Summary: Ohio farmers typically rely heavily on a steady, nutritious, and affordable supply of hay to feed their livestock each winter. Although hay prices can swing wildly according to supply and demand, producing a high quality, healthy hay crop is something that requires careful management.
Theres an old adage, youve got to make hay while the sun shines. Farmers found the drought of summer 2012 meant very little rain and too much sun. The resulting record high hay prices, sometimes more than double of those of just one year ago, have been the result.
Hay is essential to farmers, as they depend on it to keep their animals going during the long winter months when fresh grass is not available. It sounds simple – grow grasses, cut and dry them, and store them until needed in winter. But when it comes to making hay, timing is everything. When the hay is harvested has a great deal to do with how much of the nutrients are captured, and as a result, how nutritious the hay is for animals.
Multiple mowings, known as cuttings of hay throughout the season are possible here in Ohio. First and second cuttings are relatively assured with third cuttings and fourth cuttings being achievable as well, depending on how well the grass grows. The term hay may refer to one of many different singular types or blends of grasses such as alfalfa, timothy, orchard, clover, and other plants. It is not to be confused with straw, which is the stem of wheat, oats, or other grains where the nutritive seed heads have been removed. Straw is used as bedding, not as feed.
Sugar migrates up the stem of the grasses as the day goes on, so some choose to mow later in the afternoon to take advantage of this. As summers heat increases, the amount of time that hay needs to dry in the field decreases. Hay is not made in a day. Farmers scan the skies and pour over weather forecasts, for they know that after the hay is cut, it must be dried by the sun in the field, then raked, and then baled into a square or larger round bale before storage. Mowed hay that is rained on loses nutrient value. Hay that is not completely dry not only is prone to unhealthy mold, but can also create highly combustible conditions as the tightly compacted green hay becomes hotter and hotter. Hay with a moisture content above 22 percent is prone to spontaneous combustion, and can cause a serious barn fire.
It can take up to three days of good weather to cure hay. The first step is the mowing, and after a period of drying, farmers proceed to the next step. They may employ a piece of equipment known as a tedder when needed to accelerate drying time by fluffing up the hay and allowing air and sun to reach the under layers. After some drying time, it is raked into rows to make it ready for baling. Hay should not be either too wet or too dry at this stage, and an experienced farmer can quickly tell if its truly ready. He casts an eye once again to the skies, hoping for a window of clear, dry weather to bring in the harvest, and there is always a sigh of relief after the last bale of hay is put into the mow. A full mow provides peace of mind for the days to come, and after the low 2012 harvest, farmers are hoping for a good season of makin hay in 2013.
