Off-Season Square Bale-Making Business

Off-Season Square Bale-Making Business BALE HANDLING Bale Handling (31B) 32-6-9 Baling hay is a job for all seasons on Tim Gogerty's Hubbard, Iowa, farm. He makes big round bales in the summer and turns them into more marketable small square bales in the winter, working inside a 36 by 80-ft. hoop building. Key to success of the rebaling operation is a round bale "unroller" he bought from Simpco, Inc., Cochran, Georgia (ph 478 934-7863; www.simpsonunroller.com). The unroller consists of four conveyor units that unroll the bale and then fluff up the hay or straw before feeding it into the pickup. One person with a front-end loader sets bales onto the first conveyor and cuts the twine off. A second person runs the hydraulic levers that control the unrolling operation. Tim's son Jordan built an 8 by 12-ft. control room located next to the unroller. It's insulated to provide sound-proofing and protect the unroller operator from dust. A large fan blows dust out the open ends of the building and flexible pipe attached to the tractor exhaust carries away diesel fumes. In addition to the hay made on his own 80 acres of alfalfa, Gogerty buys good quality round bales to maintain his production schedule. "I round bale most of my acreage because it's faster than handling small square bales. By rebaling we can make small bales when we have more time, and also end up with better quality hay," says Gogerty. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tim Gogerty, 33094 K. Ave., Hubbard, Iowa 50122 (ph 641 487-7825).

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