Here’s another part of the process I was not too involved with. My part of the job entailed flying around the field in the pickup truck and up-righting any bale that had tipped over. Some bales could be stubborn too. But, we had to make sure that they were all standing up for the harrow bed to gather them up.

(Stay tuned for my special announcement at the end of this post!)

We outsourced a harrow bed driver to come pick up the hay for us. I think many farmers in the valley did. The guy would come thundering in and raced around the field until the harrow bed was full. The machinery scooped up the bale, turned it, made a layer of bales, then lifted that layer up and began building rows of these bales. Then the driver would deliver his load to the corral and start building a long stack of hay.

The hay can be stacked for a long time before someone comes around to buy it. They load it up on a semitrailer and take it away. Hopefully during your wait, the stack doesn’t fall over.

The end part of the writing process is similar. Once you have everything straightened up and in tip-top shape, then you can pack it all up for delivery. The choice is yours: outsource or do the work yourself. You can go to a traditional publisher, or you can self-publish. With any luck, you’ll sell all your hard work and someone will buy it and take it away. It’s a good feeling. Hopefully, much like ranching, you’ve ended up with some money in the pocket.

This cycle doesn’t really stop but keeps going for 3-4 cuttings in a year. Winter comes and the work comes to a stop. Even writers need a break. Always remember to take a break and relax. Take care of yourself. You are your most important machine when it comes to “making hay while the sun shines.”