After the rain had passed this spring, The Farmer was able to get out into the hay field, and we ended with a very successful hay season!
Due to a cool, wet spell late this summer, we were able to get a second cutting this fall!
Tag Archives: hay
Rain, Rain…
Much of the nation has been experiencing drought conditions the last couple of years. In fact, two years ago, because things were so dry, hay production was very low. Due to the shortage of hay, it became a very “hot” commodity. We had to buy a lot of hay during the winter, and it was very expensive! (Supply and demand—capitalism at work!) The large, round bales of hay that historically cost $25-$35 a bale, were selling for $55-$65. We even heard of someone paying (well, charging) $90 a bale!
Last year was a little bit better, or we were a lot more prepared. We had enough hay to feed the cattle through the winter, and we still have a few bales leftover to feed cattle that are put in the lot for various reasons.
We are not out of the drought conditions, yet. In fact, our farm sits in an area that the old-timers used to call Dry Branch–possibly because the rains seem to keep going around us. At times, we see a storm moving in, and then it begins to clear up and looks like a completely different weather pattern.
During the last couple of months, we have been praying for rain…the situation was getting serious. The fields were thin, the grasses were not growing, and we were wondering what we would do for hay for the coming winter. But thankfully, this month we have been blessed and over-blessed with rains, here on the farm. Now The Farmer has another problem…the rain is keeping him from cutting the hay!
He only needs three straight days of good sunshine to cut a field, rake it, and bale it. Unfortunately, the weatherman keeps predicting “chances” for afternoon, morning, or evening showers. His latest prediction looked like this:
So understandably, The Farmer is a little hesitant about laying any grass on the ground. But like all ventures here on the farm, he’s going to eventually just take a chance and hope for the best.
Cold and Dry Hay Season
Traditionally, The Farmer begins cutting hay in May, when plants have the fewest seed heads and leaves contain the most nutrients. After the hay begins to seed, the nutrients leave the leaves and go up into the seed. The early cuttings in May produce quality hay.
Unfortunately, hay season is off to a slow start this year. The combination of late snowstorms into April, the cool (downright cold) days of spring, and then the drought conditions that are still lingering through this month have stalled the growth of spring grasses.
The Farmer was able to put up a few bales, but we are in need of a lot more before hay season ends.
“Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. Thy hay appereth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.”
Proverbs 27:23 & 25
Must Be Summer, Because We’re Putting Up Hay
One of the tell-tale signs of summer is putting up hay.
The Farmer woke up one cool, cloudy morning and decided that he was going to start cutting hay. The weatherman made a prediction of low clouds but no rain, and The Farmer believed him.
Not me…I had often been duped into believing that the weatherman could actually predict the weather here in Missouri, and had finally come to the conclusion that whatever was reported on TV was never what was going to happen.
So being the “supporting” wife, I informed The Farmer that if he insisted on cutting hay on a day when every physical sign pointed to a wet weekend that I would emphatically say, “I told you so”, when he was raking up wet hay.
Fortunately, The Farmer was right (must be farmer intuition). He pressed on, even under the pressure of low lying clouds and an unyielding spouse, and was able to get the first field cut, tethered, raked, and baled before the rain came.
Cutting grasses while they are young and tender is best because the nutritional value is at its peak. It also makes more tender and tasty hay during the winter months (so I’ve been told).
The ideal time to cut hay is on a clear, warm, summer day, but sometimes that’s not possible, so The Farmer tethers the hay to dry it out faster. A tether machine picks up the hay and scatters it around to allow the hay to aerate. This step isn’t always necessary during really nice weather (just sayin’).
After the hay is cured, it is raked into windrows and then baled.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9StIukpbFmc]
We stack our hay and then cover it with a tarp. This is the first field and the first cutting. It really looks like a good year for hay, which is encouraging, because we had to buy a lot of our hay last year because of the drought.
