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Haying with Horses and Mules Workshop
(held at Northland Sheep Dairy near Marathon, NY) September 1-2, 2007 For all levels of horse driving experience and all levels of haymaking experience. About us: On about 100 hilltop acres in Central New York, Maryrose and Donn milk about 40 sheep (and one cow) and make raw milk cheese. We use Percherons, Percheron mules, and Haflingers to do much of the farm work. They spread compost, haul firewood, clip pastures, and make hay. In 2007 I hope to start plowing a small area to experiment with a small PTO combine. How we make hay: We make hay all summer long, one small field (5 to 10 acres) at a time. We try to make all our hay the highest quality we can as it is all our sheep eat when not grazing. Previously we have clipped or grazed some pastures so they are not all maturing at the same time. We do most of our mowing with a PTO forecart and 7’ New Holland haybine pulled by four horses and mules. We also use #7 and #9 horse drawn mowers when conditions favor it. We also use these mowers for quite a lot of pasture clipping. We ted most of our hay to help it dry quickly, and we use a New Idea side delivery rake and tedder. This year we will also use a ground driven reel type tedder behind a forecart. We have also used a PTO tedder with the PTO forecart in the past. We rake with a newer New Idea ground drive rake behind a forecart as well as an older horse drawn rake when necessary. We make approximately. 35-pound. square bales using an older model New Holland PTO baler hooked to the PTO forecart with a hay wagon attached for manually stacking bales. (We do not use a kicker on our baler). We use horses hooked directly to the wagons (wagons with sliding tongues), or a forecart, or a tractor to bring the hay back to the barn. We make a total of 2000 to 2500 bales a year of first and second cutting hay. For the Workshop: We plan to demonstrate each of these systems with enough time for you to experience how they work to whatever level you are able. This may include driving the teams, hooking and unhooking the equipment, learning how the machinery works, and stacking hay bales. You will also see how we graze the work animals. Our goal is to tailor the workshop to the skill, experience level, and interest of each participant. If you have questions about the workshop please feel free to call, write, or email. To see pictures of our farm in operation last year you can go to www.geocities.com/mcgalert This is a description with pictures that our interns from last summer put together. To Register: Please fill out the following questionnaire and return it to us with a check for $150 made out to “Northland Sheep Dairy.” Registration must be received by August 1, 2007 Name __________________________________ Address ________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Phone _________________________________ Email _________________________________ What previous horse experience do you have? What work horses do you have; or are you considering? What livestock do you want to make hay for? What haymaking equipment do you have; or want to use with horses or mules? What special needs or interests do you have that will make the workshop more useful for you? Other haymaking methods or equipment, etc. Thank You, Donn Hewes and Maryrose Livingston Northland Sheep Dairy 3501 Hoxie Gorge – Freetown Rd. Marathon, NY 13803 Phone: (607) 849-4442 E-mail: tripletree@frontiernet.net |