Alfalfa needs to dry properly in order to make good hay. If it’s left in a swath then only the top layer can cure. Depending on how hot it is the hay is raked 1 – 4 days after it is swathed. Ideally it is raked when there is the right amount of dew. If there isn’t any dew the hay is more brittle and the leaves fall off making the hay less nutritious for animals. `
We have four rakes working at a time. It takes them about 1 1/2 – 2 hours to rake each pivot. This crop they started about 4:30 every morning. The video is a little long but I try to explain some more about the pivots and how the raking works. Enjoy!
Well, the novelty of the work may have worn off, but those girls are so lucky to have experiences like these! Thanks again for the vids – they’re fun to watch.
By the way, I love your black and white photos on the sidebar!
This is the step I was going to ask about because I knew that it needed to be “tossed” so that it could all dry…I just didn’t know it had such a simple name as raking. These are so great and those girls are great workers!