A different way of making hay???

I was driving down a 2-lane highway shortcut, to the main 4-lane  highway, when I spotted what appeared to be the strangest hay baling I had ever seen before.  I had seen hay baled with plastic wrap before but not quite like this.  I had to stop and take pictures.  These were not as big as the usual round bales I see in pastures, before they are hauled to a central point and lined up.  They appeared to be considerably smaller and the white plastic complete enclosed them.

 

They were stacked up neatly on top of each other along the fence row, not on their rounded sides, but on the flat end of the bale.

I then saw someone was driving along and picking up the bales to deliver and stack them.  The contraption on the front of the tractor was not the spike that I was used to seeing, for the more common large, round bales, but a pair of pincers, looking much like hot dog tongs you'd use on a barbeque!

I talked to the driver who told me that the bales are completely sealed so as to keep out excess moisture, but also to prevent mold and mildew from occurring within the wrapping.  Too much moisture can produce heat, which can turn into a fire within the hay.  Barn fires have been known to occur due to improperly cured and baled hay.

I learned quite a bit in school about how to properly care for hay, but there are always new, better, more efficient methods being discovered.  Along with new, better, more efficient machinery.   This was the latest wrinkle, for me. 

The Food Chain

I went out this morning to feed the horses.

Then I fed the birds.

Then I fed the dog.

Then I fed us.

The order isn't important.  The important fact is that it seems a good part of my time is spent feeding things!  And if not feeding, then buying feed for those eaters.  But then I can't NOT feed stuff. 

Of course people need to eat, and I am a "people."  The dog needs to eat because she is in our care, by choice, and it's our responsibility to keep her healthy.  Same with the horses.  We own them, so it is our duty to keep them fed too.

The birds?  Well, we started years ago, and they seem to expect us to keep helping them out.  No, they probably wouldn't starve if we took the feeders down, but we'd feel bad, especially when the ground is covered with snow, ice, etc, and their feed seems to be at a minimum.  Besides we enjoy watching them eat, and counting the species we've attracted.

Do we enjoy watching the horses eat?  Probably not.  The dog?  No, probably not.  Each other?  No, probably not, unless we notice some really bad table manners, and then we're forced to watch, and make commentary.  Well, we not forced to, but I can't help myself, usually.   I admit, sometimes I'm a bit bourgeois.

Then as I threw scraps into the compost heap, I realized, I'm feeding the worms, too!