Summer is finally upon us! As you may have seen, the tractor activity has increased, fields are starting to change colour and we are gearing up for our busiest time of year! The first crop that needs our attention is the hay. Hay is grass that is cut, dried and baled for animal feed through the winter, or a particularly dry summer.
Firstly we cut the grass with a hay mower, which cuts it off at the floor and lays it down while leaving the grass long. From here we spread the grass to allow it to dry evenly. This is done a few times dependent on how dry the grass is to start with and what happens with the weather. Once we are happy with the moisture levels it gets rowed back up ready to be baled.
We don’t have our own baler so we get a local contractor to come and bale the hay into what are known as conventional bales. They are the classic looking bale – about a metre long and half as wide, so they are small enough that they can be moved by hand when necessary, but can also be stacked and handled using machinery
As the tractor passes over the row, the baler picks up the grass, compresses it and ties it up, then drops it out of the back. Directly behind the baler there is a flat eight drag that organises the bales into two rows of four bales known as flat eights. These can then be easily picked up and taken to the shed or trailer using a telehandler. Once in the shed, we stack them by hand and they are ready for whenever they should be needed!
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Motts Farm 