The theme for today's drive across the rolling prairies of South Dakota was "hay." Just about everywhere we looked farmers were making hay while the sun shone or, judging by all the baled hay we saw, had at least recently done so. Personally, as an allergy sufferer from the day I was born, I found out early that hay was one of my worst enemies. I also found out that I was more allergic to horses than any other animal. Combine horses and their traditional food, and my body's defense mechanisms would go into total chaotic rebellion. Things are better now since the advent of more effective allergy medicines. I can at least be in the same state with my two least favorite histamine producers.
Still, as we've traveled the length and breadth of this great land this spring, we've seen a LOT of hay, especially baled hay. And as we've gazed upon this ubiquitous farm product stretching from the highway to the far horizons, we couldn't help but wonder about the hay-growing process.
Naturally, I turned to Wikipedia for some of these answers: "Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. Hay is also fed to smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs. Pigs may be fed hay, but they do not digest it as efficiently as more fully herbivorous animals."
"Hay can be used as animal fodder when or where there is not enough pasture or range land on which to graze an animal, when grazing is unavailable due to weather (such as during the winter) or when lush pasture by itself is too rich for the health of the animal. It is also fed during times when an animal is unable to access pasture, such as when animals are kept in a stable or barn."
"Commonly used plants for hay include mixtures of grasses such as ryegrass (Lolium species), timothy, brome, fescue, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, and other species, depending on region. Hay may also include legumes, such as alfalfa (lucerne) and clovers (red, white and subterranean). Legumes in hay are ideally cut pre-bloom. Other pasture forbs are also sometimes a part of the mix, though these plants are not necessarily desired as certain forbs are toxic to some animals."
"Oat, barley, and wheat plant materials are occasionally cut green and made into hay for animal fodder; however they are more usually used in the form of straw, a harvest byproduct where the stems and dead leaves are baled after the grain has been harvested and threshed. Straw is used mainly for animal bedding. Although straw is also used as fodder, particularly as a source of dietary fiber, it has lower nutritional value than hay."
"It is the leaf and seed material in the hay that determines its quality. Farmers try to harvest hay at the point when the seed heads are not quite ripe and the leaf is at its maximum when the grass is mowed in the field. The cut material is allowed to dry so that the bulk of the moisture is removed but the leafy material is still robust enough to be picked up from the ground by machinery and processed into storage in bales, stacks or pits."
"Hay is very sensitive to weather conditions, particularly when it is harvested. In drought conditions, both seed and leaf production are stunted, making hay that has a high ratio of dry coarse stems that have very low nutritional values. If the weather is too wet, the cut hay may spoil in the field before it can be baled. The hay may also develop rot and mold after being baled, creating the potential for toxins to form in the feed, which could make the animals sick."
"Hay also has to be stored in a manner to prevent it from getting wet. Mold and spoilage reduce nutritional value and may cause illness in animals. A symbiotic fungus in fescue may cause illness in horses and cattle. Poor quality hay is dry, bleached out and coarse-stemmed. Sometimes, hay stored outdoors will look like this on the outside but still be green inside the bale. A dried, bleached or coarse bale is still edible and provides some nutritional value as long as it is dry and not moldy, dusty, or rotting."
"The successful harvest of maximum yields of high-quality hay is entirely dependent on the coincident occurrence of optimum crop, field, and weather conditions. When this occurs, there may be a period of intense activity on the hay farm while harvest proceeds until weather conditions become unfavorable."
"Hay production and harvest, colloquially known as "making hay", "haymaking", or "doing hay", involves a multiple step process: cutting, drying or "curing", raking, processing, and storing. Hay fields do not have to be reseeded each year in the way that grain crops are, but regular fertilizing is usually desirable, and over-seeding a field every few years helps increase yield."
"Methods and the terminology to describe the steps of making hay have varied greatly throughout history, and many regional variations still exist today. However, whether done by hand or by modern mechanized equipment, tall grass and legumes at the proper stage of maturity must be cut, then allowed to dry (preferably by the sun), then raked into long, narrow piles known as windrows. Next, the cured hay is gathered up in some form (usually by some type of baling process) and placed for storage into a haystack or into a barn or shed to protect it from moisture and rot."
