10/08/2026
A little real-life farming: I’ve learned A LOT about hay over the last several years. 🌾
I started with small square bales. Easy to handle and perfect for my little herd. But as the herd grew, so did the hay bill… and my pocketbook was feeling it. 😅
Our friends and mentors Kickin Back Alpaca Ranch helped point me in the right direction. They encouraged me to try small round bales, lent me their old 1970 John Deere tractor to move them, and showed me how to store them with a hay tarp and bungees. So much to learn, and help I’m still so grateful for. 💕
Then there’s finding hay the boys actually approve of. My alpacas are picky, and second cut is their favourite. Finding their preferred hay isn’t always easy, but our friends Valley Ridge Family Farm have been a huge help keeping us supplied.
Hay is sometimes my nemesis. Moving it, feeding it, wearing it, finding it in places it has absolutely no business being. Some days it feels like Groundhog Day…with more hay. 😂
But keeping everyone fed is one of the most important parts of life here. And when that second-cut delivery arrives? I’m SOOOOO happy. Apparently this is who I am now. Honestly, if you’d told me 10 years ago that this would be my life, I wouldn’t have believed you.
As a first-time farmer with no background in farm life, figuring this out would’ve been so much harder without experienced farmers willing to help me along the way. A big thank-you to Kickin Back Alpaca Ranch and Valley Ridge Family Farms for being part of my hay journey—and for patiently answering my million questions. 💕
Swipe through for a few years of hay, learning as I go, and me probably needing a shower. 😂🌾
One video is of me struggling with the tarp in the winter. And the last two videos is of putting the tarp on part of this years order.
