When Did Baling Hay Begin?

Baling Hay
The first hay baling equipment was invented in the late 1800s. These early baling machines were stationary, and the hay had to come to it. Hay was carried by hand to wagons that then took the hay to these early balers, where the machine pressed the hay into square bales.

Who was the first to develop a hay baling process?

Farmers were saved from the backbreaking chore of slinging hay bales in the 1960s, when Iowa State agricultural engineering professor Wesley Buchele and a group of student researchers invented a baler that produced large, round bales that could be moved by tractor.

When did farmers start making round bales?

Those bales were big enough for farmers to move with a tractor instead of by hand, which meant moving several times the hay with a fraction of the work. The first large round baler went into production in 1970, and within the next few years, 15 companies in the U.S. and Canada had gotten in on the action.

Alexander Ross

Alexander Ross

Gaming, Esports & Interactive Media Writer

Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.