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Making Hay While The Sun Shines
Posted 23 Jun 2008
There is a well known phrase: "to make hay while the sun shines", which is used to mean to make the most of something while it lasts. Well at LambWatch, we taking the meaning of that phrase back to its origin and are in the process of taking our first hay crop. We are all hoping for good weather this week; the ideal conditions being dry weather and wind for best hay.
The grass we have cut is not a thick crop so it will not take long to dry (hopefully only 3 or 4 days) and is to the left of the webcam as it is seen on the site. No artificial fertiliser has been used on the field (only sheep poo) and as a result it should be really good quality hay.
This field is the first of 3 fields we would like to get baled into hay. On Friday night, Heather and I went for a walk in one of the others, which is the lower half of the "Copy" field. The webcam was overlooking this field for a while a month or so ago (see archives for "Copy") and we found all sorts of types of grasses, we nearly stood on a pheasant as it was sat, crouched in the long grass, probably on some eggs or young chicks. Very well camouflaged!
We were also very excited in our walk when we came across some "Yellow Rattle", which, if you had watched this week's feature on the Yorkshire Dales Hay Time Project on the Countryfile programme on Sunday, you will know is one of the key indicators of a traditional hay meadow!!! We were all very excited to find this growing in our hay meadow so we must be doing something right with managing our hay meadows! There was a clump of about say, 3 metres square of Yellow Rattle, so called because when you shake it slightly, the seeds in the seed pod rattle!
More info on Yellow Rattle »
It would be good to focus the webcam on the activities of haytime but I cannot guarantee anything at this stage but I think it would be good to see as not many farmers actually do "haytime" any more in the same way we do - with old fashioned wooden rakes and square bales! The reason for this is numerous really: it takes longer to make, is very reliant on the weather and the size of the bales we make are the old-fashioned "rectangular" bales; most farmers these days do silage in "big bales" or big stores under plastic covering. Silage is the easier option as it does not need as long to dry out (it is gathered slightly damp after a day or so if that after cutting) so that it ferments in the big bales or under the covers.
Anyway, I am rambling on a bit now, but basically, it would be good to try and get some footage of haytime as not many farmers do it this way any more unfortunately.
Reader Comments
without the farmers looking after our land it would not be as we see it, so thank you for being caring farmers.
sheila on 23 Jun 2008 11:57
I grew up working in the mow tossing bales almost 2 meters long and definitely longer than I was tall! Hay chaff down the back of your neck when you are all hot and sweaty so it sticks to you... Good times those were!
Craig on 23 Jun 2008 14:54
What is the age of the pretty stone outbuildings? I love my little one-minute vacations as I watch the goings on at your farm.
Carol Kaltenbaugh on 24 Jun 2008 20:16
Well I say, this is very interesting page Making Hay, It's not everyday you can come across article like this. And Sheila comment: what would we do without caring farmers like your selfs. Catherine
Catherine on 25 Jun 2008 08:57
Reading your article - make hay while the sun shines, I remember my uncle teaching me how to mow the hay with an old scythe and then we had to rake it into small stacks to dry out and then it was collected up and made into a haystack! my I am showing my age now!!
lizjones on 25 Jun 2008 23:52