Chapter 12
Making Hay
The hardest part of the work of making hay is getting started. The next hardest part is bringing it into the barn. You might as well make good hay in between.
If the sun shines, your best hay will always be what you make yourself with your own equipment. If you must rely on others to make your hay, they will fit you into their schedule, and you will probably have to wait while they fix something, then it will rain, then the ideal moment for harvesting perfect hay at the right stage of maturity will have passed.
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When to Cut
The right stage of grass maturity for haymaking is while it is still green and in bloom or with seed heads barely forming. As soon as heads form, the nutrient value of the leaves declines and rushes into the seed heads. Stems then must get tougher to support the weight of the heads. You need to cut the hay before this process gets very far advanced. Your neighbors may criticize you for making early hay, saying you are losing volume. But the volume and weight they gain is in stems high in lignin, with little feed value and diminished taste appeal.
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How to Cut
Before starting to cut, walk the periphery of your field and remove any branches that might foul your equipment and any lumps of last year’s hay that got left. You want to be pretty fussy about this. It is ruinous to tempers when equipment is disabled on the first cut. Contract haymakers are so sure you won’t have bothered to clean up that they typically start their first cut about four feet into your field. Your field then grows progressively smaller.
If you’re mowing with an old-fashioned cutter bar, make your first cut by going all the way around the edge once to open up the field. Cut as close to the fence as you can safely manage. Cut the rest of the field in the opposite direction so you don’t have to drive on the standing grass.
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Equipment
If you have the fields and are a handy person, haymaking equipment is cheap these days. You might find that over a two- or three-year period the equipment would pay for itself. The bare essentials are a mowing machine and a hay rake. A tedder is also extremely useful. There are other mowing designs you may wish to explorer; all are dangerous. Unless you want to put hay in the barn loose, you will also need a baler.
The older type of mowing machine has a long cutter bar with teeth that slide against each other in a scissors action. It is a design that stood the test of time for a hundred years. The earliest cutter bars were pulled by one or more horses. The action was ground-driven by the wheels. Tractors replaced horses, but the antique ground-driven mower, if you can find one, remains efficient and functional if you drive slowly. Later ones are designed to be operated by the power take-off (PTO) on modern tractors. It is this style that is most likely to be available cheaply now.
A mower requires more horsepower to operate than most other equipment because of the mechanical disadvantage in translating forward motion to crisscross motion. If you find yourself buying equipment, make sure your tractor is powered for the length of the cutter bar.
Be sure when buying any implements that the hitch conforms to your tractor. There are two-point and three-point hitches.
An implement called the mower-conditioner is now in common use. It is cylindrical like a reel mower. It kicks up the mowed grass and crimps it as it passes over the cylinder. This conditioning action is of great value because the bent-up grass dries much more quickly. If grass is mowed in the old-fashioned way with a cutter bar, you really should have that tedder. It has teeth that whip the grass around with an eggbeater action. It is an excellent device, but to use it you must either have a second tractor available or disconnect the mower and connect up the tedder. Two people working the field makes speedy hay. One person mowing and then tedding using the same tractor permits less flexibility because connecting and disconnecting a mowing machine is a nuisance, but not too bad if the weather holds. If you are fortunate enough to have either type of mower plus a second tractor to pull the tedder, somebody can just keep going over the field tedding and the hay will dry very quickly. If the weather is hot and dry with a nice breeze, sometimes it is possible to bale the very same day you have mowed.
The brush hog works on the principle of a rotary lawn mower. Some have a modification that enables them to cut hay and lay it down in a windrow. This method is in general use in Australia (where the brush hog is called a slasher).
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Raking
Before the hay can be baled it must be raked into windrows not wider than the baler pickup.
Hay rakes are of several types. The older ones are ground-driven and can be pulled by anything. There is the old-fashioned trip rake, which drags a swatch of hay straight ahead. It has a seat for a rider. About every twenty feet the person on the seat trips the rake and it leaves behind a rope of hay. This is very basic, but the resulting windrows tend to be straggly as you go back and forth over the field trying to trip the rake at the right moment to line up the swatches.
