Planting hay

We have 3 acres of crop ground that, until last year, had been rented by a local farmer and farmed conventionally (i.e. not organic).  I knew I wanted to get it back to organic status, so last year I rented to a different neighbor who attempted organic corn without a lot of success.  It was a dry year and the weeds took control and seeded out.  This year I had arrangements to rent to a different organic farmer to have to the acreage seeded back to hay, but due to the wet spring, he as unable to get it done and I decide to try and farm it myself.

Because the ground was corn the last few years, it grew up in to weeds this summer, so I had to use a brush hog to mow off the fields a couple of times.  It's important to keep the weeds from going to seed, or your problems will multiply exponentially.  My plan had been to plow and plant the field with a grass based pasture/hay mix in August, but my tractor, a 1940s vintage 9N Ford, broke down. It took a number of weeks to identify the problem and get the tractor running.  After replacing the spark plugs, condenser, and points, we had it running.  By then it was nearly the end of August, and I wondered if I had missed my window of opportunity, but the tractor breaking down probably turned out to be a blessing, since the recent drought would have ensure that nothing germinated anyway.  While spring is when hay is normally planted, fall is actually a good time to seed hay, particularly grass-based hay mixes, as opposed to alfalfa.  The idea is that the hay will germinate and get some growth, establishing its roots, and then go dormant over winter. 

By early September, I had the tractor running again and was ready to farm 2 if the 3 acres.  I began by using the brush mower to again now off the weeds.  I then used a 2 bottom moldboard plow to plow the field.  A moldboard plow flips the soil, in hopes if burying most of the weed seeds and keeping them from sprouting and competing with the new seeding.  For much of the last 100 years, moldboard planting was the standard method of American tillage.  It has only been in the last 20-30 years that it has given way in large part to minimal tillage methods, such as chisel plows, or no-til methods, which can only be done through use of chemicals.  I'm not an advocate of moldboard plowing as a regular practice, as I believe it disrupts the important layers in the soil and microorganisms that grow within those layers, but for purposes of preparing the seedbed for hay or pasture, where the crop will remain for a number of years, I believe it's good to get the ground prepared right the first time, and do what you can to thwart the weeds so the hay can get established.

After the field had been plowed, I used a small 3-point disk to help knock down the clumps, and begin smoothing the field.  Because the ground is so dry, I found that there was still a lot of dirt clumps that were passing through the disc, so I borrowed a neighbor's cultipacker to break up some of the clumps, and went over the field with a harrow that I had created out of an old heavy chain link gate, pulled behind the tractor with a chain.  Finally, we borrowed a neighbor's grain drill, which I pulled with the 9N to seed the hay, mixed with oats.  Now we just need some rain to make it germinate.  Hopefully, it will then have some time to grow this fall, the. Go dormant over the window, and then resume growing in the spring.

 



Moldboard plow flipping the soil

 

 

Finished plowing--now starting to disc

Ford 9N pulling 3 point disc

Soil after two passes with disc

Using cultipacker and makeshift harrow to further break up dirt clumps

Field after seeding

Field after seeding

Making hay

Looking back on my childhood on and around the farm, undoubtedly my favorite activity was making hay in the summer.  It was hard work at a fast pace to stay a step ahead of the weather.  As a dreaming homesteader, I have to say that making hay for winter feeding is one step I've long looked forward to making.  Finally this summer we took that step.

The acreage we bought had about 2-3 acres of old standing alfalfa, meaning its been a number of years since it was last planted.  Typically, alfalfa only lasts for a few years before it is plowed up and replaced with corn.  Since I don't care about getting maximum yields, and don't need corn, I'm content to farm the hay as it is, even if it is getting thinner and with more grass establishing itself in the field.  Our hay field has about 30% alfalfa, with the rest being orchard grass and a type of brome grass.  It makes nice feed for homestead animals, and is more forgiving when it comes to making hay, unlike alfalfa, which needs to be cut at the right time, raked at the right time, and baled at the right time.

I'm still limited in the equipment I have, with a baler being the most obvious missing piece to this ensemble, so I've been left with trying to make do with what I have.  I don't have a barn either, so my only real option was to make an outdoor haystack and cover it as best I can.

Hay making began with my BCS tractor and 30" sickle mower.  It does a pretty decent job, but certainly not of the quality of a modern haybine.  Unlike haybines, which have crimping rollers, the sickle mower cuts the hay off at the ground and lays it over.  Crimping rollers bend the stalks of hay at various places to encourage even and quicker drying.  This is less important when making hay of grasses, versus alfalfa.  Once I had mowed the hay, I borrowed the neighbor's side delivery rake to flip the hay over for further drying.  Because I made the hay during a stretch of 90 degree weather, this probably wasn't necessary, but having a side delivery rake flips the hay over, so the part that had been on the ground gets an opportunity to dry in the sun and air.  This also puts the hay in thicker windrows, making it easier to pick up.  The dump rake I use for gathering hay mulch in the spring doesn't flip the hay--it only gathers it, so if you're trying to make hay for feed, particularly if the hay is thick or you have less than ideal drying conditions, it's important to flip the hay over, either with a rake, or by hand with a fork.

Once the hay had been raked and dried, we made the haystack.  We began by pitting down a layer of wood pallets to get the hay off the ground.  This is important to create a moisture break with the ground.  You don't have to do this, but it will minimize the amount of spoilage on the bottom of the pile.

Once the pallets were arranged, we connected four sections of corn crib rings together to form the outside if the stack, with one section containing a doorway.  Once this was done, we used the 9N tractor and trailer to collect the loose hay, which we gathered with pitch forks, and then piled inside the ring.  The hay was packed and spread until we reached the top.  We ran out of hay before we were able to form a nice crown, which we will finish when I cut the next half of the hayfield.  Finally, we covered the stack with a tarp to protect it from the elements.  Again, you don't have to cover the stack, if you put a good crown on the top of the pile, but you do minimize the spoilage.  Now we have hay to feed our steer through the winter.

BCS tractor with 30" sickle mower

Even my 6 year old son can run the sickle mower. 

 

 

hay cut with sickle mower

raking hay with side delivery rake

 

hay all raked in to windrows

packing hay in to ring made with corn crib sections

nearly completed hay stack.

Making hay and stuff

As you can see from the increasingly irregular timing of my posts, I'm finding it more and more difficult to fund even a few minutes to sit down and describe what's going on at the homestead.  Let me try and recap.

Once again, the weather is playing tricks on us.  After a historically wet spring, we're now in the midst of the driest fall since records were being kept well over 100 years ago.  It's absolutely mind boggling.  We have not had a decent rainfall in over 2 months.  My well has gone dry, so I've been using the remaining water in the kids' swimming pool, plus all of our gray water, for watering the garden and trees.

Despite the weather, we continue to plod forward with our work.  Because of the wet spring, much of the garden was planted very late.  As a result, instead of canning in July, as we usually do, we started canning in August.  We canned pickles, and froze many quarts of green beans and this past weekend we canned sweet corn.

We're about sick of eating watermelon and cantaloupe, which have thrived despite the weather.  The raspberries and blackberries have been bearing for the past few weeks, but it remains to be seen if we can get enough to freeze, as they get gobbled up pretty quickly around here.

We still need to make salsa and store away tomatoes, and then get the garden ready for a fall crop of peas, broccoli, and cauliflower, not to mention planting a large patch of garlic this fall.  There's no rest for the weary.

 

 



Blackberries on 2nd year thornless vines