Come see how I hay my fields
Because we've had so much rain this spring, the hay in the hay fields grew very quickly and it needed to be cut and baled earlier than anticipated. When these fields were originally planted, I chose a meadow mix with plenty of alfalfa, timothy, clover, orchard grass, and brome, which the horses and donkeys love. Dominick, one of the property staff, is in charge of all the mowing and cutting of the fields. He's been watching the weather very carefully, trying to coordinate this chore between rainstorms. Ideally, Dominick likes to cut a field, let the cut hay dry for two days, and then bale on the fourth day. You want that hay nice and dry to prevent rot. I thought it would be fun to show you this baling process - just one tiny task at the farm.
Photos By Martha Stewart and Eliad Laskin
Thanks so much for sharing these photos Martha! I grew up on my grandparent's farm and I remember those hay days well. You brought back some great memories of a time long ago.
Thank you.
Posted by: TMWW | June 4th, 2009 at 12:14 am
Dear Martha,
I picked up the Living magazine yesterday and see that you are due in London. I am so pleased that your Visa situation is sorted out. My mum and I had tickets to see you at Harrods last year for the opening of your Wedgwood line and were so disappointed when it was cancelled. Are you holding any official engagements? A book signing perhaps? I would love to meet you whilst you are over here. I would be very grateful to hear either from you or your staff with any details.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Pru
prusinger5@hotmail.com
Posted by: Pru | June 4th, 2009 at 3:51 am
I always wanted to ask this, how much land do you have? I know 153 acres but what is that in say miles? 1/2 mile or 3/4 mile or one mile or more if you added it all up in one long piece of land I know it isn't in one long piece but broken off into sections, but if you added up the land lengths what would you come up with- not good with math my worse subject.
Have a nice weekend.
Pam From California
Posted by: Pam From California | June 5th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Thanks for showing how hay is grown, cut and dried and then put into bales. It was an interesting entry.
Linda
Phila., PA
Posted by: Linda | June 5th, 2009 at 1:16 am
Hi Martha,
Thank you for this interesting post!
Are you going to London, please tell us when you will be there. It will be an honor to travel from Kuwait and meet you in London.
God bless you always
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | June 5th, 2009 at 6:39 am
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Hello Martha,
Hay field work is grumbling along outside of my office window as I write. One hundred twenty foot locust trees are contributing to the sweet smell with their bushels of white flowers dropping petals across the grass!!
Wishing I'd known sooner about your book signing yesterday a hop skip out of my Massachusetts neighborhood!
I just might have brought your bee sized pine cones for a ride!
An animal issue you'd be interested in was scheduled for me instead. My marketer in Philadelphia is hearing my plea for PACKING FOR DEATH, a National Cancer Society for Animals package I'm developing, along with funding, to prepare families for animal loss arrangements from the first move after the last breath, to ceremonies and memorials ad infinitum. I think of my horse buried in that field out of my window.
We'll be seeking a SPoKesPerSOn next year.
ASPCA award winner, I hope to see you at another book signing!
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ALL GOING GRAY,
Andrea and the Weimaraners
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Posted by: andreaandweims on twitter | June 5th, 2009 at 8:17 am
There is nothing better than the smell of fresh cut hay. Brings back many childhood memories.
Posted by: Stacie | June 5th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Ahhh...the fragrance of fresh mowed hay...the sweet, fresh smell just fills the air! It fills the senses...
Thanks for sharing the photos of the haying process. I am a bit green that you have adequate rain fall this spring...ours is one of the driest springs on record.
Happy gardening!
Debbykay at Rose Cottage Gardens and Farm
Posted by: Debbykay at Rose Cottage Gardens and Farm | June 5th, 2009 at 8:49 am
Thanks for show how you put up your hay. It is always fun to see the fields with the hay equipment going through in a rhythmatic fashion. In other words not broken down or shut down because conditions are not right.
Attractive hay loft. I wonder if the floor is slick or just reflects the light well.
Posted by: Margie | June 5th, 2009 at 9:33 am
You GO girl! with all that monster equipment! What don't you do there at Bedford???
You said you wanted a self-sustained farm, and well, I think you're there!
Have a great hay-bailing weekend!
