Bringing in the hay

We finally got the word from the farm we buy alfalfa hay from that it was ready. It has not been a great year for hay and there was some doubt if we would get any alfalfa this year. During the dark months of winter, this alfalfa will help us keep our does in good condition.

And that new trailer has already come in handy, pulling home 52 bales. The best I had done in the van was 24 bales. I got so much on the trailer that I hardly had to load the van.



Getting the hay into the barn was a chore last year. We brought it in through the hay door in the back of the barn. That meant we had to unload the truck, cart the hay around to the back of the barn, carry it into the shed and then pull it up into the second floor without the benefit of an overhead pulley. This year I built a gantry that pokes out through a second story window and we can back the van or trailer under it to load the bales directly into the loft. What took a half a day before we now do in an hour or so.








We're not ready for winter yet, but we do have enough hay to carry us through the next twelve months. The hay is dry, under cover and easy for us to get out to our animals. It feels good to have that out of our way and ready to move on to new things.