Preparing the hay is very definitely the hardest job on the farm. You’re out sweating under the hot sun; cutting, turning and moving the hay, and there are always those itchy bits of grass that get down your back or in your shoes.
Raking hay ready for baling
|Moving the straw bales|
Stacking the bales of hay in the stable
Then the cold wet days of winter come and the sheep are often left nibbling unenthusiastically at the nutrient deficient bare pastures. That’s when I go into the stable where the bales of straw were nicely stacked in the summer and spread a bale of hay into the sheep’s feeding frame. Then it’s time to stand back and watch the sheep munching on the hay with a satisfied smile on their face and that’s when I feel satisfied too, knowing that all that hard work harvesting the hay really is appreciated.
|Happy sheep and this is when you realise all the work has been worth while|