"Our producers just no longer can compete with Brazil and Argentina from the standpoint of cheap labor," says Smokey Spears, Lee County Extension agent. "So it all boils down to technology: Either our producers compensate for this disadvantage with labor-saving technology, or they’ll find themselves in a lot of trouble."

With this in mind, Spears organized the third annual Hay Cutting and Forage Demonstration to highlight the latest advances in hay cutting and baling technology. Roughly, 130 producers from Lee and the adjoining counties of Chambers, Russell and Macon attended this year’s demonstration, held Friday, May 31, at the Lawler Angus Farm on Highway 51 South near Beauregard.

The demonstration featured the newest rake systems, cutters, balers and aerators. In addition, three Extension experts were on hand to update producers on the latest advances in pastureland weed control and the current cattle marketing trends. They included Dr. John Everest, Extension weed scientist, Dr. Walter Prevatt, Extension livestock economist, and Dr. Darrell Rankins, Extension animal scientist.

As the costs of producing and harvesting good quality hay continue to increase, Spears says, farmers will increasingly look to advances in hay baling and cutting technology to help reduce these costs – a fact he’s witnessed personally during his tenure as an Extension livestock agent.

"When I started 25 years ago as an agent in Crenshaw County, producers were still using square bales instead of the round bales you commonly see on pasturelands today," Spears recalls. "But these square bales were killing farmers from the standpoint of labor, because it cost so much to pay workers to get them out of the field and into the barn loft."

The round bales, made possible by advances in balers more than a quarter century ago, increased the speed ease with which hay could be baled and stored and saved them thousands of dollars in labor costs, he adds.

"Without this labor-saving technology, a lot of growers probably would be out of the business by now," Spears says.

That, he believes, is why it is so important for producers to keep abreast of this technology year after year.

"The hay baling and cutting business is a lot like the car business in this respect, because you get a new line of equipment and new innovations year after year," Spears says. "Every year we get new lines of equipment that offer producers something better, whether it’s higher baling rates or hay cutters with new and improved features."

One thing is for sure, Spears says, cutting and harvesting hay is a lot easier today than it was a few decades ago.

"You don’t even have to get out of your air-conditioned cab to adjust a belt or clear something that’s gotten clogged up," he says. "Now, it’s all corrected with just the push or two of a button."

Vendors and sponsors at this year’s demonstration included Wire Road Tractor and Lawn Center, Montgomery Equipment Company, Melson Tractor, E O & G’s Equipment Company, Frank Randle, Cal Whatley, Frank Cain, Piedmont Fertilizer and Lee County County ALFA Farmers Beef Committee.