Hay Day #1

Finally it's time to cut hay! We had a very wet May and June along with a hay mower that needed some repairs, so it's taken us a while to get the hay in. This weekend the process begins. It takes about three days of hot and dry weather to cut, dry and bale the hay - and that's what in the forecast.

Here's what the lower hay field looked like last night - look past the fenceposts and greenery in the foreground.

And here's what it looked like this afternoon. Farmer John's Dad mowed both our hay fields. In this photo the middle hasn't been cut, but the rest is done.

The yellow thing sticking off the back of the tractor is the hay-mower. The blades are at the bottom of the yellow guard. Farmer John and his Dad were working on a problem with the mower - and in the end it was a problem that could be fixed with a spud bar. (For the record, the spud bar is my third-favorite farm tool.)

After the hay was cut, Farmer John and I spread out the clumps of hay. This photo was from the upper hay-field, which had most of the clumps. If they don't get spread out then the hay won't dry.

After all the hay was de-clumped (yes, that's the official farm term!) we just hung out in the hay field. It was a very pleasant evening. The birds were singing, the creek was running and the fresh cut hay smelled so good.

Stay tuned for the next couple days as we finish the hay - also known as getting the cow's January dinner ready.