Tractor Driving-Hay Feeding Farm Girl

Mel and I decided it would be a good idea for me to know how to feed round bales of hay using the tractor just in case he needed to be gone or if he should be sick.  My great teacher, Farmer Mel, instructed me on what to do.

In the tractor ready to begin my lesson

Whew, made it to the bale of hay without running over anything!

Now I'm ready to "fork the hay" with the spikes.

 If there should be some daring "farm-want-to-be" ladies who want to know just how to do it, then here are the step by step directions from this "tractor driving-hay feeding farm girl":
After getting in the tractor, start the engine, raise the hay spikes off the ground with the front end gear adjust the amount of speed power,  press on the gas pedal and "off you go"!  Just be aware of your surroundings and don't run over anything!  Aim for the hay bales.

Once you reach the hay bale, raise the spike to the correct height (about 3/4 up on the bale and "fork it"! Depending on the lay of the land you may need to put the tractor in 4-wheel drive since the weight is on the front-end you don't want to sit there spinning your back tires.  Do that and then press on the pedal for reverse.  The height of the hay bale in front of you may be needed to be lowered so that it is fairly close to the ground to enable you to see where you are going - quite an important fact to remember!!  Back up, turn around and head toward the hay bunker. 

 Before you arrive at the hay bunker, stop, climb out of the tractor, cut the netting on the hay bale with a utility knife, unwrap the netting to the ground, climb back in the tractor and complete the trip to the hay bunker.  Later gather up the netting so that it is not left for the cows to become entangled in it.

 Being the amateur, I climbed out of the tractor (again) and checked how close I was to the bunker.  I needed to be close enough, but not run over it.  Practice helps me to know the proximity I need to be (according to by darling teacher and I agree).  Climb back in the tractor (Wow! a great way to get your leg exercise - why not accomplish two things with one action!!) and either get closer or raise the lever for the height of the bale to be over the bunker and then tilt the lever and DUMP!

 Time to cheer!!  I did it just fine and managed to get the bale in the bunker.  Adjust the lever for the spike then back up from the bunker, turn around and head back to the barn.  One cow couldn't wait to get a nibble of hay.

 Here I go back to the barn and maneuver around the cows eating  the droppings from the bale after the netting was cut.  Farmer Mel would not be happy if I happened to run over a cow.  Neither would I!!
These cows were too busy munching to notice a "new driver in the pasture" driving the tractor.

These did notice and did take off.  My trusty camera and I were not fast enough to catch them moving to another patch of hay.
Return back to the barn (believe it or not I did drive  through 2 gates successfully) and park the tractor.  My sweet darling teacher was very proud of me and my "tractor driving-hay feeding job.
I feel very honored that Mel trusted me with the tractor.  He does not let just anyone drive it! 
(Maybe I should re-think that - could he have been using psychology to make be feel honored and entice me to want to learn the tractor and hay feeding steps?) 
Regardless we now have more than one in our family that can  feed the hay with the tractor!!