Tag Archives: hay season

200 Bale Peace of Mind


How is hay season going for everyone? I hope it’s off to a better start than last year’s. We’re praying for rain across the country and watching the long-term forecasts with a cringe.

Thought it would be a good opportunity to share a few words from my minister’s mind during last year’s hay season when drought put everyone in hard drought in Southwest Arkansas.

There’s nothing better than getting the “hay in the barn” – as the saying goes – and a good peace of mind seems to come over ya when things get accomplished. This passage from Philippians 4:7 sums it up well I think.

6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

200 Bales Peace of Mind – Explained this to my wife, but the price wasn’t what I was talking about relative to my peace of mind. It was a barn full of hay, and sufficient to say, it will get me through another year (winter). That is short-term peace of mind, and it is my peace of mind for the farm. This is not all we feed, but it is sufficient forage for the calves and horses, since last year’s forage was 40 bales shy of this. However, last year we ran a bit short. You see, my peace of mind began to wane around March/April of this year because we had to buy more hay, and I didn’t want to do that, but such is the nature of this business.

There are abundant lessons to learn about life if you truly live it, and in time, by application so as to be successful and responsible—and of course we are talking about a life viewed from the perspective of God—you will learn your fair share, and wisdom may be yours to own. A wise man endued with knowledge is a valuable asset in life, and I’d like to say I have had great examples to help and aid me in times of need. Their wisdom has helped maintain my peace of mind, and this is most valuable to any one person.

Contentment should be learned in hard work, and herein is great peace of mind.
Image credit: ramracing.com

The Bible says: “Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.” (Ecclesiastes 5:9). There are clear benefits from the land of which mankind was blessed by. There are principles of work untold; life-lessons that man must learn so as to develop both physically and spiritually: “Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” (Genesis 3:23).

Man must learn wisdom and discretion in work, and this is from the Lord: “Give ye ear, and hear my voice; hearken, and hear my speech. Doth the plowman plow all day to sow? doth he open and break the clods of his ground? When he hath made plain the face thereof, doth he not cast abroad the fitches, and scatter the cummin, and cast in the principal wheat and the appointed barley and the rie in their place? For his God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.” (Isaiah 28:23-26). Some do not recognize these blessings are from God and show no regard: “For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold, which they prepared for Baal.” (Hosea 2:8).

There is great wisdom in working hard with balance and godly wisdom: “Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.” (Proverbs 27:23ff.)

War is a ravage on the peace of mind, thus doing away with the ability to enjoy hard, toilsome work. Howbeit, because of sin God says this: “I will also break in pieces with thee the shepherd and his flock; and with thee will I break in pieces the husbandman and his yoke of oxen; and with thee will I break in pieces captains and rulers.” (Jeremiah 51:23). Peace is favorable: “And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4). “And there shall dwell in Judah itself, and in all the cities thereof together, husbandmen, and they that go forth with flocks.” (Jeremiah 31:24).

Contentment should be learned in hard work, and herein is great peace of mind. However, envy of another’s goods is contrary to this: “Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour’s wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour’s house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour’s.” (Deuteronomy 5:21). This destroys man’s peace of mind.

I like this passage, and believe the principle of peace and happiness are greatly deduced: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5).

200 bales loaded, hauled, unloaded and stacked in a barn, at this moment in time, on the hottest day of the year was gratifying to this country-boy, and last night I slept like a baby. That was some good peace of mind. However, the greatest peace of mind is found in knowing the message of the cross and applying it on a daily basis. This peace does not pass away, ever! (cf., Philippians 4:7).

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Even if hay season seems a little rough, remember there’s always something to be thankful for. Keep the Faith. Be thankful when the hay is in the barn. Read more thoughts from Bryan here.

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Long Hot Summer Day


Besides being song lyrics from one of my favorite bands (Turnpike Troubadours), this pretty much sums up my Thursday.

Getting started a 6 o’clock, really doesn’t make much of a difference if it never cools below 80 degrees. Even at sunrise it doesn’t take long to break a good sweat.

Grulla and I headed out to gather some calves that needed to be dewormed. I was sorting a few off, turned around and the silly guy had walked right up the chute alley. Geeze I’m lucky he’s a calm horse.

Boss decided to head out to load some square bales. Just 300 of em, did I mention the air temp today was 103? Yeah we didn’t head out til after noon. Of course there was no breeze. Ugh it was H.O.T. Any hay hauling in this weather is too much if ya ask me.

Then we had the joy of driving smack dab through the middle of Little Rock traffic and the brakes on my trailer weren’t exactly working well. There were several semis taking loads of round bales down I-30 to Texas. The hay market here in Arkansas isn’t too strong (yet?) so some are choosing to ship their hay out of state. I wish they would support the livestock producers here at home because we’ll be lucky to get a second decent cutting of hay.

Then about 25 miles from the barn I had a tire blow out on the trailer. My first thought went back to the trailer house that burned down in the middle of the highway a few weeks ago due to a blow out. Yeah a house fire in the middle of the highway. No big deal, I never leave home without a spare tire. But really would have appreciated a lil respect from the semi truck drivers as they didn’t bother to move to the inside lane while I was on the side of the highway.

Luckily my hay trailer didn’t have the same fate as the house, and we made it to the barn safely. I’ll wait to unload and stack it all when I can get a sunrise start where maybe it’ll be a lil cooler. Relatively speaking of course.

Yep, it was indeed a long, hot summer day in ranch life.

Photo Friday: Hay Season Fun


Nope, grass isn't supposed to be there.

Not much of a Photo Friday this week. There’s been some long hours in the hay field and a bit of time on the brushhog as well. Unfortunately this has included plenty of time with breakdowns, being covered in grease. We’ve just 1 more field to cut to finish up the first round of hay season. Usually I would say second round is only a few weeks away, but we’re drying up quick. With temps all month in the upper 90s and not even much dew or fog in the mornings, the hay pastures are not recouping from the first cutting. Here’s hoping for rain to return soon.

I had a few questions about hay season passed my way this week, so I thought I’d pass em along here.

  • Hay season in our part of the state generally starts at the end of May.
  • Cool season grasses dominate this first cutting (fescue, rye) but the warm seasons (bahia, dallis, bermuda) have started growing at the end of April as night time temps rise.
  • Removing the canopy of the Spring grasses and weeds allows the warm season grasses to kick start and really start producing.
  • The average cow herd in Arkansas is 30 head. This really doesn’t make it affordable for everyone to harvest their own hay, but many do have hay pastures they will contract out to be harvested. Many of the sizeable herds harvest all of their own hay.
  • If the hay fields are not grazed, most producers will harvest 3 rounds of hay, wrapping up late August. This allows our pastures that are grazed to accumulate forage for Fall grazing.

Have any questions about ranching and cattle production in my part of Arkansas? Send em my way and I’ll answer em next week. Have a great weekend!

A Look At the Hay Mower


Hay season is well under way, and with any luck we should finish up with another week of cutting, raking, and baling. However, some rain is in the forecast this week so we’ll gladly take a break for the pastures to get some moisture.

In the video above I walk ya through one of the mowers we use (actually the one that recently bought it’s ticket to the junk yard), our grass pastures, and talk a lil about putting up hay for the winter. As the summer progresses, I’ll make a few more videos like this so you can have a visual of what we’re doing out here on the ranch.

Be sure and leave a comment and let me know what you think. If I get good feed back, I might try to add a few more videos like this more often. How’s hay season in your area? I know the weather patterns haven’t been “normal” but are they acting in favor or against ya this year?