The world's only hay press that is both operational and publicly displayed is right here in Indiana, and Hoosiers recently got a closer look at how it functions for the last time this year.
The machine at O'Bannon Woods State Park was built in 1850. It uses a pulley system to tightly pack hay into a bale. In the 1880s, it could make a bale of hay every 20 minutes. Before its invention, farmers had to spend hours to make a single bale of hay.
The park's two oxen, Forrest and Gump, power the hay press. Gump weighs about 2,000 pounds and Forrest weighs about 2,500.
Park naturalists also use the oxen to work a sorghum press, and volunteers cook the sorghum juice into molasses. The animals live on a working pioneer village reenactment site.
The hay press will be dormant for the winter, but you can see it in action again next summer.