Haymaking

Over the last month we have been doing alot of haymaking.  We do this so that we have feed for the cattle during the winter, but also have a stock of feed if we get a drought....

Last year we had a drought but carried alot of hay stocks over from 2024, so we had enough to feed the cattle out in the fields during late August and September, and again when they were inside from Mid November until end of March.  Last yield hay yields were very low, and we carried very little forward this year, so to be hit with another drought is alarming.  Luckily hay yields have been a bit better, nothing spectacular but better than last year.

We make hay on our farm at Waterhay, but also make hay on other areas off the farm.  Most of these are species rich meadows ran as nature reserves.  These include North Meadow at Cricklade, and Morningside meadows at Wootton Bassett.  These are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which are designated due to their botany.  They only exist due to being cut for hay, rather than grazed earlier in the year.  Both sites have a huge diversity of plant and insect life, and in many ways are reserviors of biodiversity in landscapes where farming methods have changed and these plants cannot survive. 

So as well as providing high quality food for our animals, and then providing high quality human food, the hay making process is fundamental to some of our most important plant communities and the biodiversity it supports.  And of course they are great places to visit and walk, giving a significant human mental health benifit.