Wednesday

February 17, 2016

Hay Making with Hay Caps.

Today I thought I would share something a little different with you…. something that might give you a bit more of an insight into us as farmers.
 
Eight years ago we invented the Hay Caps, a covering system for large square bales of hay.  At the time we were looking for a better way to cover our stacks of hay. We couldn’t find it, so invented it ourselves, and thought that if we needed it then maybe other farmers would need it too.
 
We had a promo video made of our Hay Caps 18 months ago which I shared here. This is what I wrote on that blog post:
 
A few weeks ago we had Vince Bucello from Midstate Video Productions here filming for a documentary on Australian agriculture. He spent a day with us filming the making of oaten hay. Whilst Vince was here we got him to make us a Hay Cap promo incorporating some of his amazing drone and GoPro images.
 
Hay Caps are a big part of our operation now - their usage is an integral part of our hay production and storage; and the manufacturing, marketing, sales and dispatch of Hay Caps take up a lot of our time. The whole process from inventing a new concept to the actual manufacture and distribution of that product has been an amazing experience. And to see it flourish, employing local people, as well as changing the way that hay is covered around the world is humbling.
 
Over the course of nearly 2 years of my daily photographing our farm and sharing on this blog I have been very careful not to make it about Hay Caps. We are farmers. We are passionate about making top quality fodder. That’s who we are. That’s what we do. Hay Caps came about because we are farmers, who needed a better way, a safer way, a more durable way to cover hay. This blog is about us as farmers. But occasionally something comes along that I just can’t not share, something I hope will give you an insight in to us as farmers.
 
 So here is our Hay Cap promo:
Click here or watch below
 
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15 comments:

  1. Jeanneke17 February 2016 at 21:01

    Very interesting! Enjoyed watching the promo; thanks for sharing.
    Cheers,

    Jeanneke.

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  2. Kim18 February 2016 at 00:00

    I enjoyed watching it again. (It also makes me think it would be fun to have a drone!)

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  3. Rhodesia18 February 2016 at 01:16

    Here they wrap the hay bales completely in plastic, presumably it works because everyone does it and I see bales stored for some time. I just wonder how the hay breathes when it is totally wrapped but my French is not good enough to get into a conversation as to why and how! Diane

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    1. CountryMum18 February 2016 at 09:47

      And that is exactly why it does work - the hay doesn't breathe in the plastic. Hay can be baled at higher moisture & low dry matter content and then wrapped in plastic to omit oxygen. This allows the hay to ferment inside to become what is known as silage. It can be stored this way for many months.

      We can bale hay successfully in summer because of our hot dry temperatures. Many places can't get the grass/alfalfa dry enough to make hay. So their option is to bale at a higher moisture content and wrap up.

      Delete
  4. EG CameraGirl18 February 2016 at 02:39

    Great vide showing how the hay caps are attached! I have never seen them before. Are they sold in Canada?

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    1. CountryMum18 February 2016 at 09:49

      Yes they are. We have a company making them in America for us under licence to sell throughout the US and Canada.

      Delete
  5. HappyK18 February 2016 at 03:05

    That was so cool to watch.
    Love the accent!! : )
    The farmers around here have rolled bales which they wrap in white plastic.

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  6. Red18 February 2016 at 05:23

    Farmers are pretty creative when it comes to useful ideas. FArmers just need more time to think about things.

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  7. Elephant's Child18 February 2016 at 05:50

    Brilliant. A classic illustration of necessity being the mother of invention. I hope it brings you a healthy additonal income too.

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  8. Rose18 February 2016 at 06:49

    This so funny...Roger and I were just talking about these the other day. I was showing him something or talking about you and he said 'Oh, yeah, they're the ones that invented those hay coverings, weren't they?'

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  9. Bill 18 February 2016 at 07:33

    Very impressive! And damn, those are some kinda huge bales! Locally we only see smaller bales and plastic wrapped big rolls.

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  10. Helen18 February 2016 at 08:33

    Totally impressed, by the size of the field and bales, machinery, and your invention. I love Rose's comment.

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  11. Bob Bushell18 February 2016 at 09:22

    Thanks farmers, a lot of straw.

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  12. Karen @ Pieces of Contentment18 February 2016 at 12:07

    Wow! Thanks for sharing! Don't keep wonderful innovations like this a secret Lynda!

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  13. Anonymous18 February 2016 at 13:59

    Quite fascinating to watch. Even the stacking machine, which I had not seen before. The video was well made too.

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