On Weather Hold

We are in a holding pattern right now as we await a stretch of dry weather to begin hay season. It is very good for the area to get rain, we are very low in recorded precipitation for the year, the ground is dry, the trees in the forest are stressed. The last week has had rain threats every day with only minimal amounts of moisture until yesterday when we got good measureable rain.

Mike is checking the ripening fields daily and see that the grass is already turning from vibrant green to  lighter hues, a sure sign that the growing season is waning. Yet without a period of four to five days of dryness, the cut grass will not dry enough to make into bales for storage in the barns.

The fields are not looking near as robust as last year, the grass is not as tall and the undergrowth of clover is not as dense. Estimates are only about half the yield that we have had previously. Since the winter was fairly mild compared to an average year, the cows did not eat up the whole harvest, we still have quite a bit of hay left over from our mega abundance from last year and that is a good buffer to have during this leaner time.

While we wait on Mother Nature, I spend the rainy days undercover in the barn working up green wood pieces into firewood and kindling for seasoning throughout the summer and into the fall.

I get to watch the small storm systems as they bring rain across the grassy hay fields while being protected from the elements so the waiting is not such a bad thing at all.