Rolling in the harvest and prepping for winter

About half done, then the tarps on top of the round bales and then the roofing tin wired to the fence and gates to slow down the cows. 20 more rolls are in than shown and another 10 to go. Ahh the life of a Rancher easy come easy go.

 

I think we are going to have a bad winter this year.

 

I am storing 50% more hay and protecting it with tarps.

I figure we will have a wet winter with ice at the end.

 

just regular tarps of heat shrink also ?

 

I will guess that you mean the applied type. Nope just plain old polytarps.

Thanks

 

I'm curious as to why the predictions of a bad winter. Not that I think it's wrong... I have no idea one way or the other. Just curious why y'all see it coming?

 

It's def cooler here. We've only had two or three days to hit 100. Lots of rain too.

 

The wind currents that are still changing and bringing wet to the east will, I think, drop lower down into the south. Cooler and wet along with colder if the Jet Streams curve just right.

Better safe than sorry.

 

The farmers I know look to the Woolly bear to predict the winter weather. Currently most people I have spoke to say it will be a real cold winter.

 

Our temps where they usually arr mid september right now. Itsbeen that way for a while now.

 

The only woolly bear I know is the dude down the street who's body hair looks like he's wearing a permanent angora sweater.

Think I will expand my hay shack tho... it holds a year's worth of hay, straw and shavings, but can't hurt to toss back some extra straw to bed the coop down if it gets really nasty.

 

Hay in the open 30% loss
Hay under a tarp 12% loss
Hay under a barn 5% loss

Traps are a lot cheaper than a barn.
I typically figure 4 bales per head and ran out last winter, this year will have 5 bales per head, half is 4x4 bales and the other half is 4x5 bales which have about 30% more hay than 4x4 bales. Even if the 4x5 bales are a few dollars more it make more economic sense to buy 4x5's. Good luck this winter, I am in southeast Louisiana and we are expecting a cooler winter as well

 

Still over 100 here.

Hay will be tarped when it cools a bit.

Hay(round bales) takes more room than I have and require a seperate barn/shed cover due to range fires.

 

Looks like it's not going to be very nice in my neighborhood.

 

Y'all mean like this? 15 face cord for the upstairs firebox here. Working on the 12 for the basement firebox currently. Should be ready by oct1 or when my back gives up. which ever occurs first.

 

@VisuTrac tell me you have a log splitter