Making Hay without (much) help from the sun (2023)

After more waiting and almost 4" of more rain in the span of three days, I finally got back at it with first cut for Natural Roots, a draft powered vegetable farm in town.
And first cut drags on...
~~~
(As always, these videos are mostly a video diary for myself as I wind my way through each haying season - and yet I've come to realize that others enjoy them too, in this niche youtube hay community. I'm by no means a perfect videographer, and when in doubt, I tend to leave footage in for my own future enjoyment. I hope you enjoy this too, but please recognize I'm not aiming to be a professional youtuber :) )
(We are a 53-acre haying operation in Conway, MA - making all small square bales for the local food, fiber, and livestock community. Learn more about our farm at windrowfarmconway.com, or follow us on instagram @windrow.farm)
Equipment List:
Massey Ferguson 275 Tractor
Massey Ferguson 165 Tractor
Massey Ferguson 135 Tractor
Vermeer TM610 disc mower
Vicon RS410T Tedder
New Holland 256 hay rake
Massey Ferguson 124 baler (with New Holland 70 bale thrower)
Four kicker wagons
Delmhorst FX-2000 Hay Moisture Meter
Sundown Fertilizer Spreader

[@rickkearn7100]

I grew up in Massachusetts, in a rural community. Spent many a summer day haying. This brought me back many years. Fond memories. Your haying knowledge is formidable especially regarding moisture content. Thanks for posting. PS: I subscribed.

[@windrowfarm]

Thanks so much!! Where abouts in MA were you? So nice to connect with folks, and glad that sharing my experience resonates with you and others. Thanks so much for the kind words!

[@rickkearn7100]

@@windrowfarm Andover (western part of town where all the farms were.) They've been long since bulldozed away, in the 1960's, the 300+ years of loam scraped up and sold, and McMansions built in their place. Looking forward to exploring your archive and watching future posts. Keep up the good work with the land. Cheers.

[@southtexashay777]

Glad you got it done and put away. Hope you have better weather next time.

[@windrowfarm]

Thanks! Just now halfway done with first cut - slow and steady (and delayed). Hope your season is going well!

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

I'm watching a week later, good call getting that in. We sure got the rain after on the weekend. Should get a second cutting for sure.

[@windrowfarm]

Phew, thanks! It was dicey - I try to only do the hay for this particular farm when the weather is close to perfect, but that’s not the year we’re having. Would have been a lot of mulch to deal with - I sound a lot more relaxed in the video than I felt 😅

[@andyrobinson339]

@@windrowfarm I know the feeling!

[@andyrobinson339]

I'm jealous! No haying here since June 25th...getting rain every day or two. Last week we had nearly 6". The ground in the fields is saturated.

[@windrowfarm]

Oh gosh, what a summer. We got 4” last Sunday through noon on Tuesday. Then I was back at it, mowing around wet spots and working the hay more than is sane…. I hope things change for you (and all of us!)

[@HumbleHaymakers]

Excellent video - hay looks great. Not good the fawns, but what do you do.

[@pavelkysa9907]

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