humidity was so much lower this week than what we normally have for a May or June cutting, the grass cured nicely, and was dry enough that the farmer asked if we'd like slightly larger bales, packed slightly denser. We said yes, since our fescue bales are normally fairly light (30-40 pounds, depending on the year.) This hay looks to be great quality...and the bales average weight is probably about 55 pounds, very heavy for locally grown fescue. The farmer charged us the same price per bale as he did last spring, before the hay shortage was apparent. Most of us in the drought area have heard stories of price gouging this year. I've heard of farmers making bales lighter, while raising the price per bale. I've heard stories of truckers from the northeast and Midwest adding an "opportunity fee" to their normal hauling rates, knowing that people in the southeast need hay. (We've heard of truckers doubling their rates.) But this farmer freely offered to make larger, heavier bales for us, which meant that his fee would be less than it normally would. We got really close to as many pounds of hay this time as we did last spring, but our baling charge is less. What a friend! It's always nice to hear of someone who does an ethical thing, and who passes up an opportunity to gouge. Karen Thomas, NC
