How to Make Hay

Hay is essentially dried vegetation---legumes (such as alfalfa) or grasses (such as timothy) that are cut and allowed to try, then baled, stacked and used to feed livestock. Hay offers quality nutrition for livestock, and can be grown as part of a crop rotation or dedicated meadow on a farmer's own property. Hay can provide good fertilizer for rotated crops, or serve to protect marginal land from erosion in a permanent meadow.

Things You'll Need

  • Machine-powered mower (or scythe for small harvests)
  • Side delivery rake (for windrowing)
  • Baling twine
  • Storage space (for dried hay)
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Instructions

  1. From Green Crop to Hay

    • 1

      Cut the hay. In days gone by this was done with scythes. In contemporary times most hay-cutting is done with a tractor-pulled mower (or, occasionally, with a horse-drawn mower). Be sure to time the cutting correctly; as the growing season progresses and the greens blossom, the plants' energy begins to be diverted to producing seed. Cut at ten to twenty percent of legumes' full-flowering capacity to preserve maximum nutritional value for the hay; grass hay can be cut somewhat later depending upon the region, but still needs to be harvested in early bloom.

      Also try to cut during a period of dry weather. The hay will need to dry for several days after cutting.

    • 2

      Dry the hay (partially). The cut plants are left to lie in the fields to dry for as little as half a day or as many as three days after cutting. (The freshly cut hay won't dry completely before it is windrowed, or raked into rows, and left to dry further.) Choose the clearest weather possible and leave the stalks to dry as long as possible given the weather (though they should not be left to dry for more than three days).

    • 3

      Windrow the hay. Windrowing, or raking in the rows, follows the partial drying in the field. The side delivery rake is used to windrow; drawn by tractor or horse, this specially designed device sweeps the stalks into clean rows with leaves facing inward and stems turned outward, to help the stalks dry uniformly.

      After windrowing, the hay will need to dry completely before it is baled and stacked. To ascertain the dryness, randomly gather sample stalks and twist them, breaking them open and examining them for dryness.

    • 4

      Bale and stack. As the saying goes, "make hay while the sun shines." Baling and stacking wet hay can lead to mold or rot and the resulting hay will generally be rejected by the livestock it was intended to feed. Wet hay can also spontaneously combust. Be sure the hay is completely dry before baling and stacking.

      The most efficient way to bale hay is usually to drive a truck through the hayfield while several helpers use rakes to fork the hay into the truck bed. For extra ease, drape ropes across the truck bed before loading hay into it; once the bed is full of hay, simply tie the ends of the rope together to make bales. (You can tighten the ropes by attaching one end to a stationary object, then using the truck to pull the rope taut.) Commercial balers are often used, but their price makes them an investment practical only for large harvests. Hay may be stacked outdoors and protected with a water-resistant cover.