Posted by: tinay | June 5th, 2009 at 9:38 am
My husband would be so proud of your equipment choice! We have over 100 acres of hay in addition to our produce and beef farming. My husband insists on a John Deere to do all the mowing etc. But only a New Holland round baler will work when it comes time to bale! There is nothing better than the smell of a barn full of freshly baled hay!
Posted by: Kate R. | June 5th, 2009 at 9:58 am
Rineer Family Farms L.L.C. Pequea
Posted by: Kate R. | June 5th, 2009 at 9:59 am
Quite an interesting process...now we know how another good thing evolves! Love all the equipment, too. I used to love to sit on my grandpa's John Deere tractor in his shed and pretend i was 'working the land'.
Posted by: sherey | June 5th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Very interesting! About how much does a bale of hay weigh? I don't think I'd like to be the one on the wagon or the one stacking them in the stable but of course, nice muscles I expect and good exercise. Thanks for another lesson from the farm. Trish
Posted by: Trish | June 5th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Oh, I enjoyed today's blog immensely! I was hoping you would capture the bails shooting out of the baler, and you did! I enjoyed the step-by-step description while being 'right there' in the field!
Timing is everything, as you said, when cutting hay. Yeah, the lush rainfall is always a God-send, but when there are fields to cut, it can be a little inconvenient. You've grown your 'crop', so to speak, but if it rots and ends up moldy, then all that goes to waste (and it's FOOD and useful bedding for the animals!)
It was fun to go back to last August's blog and reread it and get reacquainted with Dominick. With his family association there at your farm and his practical, hands-on skills and knowledge, he is another gem, Martha! - a true asset to your team at Cantitoe Corners!
Sunshine, my wonderful friend! (albeit liquid in Western Maryland)
=^..^=
"Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow cycles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace."--May Sarton
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | June 5th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Hi Trish - To answer your question about how much a bale of hay weighs - A bale can weigh between about 60 and 130 pounds, depending on how the baler was adjusted and how much it compacts the hay. Dominick's bales look pretty loose.
Posted by: Martha Stewart | June 5th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
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I was so happy to see a quote from an old friend of mine! Such memories! May Sarton was the Julia Child of nature. How I wish she were still alive to be an honored guest on Martha's show.
Her gardens in York, Maine, high with daffodil waves, rolled from house above the ocean, straight off of the cliffs edge. The ocean below had a dream come true each time it looked up!
I hope Martha had the pleasure of meeting this great American author at her home in Maine. Such an influence to our younger generation she was!
Mention of her name made my day! Thanks for recognizing her Cindy!
AJS
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Posted by: andreaandweims on twitter | June 5th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
WOW Martha--that is the nicest hay loft I have ever seen!
When I told my husband about your "Bee" blogs, specifically, about the design of their hives (which I love)--he smiled and thought they are the luckiest bees on earth. LOL.
Best wishes Martha. Have a great weekend!
Heather
Posted by: Heather Swan | June 5th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
fine....great field..... nice to see greenish fields..
Posted by: Shankar | June 5th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
Martha was the woman to initially promote farming...and everything that goes along with the lifestyle. Look deep at Martha's history and you'll see that this woman takes great pride in the United States of America and all people. Martha Stewart is an original and it appears and I'm sure she is a very nice and friendly woman. I wish I had more time to investigate the entire Martha's website. Where does this wonderful lady get the time to do all this? Thanks Martha.
Posted by: may | June 5th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I enjoy your pics and quick notes on your current haying season. Remind me of my childhood on a northeastern Pa. farm. Lots of work and now lots of good memories.
Posted by: Catherine montgomery | June 5th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Hi Ms. Stewart,
Here in Maine, I have hayed my grandfather's fields since I was 8 yrs old. I was born in 1948..so, as far as growing Maine strawberries and haying for a dairy farm, I know the way to healthy and happy dairy cows, and the best tasting strawberries on the east coast.
Also, Martha, I went to The University of Southern Maine for 10 yrs, I ama printmaker. Do you have a small position available in your organization?
Happiness to you, enjoy SW Harb., more land in Gouldsboro..West Bay.
Invitation for lunch in the Old Port..private setting.