A side delivery rake is another time-honored design. It is superior in efficiency to the trip rake because the action is continuous, so no tripping, but there are more moving parts. A series of teeth is geared to move the raked hay to the side and leave a windrow. The side delivery rake must be driven slowly.
Another style that operates efficiently has a series of big overlapping wheels with teeth that deliver the hay to each other and thence into a windrow quite rapidly.
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Rain
If rain threatens, hay should be raked into windrows as quickly as possible. When the sun comes back out, wait until the mowed strips between the windrows dry out, then use the tedder to spread the hay around again so it can dry.
It is critically important that the hay be thoroughly dry before baling. If it isn’t, once baled it will mold. It may also get dangerously hot. Spontaneous combustion is possible.
If rain soaks the mown grass while it is still green, and you manage to get it dried out expeditiously, the nutrient value of the hay is very little damaged. If rain hits mown hay that has already dried once and it must be dried a second time, the feed value is greatly reduced. It can still be used to feed winter steers or fed to a cow during the first two weeks of drying off. It can also be fed to a milking cow, suitably augmented with other feed. I have often had to do it, but it is a disappointment all around.
If the hay is rained on and dried out a third time, it is fit only for mulch or bedding. It’s still worth baling up and bringing in for this purpose. Take a good look at it and smell it, so you’ll recognize such hay in case somebody ever tries to sell you any, misrepresenting it as “only rained on once.” If you are fortunate enough to have a brush hog, instead of picking it up, you can go over it and leave it as mulch on the field.
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Baling
The world is full of old hay balers, the kind that makes rectangular bales. Somebody is not unlikely to give you one. Most are powered by the PTO (power take-off) on the tractor. They whisk up the hay, pack it into a bale-shaped channel, ram it hard, wrap twine around it, and with an action similar to a sewing machine, tie on the twine . . . except when they jam up or miss the knot. They make a lot of noise. Certain clever people are able to keep them going with impressive consistency. But when they quit, the silence on the hay field is depressing.
If you bale hay, and I really hope you will, use sisal string. Plastic string is a hazard to a cow in case she eats it, and a hazard to the environment. The knotters on older balers will often not tolerate plastic twine, as well.
The baler can be set to the size of bale you prefer. Thirty- or forty-pound bales are heavy enough for most people. Bales stack most efficiently if, like bricks, the length is twice the width.
After the hay is baled, as soon as possible put the bales together in tepees of two, three, or four, so they dry (cure) on all sides. If the weather remains fine, the bales can stand in the field several days. Hay heats up. This way it can do its heating outdoors. If the bales get wet, roll them over so all sides can dry before bringing them in. The hay usually isn’t ruined.
Many people prefer to make and use round bales. There are advantages both ways. For one cow, I find the old-fashioned rectangular bale is more versatile and easier to manage.
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Hay by Hand
Hay can be made entirely by hand. All the necessary hand implements are available. If you have only about an acre of hay to make, and especially if access is difficult for your or anybody else’s power equipment, do consider this. You will need a scythe, long-handled wooden rakes (preferably one for every volunteer), and a couple of real pitchforks with spring steel tines. A manure fork won’t work. A scythe must be exactly proportioned for the man who mows, as perfectly sized as a golf club. There will be an adjustment on the handle for at least one of the handholds. The blade must be razor sharp. A man can then march forward rhythmically swinging his scythe, hear birdsong, and smell only new-mown hay as he lays it down. Everybody else can follow along and fluff up the hay, exactly as in a painting by Constable. When the hay is dry, rake it into windrows, then divide the windrows into a series of haycocks to be pitched onto the wagon. Like bales, a haycock can take a little rain without serious damage. Few women are tall enough or strong enough to use a scythe, although for some of us anything is possible.
