Making hay the old-fashion way

Warwick - Steve Pennings of Pennings Farm Market was forced to make hay the old-fashioned way when an equipment malfunction caused him return to haymaking methods his parent Jake and Johanna used in the 1940s. The Pennings farm extends along West Street in Warwick. Pennings said he thought both old-timers and newcomers might enjoy seeing how hay was harvested in the middle years of the 20th century, when farmers would bale hay in the field and drop the tied bales onto the ground as the baler moved through the field. Then, another team of workers would come by, grab each bale and throw it up onto a truck or a horse-drawn wagon where an assistant would stack the bales for transport to the barn. The bales had to be small and light enough for a person to lift. Modern balers can produce large bales weighing as much as 3,000 pounds.