FARMING MATTERS: Rain stops hay making

Well it's been a soggy start to the summer and that hasn't helped with the haymaking.
Hot air balloon on a field of hay.  Picture copyright Heather Jan BruntHot air balloon on a field of hay.  Picture copyright Heather Jan Brunt
Hot air balloon on a field of hay. Picture copyright Heather Jan Brunt

We had a beautiful clover crop which would have made exceptional winter feed, but since it was cut it’s had so much rain on it, the quality has now long gone.

It will still get baled, eventually, but much of the goodness has been lost.

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On top of that, just a few days after it was cut we had a hot air balloon land in the field.

Now we often get balloons over the farm, and they often land as well, and usually we welcome them as it’s always fun to meet the passengers and to watch the pilots taking the balloon down.

But they don’t usually land on a crop. To be fair to the pilot, he apologised profusely and said he hadn’t realised from the sky that the hay was cut and lying down.

In the end not too much damage was done, because the pilot and his passengers were very careful as they tided the balloon away, and were equally careful carrying the extremely heavy basket , canisters and balloon off the field (usually they would bring their pick up truck over to collect it, but with a crop down that wasn’t an option).

Ironically of course, the rain has done far more damage than their support vehicle could have ever done.