Just east of Pridgen, Georgia, sits the George E. Boyd Farm. There, George Boyd raises chickens and beef cattle, and custom bales between 400 and 500 acres (161.9 and 202.3 ha) of hay — including baling peanut hay. After years of using balers that weren’t meeting his needs, Boyd found a round baler that let him get more done in the fields so he could spend more time with his family.

Boyd’s community in southern Georgia is the kind of place where roots run deep and friends have always got your back. That’s why Boyd turned to his childhood friend (and Vermeer dealer) Zack Marchant when he needed a new baler. Boyd had no doubt that Marchant would set him up with the machine that would be the best for his farm.

“The first time we tried a Vermeer, we broke down with the baler we were using at the time. Zack Marchant brought the Vermeer one out. He showed us how to run it, hooked it up and we went to baling hay. I don’t even think I let him take it back to town. I think I kept it,” said Boyd of his first Vermeer 504R Premium baler. Since the day Marchant brought that 504R Premium to Boyd’s farm about four years ago, Boyd has purchased two more.

Baling peanut hay takes the right baler

At Boyd’s farm, they wrap up about 1,500 bales of grass hay and about 1,000 rolls of peanut hay each year. Marchant, who owns Ocmulgee Outdoors, knew Boyd needed a baler that was fast and dependable. Plus, baling peanut hay can be tough on balers, so Marchant wanted to set Boyd up with a machine that could handle it. “At the end of the day, it’s about making bales and how many can he make in a day. And the [504R] Premium is the fastest one we had for him. And that’s why we chose it for George,” said Marchant.

Marchant’s choice was spot on. “This 504R Premium baler is just right for us. It’s very tough, very dependable and very simple to operate,” said Boyd. “I can’t brag enough on the quality of the Vermeer equipment … They’re good- quality, durable, American-built products,” he added.

A baler that combines versatile features and simplicity

With heavy-duty components like “rock” belts, optional endless belts and optional float tires, the 504R Premium baler is designed for maximum productivity and output. Its Atlas™ control system touchscreen displays everything you need to bale and allows you to enter field statistics to track bales per hour and average bale size. Plus, the 504R Premium comes equipped with a 60-in (152.4-cm) camless wide pickup with minimal moving parts to help minimize maintenance and parts costs. As Boyd put it, “There’s just a whole package of simple, easy-to-operate equipment.”

"The 504R Premium lets you get more bales per hour with less breakdown time. When you’ve got a bunch of hay on the ground, you need to get it up. You don't need to be fixing. You need to be baling .— George Boyd, George E. Boyd Farm"

A baler that can handle all kinds of forage

While gaining productivity and minimizing maintenance time on the farm is important to Boyd, another one of his top concerns is the quality of his forage. “What you put in your cows is what you get out of them. Good-quality forage is always on top of the list,” said Boyd. His crew primarily bales several varieties of Bermuda grass, Bahia grass and hay. In the fall, they spend time baling peanut hay. Boyd said, “It’s a real good cow feed. It’s kind of rough on balers, but the 504 Premium handles it really well.”

While Boyd only bales dry hay on his farm, the 504R can also handle silage. Baling silage has been gaining popularity across North America. To meet producers’ demand for a baler that is specially designed and built to handle silage, the 504R Premium comes with a standard silage kit. It’s ready to take care of high-moisture hay needs.

Vermeer R2300 twin rake adds to farm productivity

In addition to his 504R Premium balers, Boyd runs an R2300 twin rake. Like his balers, the rake has proven to be low maintenance. Boyd is also happy with how the R2300 has helped keep his forage clean. “The rubber-mounted teeth … they’re great. We’ve not had any problem with breaking any of them. They run just above the ground. It gets to the forage and it leaves the dirt,” he said.

The R2300 allows Boyd to adjust the width of his windrows to match his baler. It also allows him to control row width, basket lift and folding/unfolding systems right from the cab of his tractor.

More time baling, less time on maintenance

Boyd is satisfied with his Vermeer haying equipment, especially his 504R Premium balers. “The biggest impact the 504R Premium baler has had on my operation is I spend more time baling, less time on maintenance. That means more time doing other things, whether it’s other work or spending time with family. When you’re baling hay, you want to get done,” Boyd said. That’s just what the 504R Premium does for him: It gets the work done. “I would highly recommend the Vermeer 504R Premium to anybody. It’s just a plain, simple, good baler,” Boyd said.

To learn more about the 504R Premium baler and what it can do for your operation, contact your Vermeer dealer.

[READ ANOTHER PRODUCER’S 504R PREMIUM STORY]

Information noted above was gathered from a third party who was advised his/her experience might be featured in marketing materials. This article contains third-party observations, advice or experiences that do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Vermeer Corporation, its affiliates or its dealers. Individual results may vary based on care and operation of machine and crop and field conditions, which may adversely affect performance. Vermeer Corporation reserves the right to make changes in engineering, design and specifications; add improvements; or discontinue manufacturing at any time without notice or obligation. Equipment shown is for illustrative purposes only and may display optional accessories or components specific to their global region. Please contact your local Vermeer dealer for more information on machine specifications Vermeer, the Vermeer logo and Atlas are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries.. © 2022 Vermeer Corporation. All Rights Reserved.