[vidanay]

I've been cutting my own hay (10 acres) for 17 years now. My equipment investment was as bare-bones cheap as possible ($5k for a 1960's tractor, $2500 for a 1960's baler, $1k for a couple of wagons, $2k for a wheel rake, probably $10k in maintenance over the years). The one thing I can say with confidence is that making hay is the single most stressful thing I do all year. Finding clear weather, and then watching the weather hour to hour after it is cut, and before baling day is agonizing.

[seanherron]

I wish used equipment was that cheap now! We are constantly looking and old balers in our area are still going for $7k+. For something relatively recent and in good working order, much higher. Also, don’t forget building a dry place to stack and store all of it!

[vidanay]

I guess that's good for me. My last cutting ever was last Saturday. We are moving and all the equipment will be sold in the spring (or sold with the property.) Located in N. Illinois.

[bradleyankrom]

Would be interested in learning more about the property you’re selling … the wife & I have been looking around Northern Illinois (she’s from Rockford) for a small farm. My email is in my bio.

[vidanay]

Email sent.

[paledot]

This. This is why I keep coming back to Hacker News.

[b112]

More advice, make sure the off gassing of green hay, doesn't blow up the barn!

(My grandma was blown up, a story she loved to retell when I was a child... "Did you know I was blown up? Threw me 50 feet from the barn!")

[throwaway984393]

> Also, don’t forget building a dry place to stack and store all of it!

Would Romanian haystacks help? Or is it impossible to do it on a large scale without a large amount of manual labor? Can you just drape a tarp over each hay bale?

[Ancapistani]

Tarps are expensive, and hay bales are comparatively inexpensive.

That said, I’ve seen farmers use old billboards as tarps in the past. Otherwise, it’s usually either a barn or a plastic sheeting.

[jessaustin]

If hay is stored outdoors in a typical temperate climate without a tarp, it's just a waste of everyone's time. Sure, cattle or goats can eat it, and it will make a turd, but the nutrients are gone within a few months.

[wolverine876]

Why has it become more expensive?

[batman-farts]

Here in California, the water supply is obviously a concern as well. The grower I regularly deal with was very concerned at the start of the year, and I doubt last week’s atmospheric river storm did much to calm him down. After all, this is harvest season right now, not replanting season.

All hay is irrigation intensive, but my understanding has long been that premium quality alfalfa hay is especially so. The fields around here used to be flood-irrigated, but as the cost of water has risen over the past 10-15 years, I have seen that practice curtailed drastically. You lose too much water to evaporation. That implies heavy investment in more precise irrigation systems.

[Taek]

I know nothing about farming but there's a global manufacturing shortage right now that is making new parts and new machines scarce, which puts a lot of pressure on the used parts market. I'm guessing there's not much special here and that it's just participating in the global trend.

[rootusrootus]

I wonder if any of the price pressure is due to people seeking old older equipment to avoid the DRM crap from John Deere.

[flemhans]

why are there so many cutters and ballers here.

i never met you guys anywhere on the internet before