"Hay can be raked into rows as it is cut, then turned periodically to dry, particularly if a modern swather is used. Or, especially with older equipment or methods, the hay is cut and allowed to lie spread out in the field until it is dry, then raked into rows for processing into bales afterwards. During the drying period, which can take several days, the process is usually sped up by turning the cut hay over with a hay rake or spreading it out with a tedder. If it rains while the hay is drying, turning the windrow can also allow it to dry faster. However, turning the hay too often or too roughly can also cause drying leaf matter to fall off, reducing the nutrients available to animals. Drying can also be sped up by mechanized processes, such as use of a hay conditioner, or by use of chemicals sprayed onto the hay to speed evaporation of moisture, though these are more expensive techniques, not in general use except in areas where there is a combination of modern technology, high prices for hay, and too much rain for hay to dry properly."
"Once hay is cut, dried and raked into windrows, it is usually gathered into bales or bundles, then hauled to a central location for storage. In some places, depending on geography, region, climate, and culture, hay is gathered loose and stacked without being baled first."
"Hay must be fully dried when baled and kept dry in storage. If hay is baled while too moist or becomes wet while in storage, there is a significant risk of spontaneous combustion. Hay stored outside must be stacked in such a way that moisture contact is minimal. Some stacks are arranged in such a manner that the hay itself "sheds" water when it falls. Other methods of stacking use the first layers or bales of hay as a cover to protect the rest. To completely keep out moisture, outside haystacks can also be covered by tarps, and many round bales are partially wrapped in plastic as part of the baling process. Hay is also stored under a roof when resources permit. It is frequently placed inside sheds, or stacked inside of a barn. On the other hand, care must also be taken that hay is never exposed to any possible source of heat or flame, as dry hay and the dust it produces are highly flammable."
"Small bales of hay are still produced today. While balers for small bales are still manufactured, as well as loaders and stackers, there are some farms that still use equipment manufactured over 50 years ago, kept in good repair. The small bale remains part of overall ranch lore and tradition with "hay bucking" competitions still held for fun at many rodeos and county fairs."
"Farmers who need to make large amounts of hay are likely to choose balers which produce much larger bales, maximizing the amount of hay which is protected from the elements. Large bales come in two types, round and square. Large square bales, which can weigh up to 2,200 lbs, can be stacked and are easier to transport on trucks. Large round bales, which typically weigh 660–880 lbs, are more moisture-resistant, and pack the hay more densely (especially at the center). Round bales are quickly fed with the use of mechanized equipment."
"The ratio of volume to surface area makes it possible for many dry-area farmers to leave large bales outside until they are consumed. Wet-area farmers and those in climates with heavy snowfall can stack round bales under a shed or tarp, but can also use a light but durable plastic wrap that partially encloses bales left outside. The wrap repels moisture, but leaves the ends of the bale exposed so that the hay itself can "breathe" and does not begin to ferment. However, when it is possible to store round bales under a shed, they last longer and less hay is lost to rot and moisture."
Okay, enough with the hay already I'm sure you're saying. But I still have one more question: why do you see so many bales of hay sitting in fields and farmyards that looks like it's been there for years (photo upper left); like somehow the farmer baled it and then never came back for it? On our travels we've seen rolls of hay that have evidently been sitting so long it's positively gray in color, like it died years ago and no one bothered to bury it. If unused, is it not possible to plow it back into the soil or something? I looked for a time on the Web for the answer, but didn't really see anything. If you know, please let me know.
Right now we're in a small town in South Dakota nobody has ever heard of. We came here because the Good Sam book recommended it. When we got here we found almost no one else in residence. A couple of spaces to the west of us, a 1980s dilapidated Class C of about twenty feet is sitting looking rather forlorn. The camp manager says they are long-term residents who own three dogs. She says the dogs are quiet. She didn't say the same about the owners.
I asked the camp manager if their season hadn't started yet since the camp looked empty, and she told me that on the previous weekend they had a lot of campers here. I wonder. Anyway, since there's almost no one in residence I suspect that we're in for another quiet evening, which is just fine with us. Tomorrow we're headed west toward Wyoming, though we're not sure we'll make it. Depends on whether we find something irresistible to capture our interest. The route we picked to cross the northern states has afforded darn few diversions, unfortunately. We're hoping that will change tomorrow.
So, until we meet again, we wish you Happy Travels!
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