Archive for June 18, 2008
Hay, Alfalfa!
by John Weckerle
No, not the one in The Little Rascals – today, we’re talking real hay, and real alfalfa. Many area farmers are currently harvesting alfalfa, and yesterday I had the privilege of joining Jim and Peggy Schwebach and Ryan Schwebach at their farm near McIntosh, NM to get a first-hand look at how alfalfa is harvested. The Schwebachs grow alfalfa and corn (for silage), much of which is consumed by dairy cattle within the state.
Harvesting alfalfa is not simply a matter of starting up the mower and picking up some hay. First, the alfalfa is cut and laid out in windrows. The Schwebachs use flat windrows to allow for a wider variety of conditions under which the hay can be collected. Alfalfa can only be baled effectively under certain conditions, and knowing when to bale requires balancing a complex range of variables including temperature, dew point, humidity, and wind speed. All of these can affect the moisture content of the hay, which is critical to successful baling as well as the value of the hay. To estimate the time at which conditions may be right, the Schwebachs monitor the hourly predictions available at the NOAA NWS web site (McIntosh, NM example). They must then be ready to confirm that conditions are right using real-time measurements at the farm. »» Hay, Alfalfa!