What my boys and I often have done is to mow the hay with a mowing machine, run the tedder, rake it into windrows and haycocks, and then pitch it loose onto the wagon. Everybody can have a nice hayride back to the barn. Then it gets pitched loose into the haymow. Using this method we have filled the barn with hay from fifteen or twenty acres in a season.
When loading hay onto a wagon, fill up the corners and sides before filling in the middle. Keep stomping down the middle as you build up the sides. Otherwise the load will be unstable. Do this also in the haymow, including the stomping. Unstable hay can slide like an avalanche while at the same time making it difficult to get a forkload out when you want it. There is a nice description of the skill needed to make a load of hay in “The Death of the Hired Man” by Robert Frost.
I have described three ways to make hay, and more variations are possible. It is clear enough why farm couples have traditionally been pleased to have large families. On farms, children were and are an economic asset. If you have a small family, try to have lots of friends. Haymaking is a lot of work, but wonderfully worthwhile. Make it a party. Serve them haymaker’s switchel, a traditional power drink made of whey enlivened with a splash of apple cider vinegar and a handful of fresh raspberries.
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Putting Hay in the Barn
When stacking either baled or loose hay, start out with a plan and appoint yourself field marshal to make sure others do it your way. Otherwise, enthusiastic helpers will often have your hay unloaded and into the barn while you’re still mopping your brow.
If your hay storage area has a dirt floor, lay down boards or pallets to keep the hay from getting damp. Ideally, leave a draft area under the hay that’s high enough so the cats can hunt under it. Otherwise it’s a free zone for rodents. If you must stack directly on the ground, lay the first layer of bales on edge so the strings don’t rot. If the hay is of varying quality, keep the types separate and don’t allow your best or worst hay to be totally buried and unavailable. You’ll want to be able to access your hay according to your needs without a lot of restacking.
Pile the bales like bricks, making the Flemish bond. The subsequent rows need to overlap and be tied into each other by setting them in opposite directions. Cover the designated floor area layer by layer rather than building walls of bales. Alternatively, pave the entire area with bales lined up the same way; then place the next layer running crosswise. This latter method of stacking is best reserved for a large delivery of uniform hay, or else your varying grades will be sandwiched and be inaccessible. Careful stacking will prevent an avalanche of hay descending on children playing or onto yourself as the stack diminishes.
Those who deliver hay will rarely stack it for you, but if they do, speed, not orderliness, is their priority.
Loose hay also must be put in the mow in an orderly fashion, as noted. Keep filling the corners and sides of the room so the height at the edges stays just ahead of the middle until you level it off at last. You will be feeding it out from the top layer in a pattern opposite to the way you put it in the barn. The order in which it was put in is the only way it can be forked loose, so you will appreciate that you do not want yourself or others having to climb up to dismantle some hay Matterhorn created by somebody trying to see how high and far he could pitch hay.
If not thoroughly dry, both freshly made baled and loose hay can get surprisingly hot after it is put in the barn. The dampest parts get the hottest, which is another good reason to get it good and dry in the field. Until you are experienced at making hay, it’s a very good idea to check the hay before you go to bed. Stick your arm down among the bales, and perhaps crack one open. Reach into a layer of loose hay and note the temperature. If you are at all worried by what you find, set the alarm and check it later in the night. No small number of barns have burned due to spontaneous combustion occurring in hay that wasn’t put in dry enough. Even when it doesn’t get dangerously hot, too much heat in the hay lowers feed quality and reduces palatability. When you find moldy hay, you know it was put up insufficiently dry.
Children large and small are attracted to playing in the hay. One hates to deny them this pleasure and usually won’t be able to make an injunction stick in any case. Look the place over and try to get rid of every hazard you can think of. Be especially particular that pitchforks are hung up after every use. If the barn has a hay drop for feeding to a lower level, fence it off and keep it closed. Make sure the area down below is kept clear and not used to park lawn mowers. Be fanatical about barn safety.
