The Meadow Makers' Network Forum

Hi,
I have recently bought a pasture meadow of 1.5 acres in Bovey Tracey.
I have managed to cut the hay myself but have no means to collect and remove the hay.
It is on flat ground and was a grazing field for over 20 years with no chemical involvement.
I would be very happy to give the hay to anyone who would like to collect it.It is good quality with no significant weed as I have kept this at bay over the last year.
Does anyone know of someone who would like to maintain and keep the grass collected over the comming years?
Thanks, Helen

Hi Helen

If the hay is nice and dry you maybe able to still get a local farmer to come and ted it and bale it for you. If the cut material is composting down - I don't know how long ago you cut it - it won't be suitable as livestock feed. Options to remove it could be; pay a contractor to bale it for you (try Marshalls in Ashburton). You may have to sacrifice an area where it can be stacked at the far end of the field, to rot down over time. If you haven't cut the whole field you could rake some of it off but that's a big operation on an acre. Going forwards, if finding someone to take hay from it is an issue, you can create a really good wildflower meadow without the need to cut by machinery. Someone with livestock locally can just graze it off for you, say from September onwards until the sward is short. To keep the grasses in check, once in every 3 years you could graze lightly in spring as well as the autumn, or you could introduce the native wildflower yellow rattle to help control the vigour of grasses.