Late First Cutting

Last week we were busy making some of our first-cutting hay, and we still have one field left to do. We need several sunny days in a row to cut hay and let it dry down to the right moisture level for baling, and our first window of good weather came last week.

It has been years since we have made hay towards the end of June - last year we finished our first cutting on June second! This spring, the wet weather has delayed first cutting for farms across the region. When we cut hay this late, the quality is not as good and there is a lot more of it.

To get our hay done, we rely on equipment and help from off the farm. We use our tractor to operate a neighbor's rented equipment for mowing, tedding, and raking the hay into windrows. We hire a dairy farmer friend who brings a larger tractor to do all the baling and some of the wrapping. We help both of those farmers to get their hay done earlier as part of the exchange. Leith's parents are integral to the hay operation, with Malcolm moving bales for hours at a time, and Drury feeding the hungry crew.

There are some long days during hay season, and it can be quite stressful dealing with the inevitable equipment breakdowns. Still, we enjoy working with other farmers to get the job done.

Thanks for reading,

Leith, Mary Kate, Norah & Edith MacKenzie