This month, Small Farm Innovations wants to introduce readers to Tom Wallace and his family, who’ve called Franklin, Texas home for the past four years. On their 19 acres, the Wallaces run 12 head of cattle — a small operation, but one that depends just as much on good hay as any big outfit does.
Like a lot of folks we work with, Tom started out relying on local custom balers to put up his hay each season. And like a lot of folks, he got tired of it — tired of waiting on someone else’s schedule, tired of not knowing whether this would be the year the baler didn’t show up in time. So Tom made the decision to take his hay season into his own hands.
Building the Right Package
Tom came to Phil and Sharon Livengood looking for equipment that would fit a small, well-managed operation like his — not more than he needed, but enough to give him real control over his hay from cutting to bale. Here’s the package the Small Farm Innovations team put together for him:
• RB511 Twine Baler
• 4-Wheel Rake
• 2555 Drum Mower
• Accumulator
That combination gives Tom everything he needs to cut, rake, bale, and gather on his own timeline — no more waiting for a phone call that might not come. The accumulator alone saves him hours of hand-loading bales, grouping them for pickup so he can move hay off the field faster and with less labor. With 19 acres and 12 cows, he doesn’t need a massive operation. He needs equipment that’s sized right and that he can rely on, season after season.
Why It Matters
Tom’s story is one we hear again and again, just with different names and different acreages. Small farm owners get tired of being at the back of someone else’s list, and they realize that owning the right equipment isn’t a luxury — it’s what lets them put up good hay, on their own time, at the quality their herd deserves.
Small Farm Innovations is proud to have helped Tom and his family make that move, and the team is looking forward to seeing what this next hay season brings for them.
If you’re tired of depending on someone else’s schedule for your hay, give Small Farm Innovations a call. The team will help you build a package that fits your acreage, your herd, and your budget — just like they did for Tom.
