American Farmers Fight Rise In Hay Thefts

Will Rogers · 2012-12-05T05:21:45+00:00

Apparently, it's not enough to be thieving copper in Newark, or lootinghomes destroyed by hurricanes or forest-fire.What could be lower than stealing hay from desperate farmers?--------------------- 3, 2012 9:49 AMST. LOUIS (KMOX) - As if it?s not bad enough that Missouri farmers aretrying to survive the worst drought in decades, now many of them arefacing a new problem that?s costing them big bucks.Missouri Farm Bureau president Blake Hurst says thieves are actuallytargeting those big bundles of hay that are left out in fields prior tobeing harvested, hauling them off and selling the valuable commodity.?Of course, no one brands their hay so if you hook onto it with yourtractor or your pickup and make it out the gate, then it?s impossible toprove where the hay came from,? Hurst said.With winter approaching and grass dying out, the price for fresh hay tofeed livestock is on the rise, and Hurst says that makes unguarded balesa tempting target.Ironically, it?s because of the ongoing drought that fresh hay hasbecome so valuable with the winter season fast approaching.And it?s not just Missouri. This trend is happening in farm statesacross the country, so much so that some are now putting globalpositioning trackers inside their bales, in case they?re stolen.

D

Dean Hoffman 13 years ago

With something as simple as this:

formatting link

There are many loaders made for tractors, skid loaders and pickups. It isn't at all unusual for hay to be left outside. The bales might rot a bit on the outside but the interior is usually fine. We used to put what we could in the barn and stack the rest just outside the cow lot. This was in the days of the 60-80 pound rectangular bales. We loaded, unloaded, and stacked by hand. Ranchers in the Nebraska Sandhills used to make hay stacks with loose hay. A single haystack here:

formatting link

bunch of pictures here

formatting link

of various sized bales, hay equipment etc.

Vote

W

Wes Groleau 13 years ago

I see you know very little about hay.

Vote

P

Pete C. 13 years ago

Oddly enough I saw a lot of backyard gardens and little greenhouses while I was in the UK this year, even in pretty urban areas.

Vote

Attila Iskander 13 years ago

Sadly that's no guarantee that they can think outside of the box..

Vote

S

Stormin Mormon 13 years ago

Much like the humming bird. Science has proven that it cannot fly.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

formatting link

.

# And even if you succeeded, how would you get it out? # I see you know as little as these journalists.

Funny how farmers have no trouble either shoving in or pulling out their bale spears. You have to wonder how on earth they manage to do it...

Vote

Attila Iskander 13 years ago

# Much like the humming bird. Science has proven that it cannot fly. #

Don't forget the bumble-bee is also not supposed to be able to fly But fly it does anyway. \

Vote

W

Wes Groleau 13 years ago

Two (false) urban legends meet on Usenet.

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

Obviously, you don't have a clue. That is not hay in the black plastic, it is silage.

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

Right! And how do they get it into the hay? And how do they taper it and how does that help? You are truely a halfwit.

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

Even dew will spoil hay. The black bags are not hay but silage. (Fermented grass) Silage BTW would be twice the weight of hay.

formatting link

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

The bale lifts go on the front or back of an agricultural tractor using the hydraulics to lift. So it would need to be another farmer.

That narrows down the suspects then a bit.

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

They manage it because the spear is mounted on an agricultural tractor (front or rear).

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

Few people make small bales these days. Few people even make hay, they make silage. How do you steal a haystack of loose hay then?

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

I used to own a farm. I can see you have a big mouth and know absolutely nothing about hay.

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

I know they have to be stored in a well ventilated, dry place. Any moisture at all will cause the hay to rot. Away from damp in the ground too.

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

.

..

Hide quoted text -

So the cops won't notice anyone transporting a tractor on a trailer along with several tons of hay?

Vote

H

harry 13 years ago

Can you verify that statement or is it another of your folksy theories?

Vote

T

The Daring Dufas 13 years ago

Big vacuum cleaner you silly boy. ^_^

TDD

Vote

D

Dean Hoffman 13 years ago

With a stack mover, of course. A truck mounted one here:

formatting link

makes a lot of different types of hay equipment. There isn't much alfalfa in my area anymore. I don't remember anyone making silage out of it. It was always baled. A few farmers I know are raising alfalfa for a nearby dairy. They're baling it. Silage here (central Nebraska) is corn silage. The cattle feeders usually put it in bunker silos. A couple pictures here:

formatting link

The hay shortage is prompting one change. There are a lot more guys baling their corn stover.

Vote

S

Stormin Mormon 13 years ago

Only the finest false internet legends for our discriminating readers.

Christopher A. Young Learn more about Jesus

formatting link

.

Two (false) urban legends meet on Usenet.

Vote

American Farmers Fight Rise In Hay Thefts

Join the Discussion

Didn't find your answer?