When feeding out hay, sometimes you will run into bales that are mostly good but have moldy streaks. Rather than discarding the entire bale, consider feeding it outdoors spread on the ground. The cow can pick it over and mold spores will drift away. Hay dust and mold are almost as hazardous to a cow as to a horse.
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Testing for Moisture Content
The moisture content of hay can be determined using a microwave and an accurate scale that measures in grams.
Collect a sample of hay from the windrow or bale. Snip it into two- to three-inch lengths.
Find a microwave-safe ceramic plate or heavy paper plate. Weigh the plate and record the weight, in grams, or adjust the scale for the tare of the plate.
Place a glass three-quarters full of water in the back corner of the microwave to prevent charring and to protect the oven.
Weigh out 100 grams of snipped forage. Spread it evenly on the plate. Heat in the microwave for two minutes. Remove the plate from the oven, weigh the plate of hay, and record the weight.
Mix around the hay, rotate the plate, and heat an additional thirty seconds. Remove the plate, weigh again, and record. Repeat until the weight does not decrease by more than two grams per thirty-second round in the microwave, recording the weight each time. The final weight is the dry weight. If the hay starts to char before this point, use the last recorded weight.
To figure the moisture content, subtract the final dry weight from the initial weight. Divide this difference by the initial fresh weight and multiply by 100.
Hay is ready to rake up at 35 to 40 percent moisture. Bale at 20 to 25 percent.
This method was developed by George Haenlein at the University of Delaware.
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Maintaining the Hay Field
Hay takes everything away and puts nothing back on the land. Haying or cropping far more than grazing is responsible for rundown land in marginal farming districts everywhere. Grazing at an appropriate stocking rate takes about two-thirds of the grass, leaving the remainder to carry on photosynthesis and restore many nutrients. Manure left behind by animals adds more nutrients. The hoofs of livestock tread in manure and dead herbage, which builds topsoil. If the land is organically managed, armies of dung beetles will carry the manure into the soil. Areas with a moderate stocking rate and plenty of opportunity for rest and renewal by snow and glacial meltwater remain stable indefinitely. Consider the Swiss Alps, where cattle and goats have grazed for centuries.
Not so with the hay field. Haymaking leaves nothing behind but roots and three inches of stem. If you’re haymaking, you need a consistent program for nourishing the hay field. A three- or four-year rotation involving a legume such as alfalfa, soybeans, or peas followed by row crops is a traditional approach. Soil preparation for planting can be combined with manuring. Trash from the crops can be disked in to add more organic material. A three- or four-year rotation that includes using hay land as pasture can be highly beneficial to both uses. Among other benefits, it will starve out parasites and discourage weeds.
For those of us without farm equipment or manpower to operate it, some other approach to maintaining fertility must be found. If you are able to arrange for the spreading of manure from a nearby hatchery or layer operation, and you and your neighbors can deal with a few days of noxious odor once a year, this will do a good job. Not all poultry waste is acceptable under organic standards. Municipal sludge has its advocates, but I am not among them. It smells if anything worse than hen dressing and contains viable seed. According to its source, it may contain heavy metals. It will surely contain pesticides.
Resting the field for a year by brush-hogging in mid- or late summer after ground-nesting birds have fledged will create valuable mulch. If you can’t make hay or elect not to, it is a mistake to simply leave the grass standing. A lot of that dead grass will still be there next year and will interfere with haymaking. Also, perennial weeds and tree seedlings will get a start.
If it isn’t possible to fertilize the entire hay field, it is worth doing just a strip. Next year the enhanced appearance and production of the manured strip will be an inspiration for further improvement.
One of the easiest and cheapest aids to fertility on most soils is simply liming. Lime isn’t toxic, but you should get a soil test to determine need and application rate. There are cheap and simple devices to pull with a lawn tractor, push like a stroller, or even hang over your shoulder and carry to distribute lime and any other granulated fertilizer you choose to use.
