Tuesday 12 July 2016

Hay or .....


.....silage?  That is the burning question of the moment.

Today the farmer has cut the grass in the paddock and has decided that the crop is so very heavy that it is unlikely that it will be dry enough to make into hay before the rain is promised for the week-end.
Each year he cuts this field, next to the farm house, intending to make it into hay.   Sometimes he is successful, sometimes he has to make it into silage at the last minute because rain is forecast.
But I must say that when friend W and I came back from our Tuesday morning coffee in town with friend C the scent of newly-mown hay was beautiful.

After lunch he gave it the first of what will be many shake-ups over the next couple of days as the does his best to get it dry.   There is no rain about much and there is a light breeze, but sadly sunshine is in short supply and it is so necessary to get that crispness.
The hens were delighted to see the field cut.   For weeks they have avoided going into it as the grass was too long.   Today they are in it in force scratching their way around and looking for grubs.

Well, by the week-end we shall know which it is going to be.   I hope it will be hay and I know the farmer does too - for old times sake really, although he is a softie over the two farm cats (they like to sleep in the warmth of the hay barn in winter) and he likes to think that hedgehogs have a snug place to hibernate.

10 comments:

Derek Faulkner said...

Great photos of the hayfield and the Farmer in action. After about 8 days of dry, warm and windy days, allowing harvesting to move at quite a good pace, it all came to an end 'safternoon as very heavy showers moved through. I think it'll be hay. Down here they also do something called haylage.

Yorkshire Pudding said...

My fingers are crossed for hay. I hope the weather is kind enough.

angryparsnip said...

I hope you can make hay especially for the cats and hedgehogs.

cheers, parsnip and thehamish

Joanne Noragon said...

They're mowing here, too. It's rolled in the fields.

Cro Magnon said...

All finished here but still a lot of bales out in the fields. It seems to be more work to gather the bales than it was to make them.

Librarian said...

The scent of freshly mowed hay for me is THE scent of summer! There are many others, such as peaches, strawberries, roses, lavender and privet, but hay is at the top of my "Summer Scents" list.
I like the idea of the farm cats sleeping in the hay barn in winter, and the Farmer is definitely right about the hedgehods appreciating a place for hibernating.

Dawn said...

I much prefer hay to silage and love the smell of freshly mown hay hope it stays dry and the sun comes out :-)

Heather said...

I love the smell of freshly cut grass and hay. Fingers crossed for more sunshine to get the job done. Happy hens, and wishing for happy cats, hedgehogs and farmers.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Derek speaks of haylage - yes it is done here too - it usually starts off as possible hay and then turns out to be not good enough. Horses like it in Winter apparently.

Thanks for calling in.

Tom Stephenson said...

Hay or Ho? Why not have both, like John?