How Do We Make Quality Hay?
Great hay begins with great pastures
Pasture renovation and improvement is a tall task. It includes shaping the earth to manage water run-off & prevent erosion, smoothing rough terrain, subduing encroaching treelines, removing exposed bedrock, and altering conditions that cause grass to struggle and weeds to thrive.
Quality grass requires quality soil
Techniques for enhancing soil quality include aeration and proper application of dolomite lime (to neutralize soil acidity) and fertilizers.
Weeding and seeding
In order to grow more grass and fewer weeds, we drill & overseed fescue & orchard grass seed, spray mild herbicides, and spot spray or pull the most pernicious weeds.
"To everything there is a season..."
Proper haymaking requires three or four consecutive days of hot, dry weather. Hay must be properly dried to prevent molding.
Mowing
Unlike a lawnmower, a hay mower cuts the pasture grass but does not mulch it. The grass falls over in the direction of the mower's travel and lies flat on the earth.
Tedding
Tedding (or "fluffing") gets the grass up off the ground so it can dry more thoroughly and more quickly.
Raking
After three or four consecutive hot days, our sun-dried grass is now hay. Raking the hay gathers it into windrows to prepare it for baling.
Baling
The baler collects, compacts and bundles the hay. Popular products include square bales and round rolls.
Hauling & Storing
Round rolls are spiked and hauled from the field. Square bales are collected by hand or with a mechanical accumulator. From the field, it's off to our barn or yours!