July in the Forest
Ever since we moved to Uncllys Farm, July has been the month dominated by haymaking. If you have grazing animals you need to solve the problem of an abundance of grass in the summer and nothing much in the winter. Somehow that over-production has to be conserved to provide winter feed, either in the form of hay, silage or something in-between called haylage.
This was just the excuse my husband needed to get a tractor and various big bits of machinery to pull behind it, and so began our initiation into haymaking.
The decision on when to cut depends on several factors, none of which are under our control. Firstly, the grass should be at a maximum point of nutritive value: preferably after flowering but not having dropped its seed. Secondly, the weather must be dry for enough days after the cut for the grass to be completely dried, baled and brought under cover. Then we have an extra complication brought with our Countryside Stewardship scheme, which states that a wildflower meadow should not be cut before the flowers have set their seed.
So the forecast is inspected and looks promising enough for the tractor and mower to progress around the fields with the sweet-smelling grass piling up behind it. When the top is dry (a day or so later) the grass is turned with a ‘tedder’ and will probably need another turn before it is dry all the way through and can be rowed-up. Then it’s the turn of the baler: a troublesome and demanding piece of equipment which clanks and shuffles the hay into neat rectangular bales tied with baler twine. (We were always careful to follow the advice of the previous owner, “Whatever you do, don’t get the knotters wet!”, but the baler generally stopped working several times each year and required a good deal of tinkering.) As the baler makes its way round the field a team of helpers rakes stray hay into its path and loads the bales on to a flat-bed trailer towed by the Landrover. When the trailer can’t safely take any more it is driven to the barn, where more helpers pile the bales on a growing stack. It’s all very hard work but when ‘All is safely gathered in’ there’s a feeling of great relief and joy, celebrated with a prayer of thanks, fish and chips and beer!
This is history now, and though our efforts have encouraged a diverse and growing collection of flowers, including Pignut, Cowslip, Red and White Clover, Sheep’s Sorrel, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Black Medick and Yellow Rattle, maybe you won’t be surprised to learn that nowadays the whole operation is completed by a contractor with a large tractor who can produce big, round bales of wrapped haylage in a couple of days.
- I’m interested to know how Swifts are faring in the Bewdley area. If you know of a nest/nests please can you let me know via the Bewdley Bridge? Thanks.
Linda Iles
