First Cutting, Finally

We waited, we watched, and we wondered if it would ever happen. The rain just kept coming. By early June, the hayfield was tall, thick, and downright taunting. Every time we saw a dry window on the forecast, it would vanish just in time to mess with our hopes.

Then—finally—we got four days of sunshine in a row. You’d have thought it was Christmas morning.

🌿 Getting Started (Kind Of)

It took Tom about a day to get all 35 acres behind the house cut. Once it was down, we were back in waiting mode, hoping for just enough sun and wind to do the job. Thankfully, a stretch of hot days and light breeze made the drying quicker than expected—which meant it was time to break out the rake and the baler.

He got about eight bales in when I found him—standing next to a broken machine, staring at a field full of fresh-cut hay.

Tom found a baler on Facebook Marketplace—posted, of all people, by his old high school ag teacher. He brought it home, hooked it up, and got to work… only to discover it wouldn’t cut the net wrap. Every bale stalled the process. After some digging (and a lot of trial and error), Tom traced the problem: the brake wasn’t holding the net tight enough for the knife to make a clean cut. He got it sorted and finished the field. That night, he called up his old ag teacher—not to complain, but to tell him what he’d figured out.

It was a week of wrenching, problem-solving, and pushing through—just to finish what the weather barely allowed us to start. But it paid off. We rolled up 120 bales this year. Last year, we only got 80.

By the end of it all, I looked at Tom and said, “You just did a winter’s worth of work in one week.” And I wasn’t exaggerating.

📦 The Hay Itself

Once we were up and running again, it all came together. The cut went clean. The rake didn’t give us any attitude. And the new baler? It earned its keep right out of the gate.

The field gave us tight, heavy bales—green and sweet-smelling. A mix of fescue and clover. It’s not the earliest we’ve ever baled, but it’s some of the best we’ve brought in.

🐄 What It Means for the Herd

We’ll keep a close eye on the second cutting, which will be lighter than usual after such a delay. But this first round gives us breathing room heading into winter, especially if the pastures hold through fall.

There’s a little stress with hay season no matter what. This year’s just came with more rain, more mud, and a bigger price tag than we planned. Still—we got it done. And for that, we’re thankful.

📸 Around the Ranch

We’ll share photos soon of the new baler in action, the field mid-turn, and that first trailer full of square bales. (Plus a shot of Tom with his “we’re not doing this again next year” face.)

👂 Your Turn

Did you get your first cutting done yet? Did the weather play nice—or did you get the Ozarks rollercoaster forecast we did?