Lily & Loons - Rand - Gray, Me
Posted by: Debby M. Rand | June 5th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I am just in awe of your neat and tidy haymow! Lucky you to have enough dry days, my family's hay fields are still growing (and getting stemmier by the day, yuck) because we haven't had a dry spell long enough to cut!
Posted by: Jenna Z | June 5th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
that was cool martha!! thanks for all the things you post for us to see. very interesting!!!
Posted by: linda | June 5th, 2009 at 11:27 pm
Hi Martha, This was another terrific blog about your superb farm! It is so great to see how different procedures are accomplished by your extremely efficent farm crew. I love all of the equipment that you have, especially the bale wagon. I remember hay baled years ago and seeing workers in the field lifting the bales on to a flatbed truck. Your equipment is certainly a far superior way to get the job done. I also remember haylofts being open on each end. Your blogs certainly do bring back wonderful memories. Thanks! Have a great weekend at Skylands. Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | June 5th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Iread about the mixture of grasses you use for your hay. EXCELENT choice, I take it Dominick is your field manager. If he is, did he pick out the mixture for your approval? Or,did you tell him what you wanted? Either way, great choice. Teresa Short
Posted by: Teresa Short | June 6th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Hi Martha,
The meadow of hay is absolutely beautiful. I think that would be the perfect place for a wonderful springtime picnic. Just bring a durable quilt, the best food, and a couple of your closest friends and you have a beautiful place to make memories.
JD
Posted by: Jeremy Danielson | June 6th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Hi Martha, this blog of hay-making on your gorgeous farm is carrying me through a bleak winter here in New Zealand. Whilst i dont get so many chances to throw hay bales around now my childhood memories are strong. My parents still farm & have the pleasure every summer of mowing meadows not dissimilar to yours, the fragrance, the sweat the exhaustion...!
I hope this is not an instrusive question-do you live fulltime at the farm? I have no concept of the distances there so wondered if you commute daily.
Happy Times KIM
Posted by: kim whitaker-barnett | June 7th, 2009 at 12:37 am
I've followed you back in the day..born 1959 circa...
I have a little less than 11 acres...my German mother calls if the little Italy in a very dry dirt and no one aroung me has as much green as I do...P.S. not a golf green, but pretty close considering my dry area. Wheatland CA...the only place you will find an Old West Bar dating back to the Truckee trails and a New United Military Forces on the walls...you can only imagine..as we are close to Beal AFB...
I'd really like to know how to handle the Goofers..I have "believe it or not" eighty mexican pots...as I don't want to lose my plants...even if they drive me crazy with pest and other problems.
Can you help me with how I can best handle goofers (sp!)...FYI..their are so many creatures on my property compaired to others that I want to preserve what we have and make it a good thing, but a little to much Bird Crap (BS) can get a little to old...and the snakes like the goffers...you know the chain of survival....please help.
P.S. I've followed you from day one. Keep on Trucking...
Posted by: Cindy King | June 7th, 2009 at 2:03 am
Martha. I grew up in a farming family (on both sides) in the poorest country outside of Africa: Nepal. Now in NYC.
This is my first time at your blog, but I just added it to my blogroll (http://ptechnorati.blogspot.com) and now I am going to be a regular.
I am a huge admirer of yours. I relate to you very personally. http://democracyforum.blogspot.com/2009/05/june-3-immigration-court-date.html
You are an inspiration.
Posted by: Paramendra Bhagat | June 7th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Hi I loved your pictures. YYour loft is incredible! But you are missing the best part of haying.... driving the tractor! One of the most therapeutic mental exercises I have ever done is driving up and down the windrows turning the hay with the rake. It is sooo relaxing! And yes the smell of the fresh hay... say no more!
Posted by: Norvi Wood | June 8th, 2009 at 8:11 pm
i miss bailing
Posted by: Nh | June 9th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
Martha, please consider mowing later to save the birds you love. Early cutting usually destroys ground nests of birds including neo-tropical migrants like the Bobolink and threatened species such as the Henslow sparrow. Please see Mass. Audubon website to learn more: http://www.massaudubon.org/Birds_and_Birding/grassland/small.php#mowing
Posted by: W Lutz | June 11th, 2009 at 7:51 pm