Slice Of Amish Life: Moving Mountains Of Hay
This is another great photo by Cindy Cornett Seigle. I can’t say I’ve ever encountered this exact sight coming down the road – at least not at this size.
These guys are riding atop piles of hay that have them literally two – or is it three – stories up in the air. I assume they have those things well-balanced.
This photo was taken in September. Cindy describes the photo: Two teams of Amish men and horses moving hay to get ready for winter.Â
Cindy describes them as “men”, but looking closer I don’t see beards on either.
They appear to me to be more in their teenage years.
Cindy’s photo comes from Orange County, Indiana. There are two Amish communities in the county, both materially plain.
One is a somewhat atypical community at Paoli. The second is a Swartzentruber community near the town of Orleans. Cindy has tagged this photo as “Swartzentruber”.
A simple but excellent photo bringing us a slice of Amish life – showing a traditional farming practice in one of the plainest Amish communities.
Yes I have actually made wagon loads like that and it’s incredible how the grass just has this perfect kind of quills on it to hold together like that. It’s just an amazing process process of cut Grass. Also it is teenage boys and they are 1 million amazing s To be around. The most self-reliant teenagers I have ever met so skillful and so respectful
Yes it truly is amazing the way grass is combine together like that. I have forked hay and seen it do it. And equally the incredible self-reliance of Amish teenagers. If being known by your fruit is true and of course it is these young people are the most incredible responsible teenagers I have ever been around
They learn to do tasks like this at a young age that most English parents (well, at least those outside of a rural or farm environment) would see as too dangerous. That would also include handling large animals like horses and work around machinery.
Stacking Hay
There is a procedure for properly loading a wagon and stacking hay into an outdoors haystack. First you have to have long handled pitch forks to work it from the ground and the kid on top keeps packing the hay tight to the center. That allows the the load to drape from the tightly packed middle of the load. The boys driving are the ones who stacked the hay in the wagon. Someone below would toss the reigns up when fully loaded and off to the bank barn to unload on the top floor (lost). Been there, done that. Creating the haystack out side is fun too until your dad unknowingly tosses up a large black snake in a bundle of hay. The motto is always “keep it packed tightly around the pole”. That keeps the rain out of stack.
Thanks for explaining that Jerry. So the key is to have a densely packed center. That makes sense. I’ll pass on the snake though.
Wheels
I noticed the wheels that are being used.
Metal/steel wheels needed to handle that amount of weight?
Possible strip of rubber for grip?
Interesting since some Amish are strict when it comes to reflectors, types of wheels being used, etc..
Hay Season
Hello all. I was just in our neighboring Amish community, Hardin Co. yesterday picking up a truck load of firewood from one of the farmers and he’s loving the weather during hay season. We seen several farms active with their teams stacking up. It’s a beautiful sight!
Thanks all!!