/// The season doesn't slow down. Your shoulders feel every load.
Farm injuries rarely come from one big moment. They build up over a season of the same throws, climbs and lifts. In peak season, nobody can afford to sit out a week.
Some loads are too tall for a clean hand throw.
Stacked square bales and round bales rise high above the deck. A good throw takes skill. A miss means picking up the strap, walking back and throwing again. On a tall load, the arm hits its limit before the strap clears the top.
Twelve to fourteen straps a load. All season.
Haying and harvest pack months of work into a few weeks. Every load starts with the same overhead motion, done cold, with no warm-up. A sore shoulder in July can cost you the rest of the season.
Ten straps to roll up after every load. By hand, in the cold.
Securing the load is only half the job. Every strap still has to be rolled up, stored and untangled for the next one. Small tasks like these wear on the hands and wrists, load after load.
