Bucking alfalfa bales

ALFALFA BALES ARE READY FOR PICKUP

I received "the call" from Cheryl at C&L Farms that the 3rd cutting alfalfa was ready for pickup.  That call means relief that the sheep will have winter feed, that there's lots of work ahead, and there's lots of money to be spent! 

My Light in the Forest Wools sheep flock (and Blitzen, the llama) will only eat thin stemmed and leafy alfalfa.  The 3rd cutting of irrigated field alfalfa meets those needs.  Feeding earlier cuttings results in lots of feed left behind which ends up as very expensive bedding. 

This summer, with it's off and on rains meant that there just might not be a third cutting.  It was looking pretty "iffy" for a while but I knew that if anybody could pull it off it would Lynn and Cheryl at C&L Farms.  They are an experienced family farm that raises not only alfalfa, but also hay, corn, and mighty fine Angus cattle.  Their alfalfa is the best and I'm very fortunate to be able to purchase my winter feed from these great people.

Bob and I left here about 8 a.m. on Tuesday morning (we had to sneak between the raindrops on Monday and Thursday).  It's an hour drive to where the alfalfa is grown.  Thanks to Bob's trailer we can haul 2 tons at a time.  I brought 4 tons this year which meant 2 trips, one each day.  It works out great since we need some recovery time after each load!!

And the loading begins

There are 29 bales to a ton this year, 69# each.   Two great guys there at the farm (not pictured) help us load up which we definitely appreciate! 

Bob is extremely careful about securing the bales for the trip home.  Gotta admire the variety of knots that he creates!!!  I appreciate that I won't be seeing any bales flying off the trailer:)

When we got home the first day it was just Bob and I there to unload the first 2 tons into the barn.  The trailer doesn't fit into the barn so there's a lot of carrying and stacking.  Bob is the one to do that, and I push and shove the bales off the trailer.  Gloves are a must, not to mention lots of water and muscle.



STACKING BALES IN THE BARN





TRAILER FLUNKY
ME!



Finished up the first load in about 5 hours, including travel time.  Time for lunch and a rest!

Wednesday, another day to do it all over again!!  My darling daughter, Jill, phoned and offered her assistance and we just couldn't say NO!  Jill and her sister, Sunshine, spent many years in their youth helping to put up the winter's hay.  On our first farm, that meant cutting from our own fields.  As the flock grew tho' we had to begin to buy hay offsite.  Both girls were quite adept at bucking bales, and later, driving the hay truck. 

JILL BUCKING BALES

Jill met us at home when we drove in with the second two tons.  Before we knew it, bales were flying:)  She is super strong and fit, hard for Bob and I to even keep up with!  Wow, before we knew it the last bale was stacked and Jill was looking for more.  Really appreciated her amazing help, and it was like ole' times working next to her again.
Since we were already hot and sweaty, Jill and I decided to take a 3.5 hilly walk around the countryside.  It actually felt good :)

FULL BARN, EMPTY TRAILER

A HAPPY ENDING