Ever find a custom hay bale business so good you didn’t want anyone else to catch wind of it? Well, just north of Edmond, Oklahoma, Mike Levescy is that high-demand hay producer and he’s ready to talk about what sets him above the rest: Vermeer^® Net.

“None of my customers really like to give my information out because they like the job I do, and they don’t want to share, but word of mouth starts spreading,” Levescy said. “I actually sell a lot of my high-quality hay on Facebook.”

Levescy says he’s been producing hay for 25 years, putting up everything from Bermuda, crab and Johnson grass to native and Bluestem, but until Vermeer Net came into his life, “bale failure” was a term he was all too familiar with.

Levescy explained that a typical bale “blow out” would occur for him with his previous brand of net wrap when he completed a net tie and ejected a bale.

“You’d think your net wrap was on it, but half of the net was wrapped in the rolls and now I’ve got a bale that’s half wrapped. From that point, you try to pick it up and it falls apart,” Levescy said.

After three years of fighting with his previous net wrap brand, he got tired of it and was ready to try something else. Though he admits to being a little skeptical at first, Levescy decided to give Vermeer Net a try after several recommendations from others in the hay business.

“People told me that it runs a lot better, and when I began using [Vermeer Net], I wasn’t having bales blow up in the field and come out half wrapped,” Levescy said. “The first thing I noticed when I switched was how strong the [Vermeer Net] mesh was when I was putting it into my baler. It’s tough, it doesn’t rip, and it holds together.”

Vermeer Net, which is made with heavy-duty high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for added durability, can hold bales together tightly in just 1-3 turns.

“On your [Vermeer Net] mesh, you try to pull it — it doesn’t go [stretch],” Levescy said. “Other brands will really stretch. It stretches and breaks. This doesn’t do it. It’s tough.”

Levescy said he likes to hold back 20% of his bale supply every year to help with his own cow herd if his area experiences a drought. His previous net wrap kept falling apart and molding the bottom of his stored bales, but after switching to Vermeer Net this issue went away.

It wasn’t long after switching to Vermeer Net that he switched baler colors too, purchasing a high-capacity Vermeer 605N baler.

“I’m no longer digging net wrap off of rollers,” Levescy said. “I am no longer unrolling bales of hay because it can’t be picked up off the field and re-baling. [Vermeer Net] is a dream come true.”

All these seemingly small wins are adding up to big time benefits for Levescy.

“That time savings is just…you could have more money in your pocket or more time with your family,” Levescy said. “This is the best mesh there is. The best.”

And that’s why Mike Levescy switched to Vermeer Net.

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. Vermeer, the Vermeer logo, Equipped to Do More and the Black, White, Green bale wrap color scheme (Vermeer Net) are trademarks of Vermeer Manufacturing Company in the U.S. and/or other countries. Please contact your local Vermeer dealer for more information on machine specifications. © 2020 Vermeer Corporation. All Rights Reserved.