During May or June I buy bales of hay to feed the bison during the winter months. These bales need to be stored off the ground to prevent them from wicking up moisture from the ground. To do this I set up wooden rails wide enough to hold the bales of hay placed end to end, yet narrow enough for the tractor to straddle while accessing the bales. This keeps the bales off the ground. I then cover each row of bales with a tarp that is tied down in the center and weighed down with t-posts on the ends. The entire section is then surrounded by an electric fence to keep the bison out of the area. The final results look like they did last year in the photo below.
It's a lot of work but it keeps the hay safe until I need it in the winter.
Over the past several years I've bought all of my hay from my good friend Charlie. Sadly this past winter my friend Charlie passed away. Even though Charlie was 80 and I'd noticed his health seemed not as good as it once was, it came to me as a tremendous surprise and it hurt me deeply to loose such a good friend. I'll always treasure the lunches and dinners we had together and the amazing stories he would recall about his childhood or some part of his life. It's just so hard to believe I'll never see him again. Sometimes life just seems so unfair and you can't help but wonder what's the point of having so many good things when you know you're going to have to part with them some day. It's enough to drive you nuts, but then the requirements of daily life kick in and you have no choice but to continue moving forward.
The bison will need hay this winter and to make that possible I'll need to get the storage area ready for the hay. This means straightening out the rails and replacing any that are falling apart. In previous years I've used trees growing on the farm, but they only last a few years, so I've decided to use pressure treated 4x4s from now on. It's pricy, but it will last a lot longer and I'm sick of having to replace the rails so often.
The above photo shows the process of assembly. It's pretty simple. I drill holes through the rails and ties and then hammer brace pins into the holes. The pins are snug enough to stay in place and stick out an inch on the bottom which helps grip the ground.
Each Section of rail is only eight feet long which makes them easy to pick up and move. The end product looks pretty good, but it's sure a lot of work.
