Making Hay at Woolfarm.com
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Let me say first, that there isn't
any "technical" information regarding haymaking here--no facts or
figures containing % of proteins or relative feed values. The following is
simply a basic explanation of things we have found to work best for us here at
Woolfarm.com. For more comprehensive information, please
contact your local farm extension office. They can supply advice before starting
any adventure ---- you know, dial before you plow!!
Making your own hay is not a "difficult"
process, nor is it essential to keep livestock, if you can otherwise find a reliable source from which to purchase acceptable quality hay from
nearby. Making the decision of whether to produce your own hay will depend on
many things, such as: How much hay is necessary to feed your animals? How
many years you plan to feed hay? Is land available to consider
haymaking? Is
machinery available for rent or purchase? Is "storage" area
available for the hay crops you would produce or might you sell a portion? Many
factors will influence your final decision.
However, here at Woolfarm.com we
actually prefer to make our own hay. Though it can be time-consuming, stressful (worrying
whether the weather will cooperate, or drench the cut hay that's waiting to dry)
and physically exerting, for our farming operation here, we feel the benefits far
outweigh the negatives! We generally feed about
6,500 - 9,000 small square bales each year to our animals, so finding,
purchasing, and hauling hay isn't something we consider. Though
haymaking is a labor-intensive task, we do find it rather "satisfying"
and "enjoyable". It's gratifying to be raking hay, and look over
and see your sheep flock graze in the adjacent pasture. Essential for us,
is having enough hay-making machinery that enables the two of us (Cletus &
me) to put up all the hay ourselves , though a "Father's Day present from
our son has consisted of a day of "hay help"!.
By producing our own hay, we have control of
what is actually IN our hay fields. We know for instance, that our fields
haven't had manure from hog and/or chicken operations, which could easily supply
excessive amounts of added "copper", which could be potentially deadly
for a sheep flock. Also, by planting our hay fields, it enables us to choose the percentages of grasses/legumes we want in
our finished hay. (For instance, we can avoid "red clover" which has
the potential to cause problems if fed during certain times).
We also can choose "when" to cut the hay. Though hard to
believe, studies have shown that animals actually "prefer" (taste
tests conducted!!) hay that has been cut during the LATE-afternoon hours, versus
hay that was cut during the morning hours. My "unofficial"
explanation of this, is that by the late afternoon, all the "yumminess"
has climbed from the roots up into the plant, thus when cut late-afternoon, all
those good-tasting morsels have been trapped in the cut portions, and are baled
for your animal's eating pleasure! When cut in the early morning, those
good-tasting nutrients have sunken down into the roots for the evening, and
haven't had a chance to wake up and get back up into the plants before they are
cut.
Once established, hay fields can last several
years before needing to be plowed, prepared, and "reseeded". We
generally plant our "hay" fields with various grasses and roughly 30%
alfalfa seed. When "start" a hay field,
we plant it with a "cover crop" of oats. This means, when the
grass/alfalfa seeds are planted, that oat seeds are planted at the same
time. Since alfalfa takes longer to get started, the oats sprout up and
give the alfalfa plants protection for a while. As a hay field matures in years,
the percentage of grass to alfalfa will rise, as the grass multiplies and the alfalfa
slowly diminishes. "Drying" time for cut hay
fields is drastically reduced as the grass percentage increases. High volume
alfalfa fields take noticeably longer to "dry" following cutting, thus
making it necessary for additional sunny drying days to harvest good hay. It
is for this reason that we have grown extremely fond of high-percentage grassy
hay fields here in Wisconsin!!
Rain is much more of a friend
than enemy to the hay-making farmer. Without sufficient rain, the hay crop will be short and
thin. "Timing"
of the rains is what really counts, and also completely out of your
control. Rarely does one notice how often the weather man is wrong, until
they attempt to put up hay! Though rain robs nutrients from hay, we have found it is much
wiser to let hay "dry" an extra day even if showers are in the
forecast, than to bale it even "slightly" damp. Patience is
definitely a virtue in making a good hay crop. Light rains which occur a
few days apart can be dealt with by "tedding" (fluffing with the
"tedder") the
hay, thus allowing air circulation and preventing mold/dust from forming.
Too many rainy days in succession after cutting the hay will cause it to
rot/mold where it lays, and it actually turns black and slippery. As if losing the hay crop isn't bad enough, it
must then also be raked, chopped, and actually blown back
onto the field to prevent it from "smothering" the hay plants that are
growing under where it lays. If the cut crop is extremely thin, and
the plants underneath are able to peek up through, it might be possible to allow
the moldy mess to remain laying in place. However, DO expect to have some
"jambs" in your haybine while cutting the the following crop.
We harvest 3 crops of hay annually, 1st crop in June, 2nd crop in July, and our
3rd crop in August. Much is dependant on weather conditions, as to when we
can accomplish the process. In a "new" hay field, it is planted
as early as soil temperature permits oat seed germination, but the 1st crop is
forfeited altogether, giving the entire field (grasses/alfalfa and oats) a
chance for growth. Around the time when 2nd crop would normally be harvested in
an established hay field, the oats turn golden color, and can be
"combined" (meaning a combine goes through the field, harvesting the
oats and leaving behind the oat "stems", which must then be baled as
"straw", which is used for bedding). If you have no use for oats
and/or straw, the field can be "cut" while it is still green (with the
haybine just prior to turning golden) and then baled----this is referred to as
"oat hay". Our hereford cattle LOVE this, but if fed to our
wool-producing animals, it tends to shed "oat heads" into their
fleeces, which hand-spinners understandably frown upon!! Regardless
of whether straw or oat-hay is harvested as the initial crop from that field
it's first season, a single cutting of hay will be taken from it, usually during
late August, depending on the growth/weather of the season.
To be continued.......
Oliver Super 88 Tractor
New Holland Haybine 469
Oliver Super 77 Tractor w/New Holland Hay Rake 258
Throw bale rack
Hay Tedder
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