Snow and hay for cattle

The high temperature predicted for today was 50 degrees.  We briefly got up to 37 degrees.  So, the snow that fell yesterday and should have melted today, barely melt.  What happened to global warming?  I want it back!

The English walnut tree today.

Since there was still snow on the ground this morning, and since the forecast predicted the snow would melt during the day, I fed the cattle another three hay bales this morning.  After 5 pm the snow had not melted.  I didn't want to put out more small hay bales.  So I got the smaller / partially round hay bale from the stack as seen in the photo below.

The snow hadn't even melted off the tarp so it was a hassle to climb up and get rid of the snow so I could move enough of the tarp to uncover the stack of bales.

Before accessing the stack of bales for this Winter I had planned sometime later to move the large bale of straw to a different location so I could easily access the hay bales. Of course that hadn't been done as Winter was not suppose to start until next month. I was able to reach the small hay bale from the side.  That is why the bale is on the bale spear in a funny way.  But since the bale was on the small size it stayed on the bale spear as I drove - slowly!

You'd think that since I baled the hay when it was so dry during the second cutting in August that the bale wouldn't show any signs of moisture.  But you can see some signs on the bottom of the bale.

 

Of course Toby couldn't wait for me to reach the metal feeder and he tried to reach the hay bale.  I had the bale high enough he couldn't quite reach it.  Thankfully the bale did not drop off the spear and onto Toby.

I made it to the feeder without dropping the bale.  As the bale was smaller, and on the bale spear in a funny way, I was able to drop the bale into the feeder successfully.  The cattle couldn't wait and started attacking the bale.  I parked the tractor and then came to take the net wrap off.  I was able to cut the net wrap the cattle hadn't torn yet so it didn't surround the bale.  With the cattle insisting on eating the bale I was unable to roll / move the bale to get the net wrap that laid on the ground under the bale.  I gave up.  I'll retrieve the net wrap tomorrow.