As a farm kid, I just missed this era.

My father and relatives would round up teenagers to haul the bales. We pulled a "stooker" behind the baler, which created six-bale stacks in the field. Then a Kirchner forklift, front-mounted device to the tractor, would pick up about six stooks at a time and take them to the haystack, the teenagers would put them in a stack. That Kirchner/tractor required a lot of driving skills.

When I became 12, my father bought a NEW HOLLAND bale wagon. He was the first in the county, and did lots of custom work for a couple of summers. So, no long days stacking bales for me.

I'm not complaining. It was hard work. I thank God for NEW HOLLAND.