Filed under: June 2018 | Tags: grass, Hay, meadows, Stockpiled grass, trefoil, winter grazing
June 15, 2018
The haying season has finally begun. The rain delayed me some, but yesterday I got the first hay of the season mowed. The tender grass and trefoil will make some very nice hay for the horses. I mowed this crop with the tractor. The horses will be used to fluff the drying hay, as well as, to rake it into windrows.
We have quite a bit to do. Just like any journey, it begins with the first step. It looks like a good stretch for hay making. Early next week a guy will bale and wrap a good amount of our cow hay. That baleage will be used in the coldest part of winter to keep the cows in top condition. The hay that is shown in the picture will be baled dry and stored for winter feeding of the horses.
This is some of the nicest hay that I have ever cut. The sheep wintered in this field. They grazed the grass I left here for them all winter. They set the grass back a little making it slower to mature allowing for later cutting. They also fertilized it all winter and early spring. I will call this a grazing success. I should also mention that 12 sheep grazing all winter only ate 4 bales (800 pounds) of hay that I made. The rest of their diet came from the stockpiled grass in this field. The hay was available to them 24/7, but they chose to paw through the snow to eat the grass.
So the 2018 hay season has begun. We will be busy for awhile as long as the sun shines. All is well here at Riceland….we are just taking care of the Meadows!
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RicelandMeadows 
Ralph, you just proved why I need sheep! Do they live out all winter just in a run in shed?
Comment by Jacklyn June 15, 2018 @ 10:12 amYes, mine have a three sided shed. They don’t use it much, but its their choice whenever they want. Cold does not bother them at all. They mostly use it on rainy days, especially freezing rain.
Comment by ricelandmeadows June 17, 2018 @ 6:57 am