I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.
The baling of hay began with the invention of the first hay press in about 1850. Hay was baled then for easier handling, reducing space for storage and for shipment.
The first bales weighed around 300 pounds because the original machines were vertical in nature. They used a horse-drawn screw press mechanism or a dropped weight to compress the hay.
The first patent went to H. L. Emery for a horse-powered screw-operated hay press in 1853. Other models were reported as early as 1843 by P. T. Daedric and Sons of Albany, New York.
That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.
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