Fertility can also be added by aerial spraying. An ordinary garden hose can be fitted with a nozzle and plastic canister. Fish emulsion or any soluble fertilizer can be added this way. If you have experience with maintaining a healthy lawn, it is a short walk to maintaining a healthy hay field. On my place I have a dramatic example of the difference fertility makes to grass. My vegetable garden is separated only by barbed wire from a piece of neglected land used for hay and pasture. That grass is sparse and weedy. On “my” side of the fence there is a manure pile and some intensively cared-for plots. Here the very same grass, with the same amount of rainfall, grows almost four feet tall and is bright green and juicy looking. An armload I can scarcely carry can be cut from a thirty-six-inch square. On the unimproved side of the fence a thirty-six-inch square would just about fill a dishpan. This explains why it is impossible to state exactly how much land it takes to support a cow, either for her pasture or to provide for her winter hay.
If you do not make hay you will have to buy it, thus adding the fertility from somebody else’s land to yours. Their mistake. Your gain.
Raw Milk and Whey as Fertilizer
A source of fertility uniquely adapted to cow owners employs raw milk or whey. It is useful on both large areas or the smallest flowerpot with results that are consistently impressive. For years I had been congratulating myself on the exuberant growth of my rose bushes. I treated them with whey and milk washings and thought myself quite original, but no, some farmers have known this for years. The concept received a boost when David Wetzel, a retired corporate CEO, and Terry Gompert, a USDA Extension agent serving as skilled observer, received recognition for the impressive grass growth on Wetzel’s fields. Wetzel’s retirement project had been to start a dairy farm and cheese plant. Burdened with excess skim milk and whey, he dressed sections of land with various ratios of raw skim milk or whey and water using a tractor-mounted spray rig. Results have been so gratifying that Wetzel urges those needing fertilizer to order up a tanker of milk from the nearest dairy. He suggests paying the farmer a premium over the meager price he would get from the co-op. “It’s worth more on the land,” he declares.
Many formulations are possible, but according to Wetzel, a mixture of three gallons of milk to seventeen gallons of water is highly successful not only to promote vigorous growth of grass but to build lasting fertility.
Who has milk to pour on the ground? It seems we all do from time to time. If you do not sell milk and do not have a calf, pigs, or poultry to keep up with the supply, you too will often find yourself saying, “What am I supposed to do with all this milk?”
Skim milk may be better than whole milk. Too much butterfat may clog equipment. So far as I can tell, whey works as well as milk. Even small amounts are worth using. Whenever I have whey I dilute it three-to-one and anoint whichever plant is calling out to me, either watering the ground or sprinkling it on the foliage. The results are uniformly rewarding.
Many fine soil amendments exist. I am not sure that anything tops composted cow manure. However, as a low-cost high-powered fertilizer, milk has few rivals, and I know of none as easily and pleasantly managed. Unlike the case for other fertilizers, animals can return to grazing immediately after a field has been treated with milk or whey.
In recent years I have made it a practice to rinse out every jar or glass that has contained milk and pour the washings into a handy bucket. I use this cloudy water on potted plants. The results have been hugely rewarding. Effortless Boston ferns and orchids grace my winter windows, and amazingly, I now am able to winter over fuchsias that not only stay in bloom but are free of aphids. Milk is amazing.
Although my own pastures are nothing to brag about, they have shown steady improvement. Clarinda has little cause to complain. She and her calf have a twenty-acre field and know where the good spots are. She is fourteen years old and still has a calf every year, freshening at five gallons a day, an impossibility for an undernourished cow. She is twice the age of the average cow in a commercial herd.
We once visited the showcase garden of a celebrated organic gardener who lives in Maine. He and his wife said they planned to get a cow but were waiting until they had built up their soil fertility for her. They had that exactly backward. When you get a cow, she builds up the soil fertility for you.
Their famous vegetables didn’t look a bit better than mine.