By FP Staff

Your grandfather likely made hay with a sickle bar mower. Maybe he followed with a pull-type hay conditioner. Here are tools and products that will help you make hay much faster and more efficiently than Grandpa ever thought possible.

Take a close look at the features of the new tools in the hay product lineup. Companies are definitely making advancements that hay producers can use.

Industry firsts

The Vermeer TM850 trailed disc-mower is in a league of its own. It features a bent-tube design to simplify operation of the machine. Cutting width is 10 feet, 6 inches. It’s the only mower known to be on the market that features a front hood that flips up out of the way for easy maintenance. List price is $19,800. Contact Vermeer Corp., Pella, Iowa, at 800-370-3659, or visit www.vermeer.com.

Put your bales ‘in the black’

Not everything should be “in the pink.” Here’s open mesh, extruded netting for big round bales that’s UV-stabilized with black colorant. It’s designed for someone who must leave bales outside. Available first for New Holland balers, it’s now marketed for all balers. Several sizes are available. Price varies by size. Contact Tenax, Baltimore, Md., at 800-356 8495, or visit www.tenax.com.

Rowse hay rake stops rocks, dirt

Rowse’s new Sidekick windrow turner is a five-wheel design patterned after the company’s “Ultimate Rake.” The raking wheels are crop-driven, not ground-driven, so rocks and dirt don’t go into the windrow. Rowse company representatives say they raked a lot of cane, millet and sorghum with the Sidekick during testing and found it could handle even those tough hay crops. Suggested price is $6,650. Call 800-652-1912, or visit www.rowserakes.com.

This article published in the December, 2010 edition of INDIANA PRAIRIE FARMER.

All rights reserved. Copyright Farm Progress Cos. 2010.