Our Second Cut of Hay 2023
Here in the Northeast, we're expecting cloudy skies today with temperatures in the low 60s - it's definitely feeling like fall. I'm glad we are now done baling our second cut of hay for the season.
Hay is a harvested plant that’s dried and cured after being cut in the field. In most cases, hay is cut during the late bud or early bloom stage to maximize its nutritional value. Last week, my outdoor grounds crew cut, tedded, raked, and then baled the hay from my giant fields. It must be done within a four day window when there is no rain in the forecast. They did a first cut in late June. This is the second cut - it's greener, more dense, and filled with lots of protein - my horses love it.
Enjoy these photos.
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- Here at my farm around this time every year, we hope for at least a week of good, dry, warm weather, so we can get a second cut of hay from the fields. Timing is everything when cutting the hay crop.
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- The first step is to mow the fields and cut the hay that has grown. It’s important to consider the time of day that’s best for mowing. The plants’ sugar content is highest at dusk but because of moisture, it’s not ideal to cut hay at night. The best time is to start as soon as dew is off in the morning, which will maximize drying time.
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- My outdoor grounds crew foreman, Chhiring Sherpa, is our resident hay expert. He does a great job keeping track of when it should be cut. This is our mower-conditioner attached to our trusted Kubota M4-071 tractor – a vehicle that is used every day here at the farm to do a multitude of tasks.
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- Mower-conditioners are a staple of large-scale haymaking. It cuts, crimps, and crushes the hay to promote faster and more even drying.
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- The discs and blades are located behind the protective shield of the mower-conditioner.
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- Chhiring goes around the fields counter clockwise cutting all the hay. The process of cutting should take about an hour per field. On the right is the mowed hay. On the left is tall hay still to be done.
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- When weather conditions are ideal, these machines allow farmers to cut wide and fast – the best formula for quality field productivity. Chhiring goes over the field slowly and evenly. As the mower-conditioner goes over the grass, it cuts it and then conditions it – all under the protective hood of the machine.
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- The next day, the cut hay is ready for tedding, also known as fluffing. This is our hay tedder. A tedder spreads and fluffs the hay in a uniform swath. It uses a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines and then cast it out the back of the machine.
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- Here is one of the tines, or moving forks, which aerate or “wuffle” the hay and speed up the drying process even more.
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- The tedder moves up and down the field taking all the greener hay from the bottom and turning it over to dry. This is best done on warm days, so it dries quickly.
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- Next, it’s time to make the windrows, which are rows of hay raked up and shaped before being baled. Here is Phurba pulling the bar rake and making windrows from the tedded hay.
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- The bar rake, also known as a basket rake is hydraulically driven. This rake allows for consistent movement across the fields making well-shaped windrows.
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- Here, one can see the bar rake attached to a tractor as it is being pulled around the field.
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- From this angle, one can see how the machine pulls the hay to create a windrow.
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- The hay is ready to bale when hay pulled from the bottom of the windrow makes a crunching sound when snapped. I have three separate areas for growing hay. They are all planted with a mixture of timothy, orchard grass, Kentucky bluegrass, ryegrass, and clovers – all great for producing good quality hay.
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- Chhiring has all the proper equipment standing by ready to use. A baler is a piece of farm machinery that compresses the cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. The baler is attached to the tractor, and then the hay wagon is attached to the baler.
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- In one compartment, large rolls of twine are positioned and tied to each other, so they can feed into the baler and secure the hay just before it shoots out into the trailer. There are three choices of materials to wrap bales – twine, net wrap, or plastic wrap. If properly baled and stored, hay can last a long time without degrading in quality.
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- Once it is tied, it moves up this conveyor belt…
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- … and then gets thrown into this trailer where two other outdoor grounds crew members work together to grab the bales and stack them. Our wagon is covered to protect the bales from any unexpected rain and to offer shade to the crew stacking the bales as they are thrown.
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- Chhiring drives the tractor and starts the process midday when there is the least amount of moisture. The tractor rides to one side of the windrow while the baler passes directly over it to collect the hay.
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- Here is a bale of hay as it is lifted in the baler’s reel and moved up the conveyor belt. And then propelled into the wagon by a mechanical arm called a thrower or a kicker. The bales are manageable for one person to handle, about 45 to 60 pounds each.
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- In less than an hour, the wagon is almost completely filled with bales of hay. Each bale is about 15 by 18 by 40 inches large. The number of flakes in the bale is determined by a setting in the baler. Many balers are set for 10 to 12 flakes per bale. I have two hay trailers. Each one can hold about 150-bales. These bales will go to the stable hay loft, where they will be stored until needed.
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