New Holland

During our visit in Pennsylvania, Joel arranged for us to tour the New Holland Baler Plant. Wearing safety glasses and dodging forklifts we watched the transformation from sheets of metal to round and square balers*, ready to be transported to dealerships across the country.

The tour was especially interesting for two reasons (not counting the fact that our family is dominated by engineers and any factory tour is intriguing). First, Joel is employed by Case New Holland and while he isn't directly involved in the production of round balers, we were able to see where he works. Second, we use New Holland equipment in our hay business and my Dad and brothers are intimately familiar with many of the parts in a square baler.

Glossary of terms for non-farmers

*A baler is a machine that picks up hay or straw from the ground and forms it into individual bundles tied with twine. A round baler produces large cylinder-shaped bales while a square baler makes smaller rectangular bales. A baler is usually pulled behind a tractor.