Putting hay into the barn is preferable to stacking. When hay is stacked for any considerable time more or less loss occurs through exposure to sun and rain unless the stack is covered. In many sections hay barns would soon pay for themselves. Yet many farmers will continue to stack part or all of their hay until they become convinced that hay barns or sheds are a good investment. This bulletin, therefore, describes the different types of stackers in use, states the conditions favorable for each type, and points out the saving of man labor made possible by the use of the stacker.

When great grandpa’s old 1967 Ford 4000, 50hp tractor died we could no longer pull our small square baler. With a limited budget and time, rebuilding our Ford tractor’s engine wasn’t a feasible option, buying a new tractor was way beyond the pocket book and buying any used tractor in our price range would be like buying a pig in a poke! As we saw our options narrowing loose hay seemed to make more and more sense.

The true ‘Jackson Fork’ is arguably the single most iconic product invented by Byron Jackson, of early 1900’s San Francisco – but it was by no means the only important innovation/product Jackson engineered. As these old cuts testify, he designed many devices and systems for forage handling. Some, like the Threshing Outfits, were geared for handling large volumes of grain crop.

WHOA (Working Horse & Oxen Association) is attempting to demonstrate, through the use of affordable, low-tech harvesting – in this instance the harvesting of hay – how draft animals can partner with small farmers in accomplishing many farm tasks using traditional techniques, low impact practices, and non-fossil fueled equipment. The goal of the Haystack Project is to research the techniques required, to collaborate in designing and building the infrastructure, to mow, rake and gather hay on the MOFGA fairgrounds, and to pile the hay in the traditional, efficient techniques of building a stack.