First Hay Crop

This corner used to be a swamp.  In 2004 we roughed in a serious raspberry planting that froze out the first winter.  Since then it has been untouched.  The grass was higher than the hood of the tractor when we mowed a couple of days ago.  This one plus acre yielded 23 high density round bales.  Its a good thing we had plastic because this was not a drying day and the raindrops started as soon as we got done.

This also represents the end of the 2017 hay season.

Varmint Haven-Uncut Field Centers

The sound of a mower/conditioner is a call to the feast to ravens, seagulls, and even foxes. As the mower moves from the outside toward the center the voles scamper for cover. The birds follow and pounce on anything they see moving. They are mouth sized morsels that go down in one gulp. Cutting this field I saw a large bald eagle swoop down and grab a victim without even touching the ground.

In case you are worried about the survival of the voles- see what Wikipedia says, "Voles are small rodents that grow to 3–9 in (7.6–22.9 cm), depending on the species. They can have five to 10 litters per year. Gestation lasts for three weeks and the young voles reach sexual maturity in a month. As a result of this biological exponential growth, vole populations can grow very large within a very short time. Since litters average five to 10 young, a mating pair can birth a hundred more voles in a year".