Road to Emmaus: 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.