My First Cut of Hay 2025
I now have lots of newly baled hay here at my farm. This first cut of the season is higher in fiber and lower in protein and fat - my horses will love it.
One of my objectives at my farm has always been to practice self-sufficiency. When I moved here, I designated three separate areas as hayfields, so I could grow lots of delicious, nutritious hay for my horses and donkeys. I plant the fields with a quality custom seed blend and when it's ready, my outdoor grounds crew works hard to cut, fluff, rake, and then bale the hay.
Enjoy these photos.
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- This time every year, I cross my fingers for a stretch of good, dry weather, so I can get the first cut of hay from the fields. Timing is everything when cutting the hay crop. This week’s heat wave has been uncomfortable, but perfect for drying and baling hay. Here’s one field of freshly cut hay.
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- It was cut with my mower-conditioner. Mower-conditioners are a staple of large-scale haymaking. It cuts, crimps, and crushes the hay to promote faster and more even drying. It is the first step in the hay baling process.
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- This equipment also works to remove the waxy coat on the crop as it conditions, making the hay dry faster – this means less waiting time and less chance for poor weather to negatively impact the hay quality. When weather conditions are ideal, these machines allow farmers to cut wide and fast – the best formula for quality field productivity. 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 best time is to start as soon as dew is off in the morning, which will maximize drying time. After it is cut, it is left to dry for several hours.
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- Next, 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. The tedder moves up and down the field taking all the greener hay from the bottom and turning it over to dry.
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- The hay turn colors from green to tan. On average, it takes about three days per field, depending on the size of the field and the weather, to complete the entire process of mowing, raking, and baling hay.
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- Then it is time to make the windrows, which are rows of hay raked up and shaped before being baled. The bar rake is pulled behind a tractor to make windrows from the tedded hay. 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 is a windrow ready to bale. All the windrows are lined up straight next to each other with enough room in between for the baler to maneuver properly around the field.
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- A hay baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport, and store. I am fortunate to have all the necessary equipment to process the hay in my fields.
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- Inside a box behind the baler is where 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.
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- The process starts midday when there is the least amount of moisture. The wagon fills up pretty quickly. Each one can hold about 150-bales. Chhiring drives up and down the windrows of all the hayfields which takes a good portion of the afternoon.
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- The tractor rides to one side of the windrow while the baler passes directly over it to collect the hay. All the hay is dry and passing through the machine smoothly. If the hay is properly dried, the baler will work continuously down each row. Hay that is too damp tends to clog up the baler.
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- As hay is collected, a baled “square” travels up the conveyor belt. A measuring device, normally a spiked wheel that is turned by the emerging bales, measures the amount of material that is being compressed and then knotters wrap the twine around the bale and tie it off.
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- The hay is lifted by tines in the baler’s reel. Here one can see the bale moving upward.
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- And then it is 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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- I have two hay wagons. Here is one completely filled and ready to stack.
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- The crew sets up the hay elevator to the hay loft. Then each bale is placed on the hay elevator which sends it up to waiting hands. Baling hay is a team effort. 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.
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- Here is the view from the top end of the loft as bales are sent up.
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- Juan is in the hayloft stacking the bales as they come up the hay elevator.
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- Phurba makes nice, neat piles.
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- In all, I got 1037 bales of hay this time around – a good number that will last us through the season. And then come September, I’ll be harvesting a second cut of good quality, nutritious hay for my horses. I’m so glad to be able to make my own hay right here at my farm.
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