Filed under: September 2019 | Tags: draft horses, Mowing hay, Small Farming, speltz
September 6, 2019
The weatherman says a stretch of good weather, without rain is upon us. I cut the last field of second cutting hay. The boys did a great job. They settled into a nice walking pace and pulled the mower effortlessly. The grass and clovers were just right for clipping. I think this will make some real nice hay.
The dew stays on the grass a bit longer on September mornings than in the heat of summer. The sun doesn’t get quite as hot, but I think the hay will cure and dry nicely in spite of this early fall weather. We will be diligent in fluffing and turning it, to aid in the drying process.
This hay will make a yummy treat in the cold, dark days of winter. The sweet, soft grass will provide added protein needs for the livestock. They like the sweet hay and will lick up every morsel. I give it sparingly to all but the horses. It is simply too rich for the draft horses. They will be content and stay in good condition on our first cut timothy hay…and oats of course.
We have a few busy days in front of us, but once its done, we are done with haying for the year. We can clean and lubricate the machinery for winter storage. Its looking like we will be working on hay and plowing for speltz at the same time. I hope that the fall planted speltz, are in the ground and growing by the end of the month. That will just leave the corn harvest to complete before the snow flies….funny to be talking about making hay and snow in the same post, but then again, this is northeast Ohio!
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RicelandMeadows 
To follow farming activities is to truly observe the “circle of life.” Thanks for the reminder of the early days.
Comment by Rick Ward September 6, 2019 @ 6:39 amYou are spot on Rick!
Comment by ricelandmeadows September 19, 2019 @ 9:08 am