Thanks to Mr. Andy Betts and his gorgeous mower we have just cut our first crop hay. Cutting hay is one of those tricky things that a farmer has to time just right. If you cut the hay too early you don't get all the nutrients that the plant could be storing in the steam and if you go too late then the plant ends up being more like straw. Then on top of that you have to plan how the weather will factor in. You need at least 4-7 good warm dry days from cutting to baling. If the rain falls on cut hay you can end up with mold or it being dusty and that makes the animals sick when they eat it. On a typical farm you have at least 3 cuttings a summer to work with. Now you know why a farmer never misses a weather report. I remember growing up we would ususally have our supper at around 9 or 10 at night. We would turn the tv on and have it going in the background. The only time we weren't allowed to talk was when the weather came on.
