Cutting Hay

The Big Horn Basin usually gets three cuttings of alfalfa a summer. Mid July, right before the fair and barley harvest, is a good time to knock down second cutting. Uncle Chris farms several fields and pivot corners in the Neiber area. With his big green machine, he made light work of about 45 acres of hay.

Water and heat is about all it takes for alfalfa to grow. Great source of protein and quick rebound in between cuts, makes it an ideal hay crop. 

As in all farming practices, cutting hay has come a long way.  There are still plenty of sickle bar mowers around, but most guys in the industry have gone to these rotary heads. Clean cut and fast. 

Uncle Chris has a deal with a local farmer to use this swather for cutting hay in exchange for driving corn truck in the fall. Win win. This guy is not your daddy's windrower. I could just imagine my Grandpa S., Chris' dad, wanting to ride a round with him.

So in memory of him, I took a turn. Good hay. 16' swath. 

On these bigger runs, he programs the auto steer. Then sits back and watch it make nice straight cuts, even matching the arch of a pivot sprinkler. 

While he was at it, he mowed our little corner. Not bad. 

The going trend is wide flat windrows. Good bed to dry in. 16' apart is about all you want to go. Any more and it's hard to dry and a twin rake can't reach them to bring two windrows into one for baling. 

Pretty much all hay cutting involves a crimper behind the mower. Alfalfa is a solid stem plant, and by crimping it every 4 or 5 inches helps it dry sooner. 

Looks good. 

Putting up hay in July is standard issue for dry land ranchers and irrigated farmers alike. The sooner you can get it knocked down the sooner you can get it put up. In the west, most of our summertime ag activity is geared toward surviving the winter. Cutting hay is just one example of that. The more bales you have in the stack the more time you can spend in peace by the fire. Good work, Uncle Chris. Keep those big green wheels turning.