Hay Time

The hot weather this week has provided the perfect conditions for haymaking on the wildflower meadow. Luckily for staff and volunteers there was enough growth to warrant a tractor to both cut and bale the hay. In previous years with less growth there wasn't enough grass to make sufficient bales and the whole field had to be raked in the old fashioned way with wooden hay rakes.  Therefore, this year, once all of the flowers had gone over, the tractor was a welcome sight!

Some of the corners were awkward to reach by vehicle so the far side of the footpath still had to be raked by hand. This was hard work in the hot sun but also a rewarding task as you could definitely see where you had worked!

Once the hay was raked into neat piles it was left to dry for a day or two.

The next stage involved 'tedding' the hay. A tedder is an implement that is used to 'fluff' and spread hay to make it dry quicker. Tedding is usually done after the hay is mowed and before it is raked into windrows for baling.  Tedding breaks up the tidy rows and exposes the hay on the underside of a pile to air and sunlight, speeding up the drying process. 

Next, the dry hay had to be put back into evenly spaced rows ready for the baler. This step is known as 'dashing out'.

There is something very satisfying about watching this part which didn't take long thanks to the advanced machinery. In no time at all the field was ready for the baler to arrive.

The baler then 'hoovered up' and compacted the whole lot in a matter of minutes!

There was a sweepstake as to how many large round bales there would be.

They were loaded up and counted at the end of today, all 11 of them!

Our thanks to Ian and Mike for making the hay so carefully and efficiently and helping to manage this important habitat. Head over to the Facebook page to see some reels of the haymaking.