Make hay while the sun shines, you say? Well we are! As of today we have put over 2200 bales of first cut into the barn and are looking forward to a bit of a break after the final cleanup of this round. Haying often feels like an equipment parade, as we drive around the fields with the tractors towing the mower-conditioner, then the tedder, the rake, the baler, and the hay trailers. If all goes well, after 3 days of cutting and fluffing and raking and gathering we are left with a field full of neatly aligned square bales.
It feels important to know that we are keeping these fields that were cleared over 100 years ago open and productive, while also providing good local fodder for our neighbors’ animals. Over the past 6 years we have seen the species composition of our fields improve as we amend the soil with lime and fertilizer and encourage the grass species with twice yearly mowing. We are even considering borrowing the local conservation district’s no-till seed drill in the near future to add more timothy and orchard grass seed to our mix. Driving around the Upper Valley right now there are farmers taking advantage of this perfect haying weather up and down the length of the river. We hope everyone gets their crop in dry, and then the fields get revived with a good soaking rain!