This is what 5000 pounds of hay looks like. Normally this wouldn’t be something to write home about, but this year’s weather hasn’t been the best for hay. Too hot. Too dry. Many farmers are only getting half the normal hay harvest. We are fortunate that “Hay Bob” keeps us at the top of his list. The field where he cuts our hay is near a creek bed so it get watered as the surrounding area drains into the creek. I love to walk past the hay field and see the combination of plants growing. It gives me a sense of security.
That security is an illusion though. Without cheap oil will “Hay Bob” be able to keep his hay prices cheap enough for me to afford it? What will we do when he can’t cut with his big tractor anymore?
Hay is the vital part of winter feeding for the animals. We buy a good quality, second cutting, grass hay. This keeps our animals in top shape all winter without the need for expensive grains. We will supplement their diet once a week or so with whole oats, but just a little bit. They have access to a mineral supplement and clean fresh water.
This is part of the reason we don’t keep a horse, milk cow, or very many other animals. We want to be able to feed them from our place should the worst happen. We could scythe enough grass between our “yard” and our next door neighbors to feed our animals. It would be hard work scything, raking, turning, and stacking. But it could be done. The amount of hay we could do ourselves is the measure we use for how many animals we can keep.
Kim
When Hay Bob has no fuel for his tractor, then you’ll pay for his hay by helping him cut it by hand. Instead of Hay Bob getting $100 for his hay and spending $50 on tractor and fuel to cut it with, he’ll be out there in the fields cutting it with you, give you 2/5, eat $10 worth of food while cutting it, and then sell the other 3/5 of his hay for $50.
It’ll be just the same, only with more sweat
Kyle: That makes sense, but boy will it be a lot more work!
Kim
The energy has to come from somewhere! If it doesn’t come from fossil fuels, it’s coming from the sun, the wind, the waves, the earth and our backs…
But hey, I had to do it sometimes as a kid, and I grew up fit and strong. I have a couple of friends who’ve always done sedentary jobs and across winter they’re sick one day in three.
My biggest concern is those who won’t do hay without a tractor. Our family has thought about the issue, but I’d venture to say most people we know have never considered this as they stock larger and larger numbers on smaller and smaller pieces of land.
Kim
If they won’t do hay, they’ll do something else with the land. If they leave it fallow for years then landless poor will squat on it, as we see happening in Latin America. Given the choice between annoying 1 voting landlord and 100 voting landless poor, the governments either become dictatorships or else do some land redistribution.
The people who’ve overstocked will correct that problem in just one season with the aid of a rifle. I’ve seen it happen many times in Australia since we have droughts, so what is a good stock level this year could be overstocking next year.
In Australia we eat 103kg of meat per person annually. In the USA it’s 125kg (275lbs). Each 1kg of meat requires 2.78kg of grain. So as we lose production because of fossil fuel declines, and more eople have to physically work to get that grain (and hay) production, the price of grain will go up, and that of meat even more. Instead of spending $10 on a tv dinner or $10 on a big steak, we’ll spend $10 on some basic grains, vegetables, and a sliver of meat. Also we’ll be more often working in the open. This actually won’t be bad for our health, you know. Ever seen a fat diabetic Amish farmhand?