Making Hay
July 16, 2001
Provided by: Jim Foster, NASA/GSFC
Summary authors & editors: Jim Foster
Ample rainfall and near normal temperatures across most of central Maryland have resulted in good hay and forage crops this spring. April through June temperatures averaged about 0.25 degrees above normal, while rainfall was about 1 inch above normal. The above photo shows newly cut and rolled hay on a farm in upper Montgomery County, Maryland. Hay typically consists of timothy, clover, alfalfa and other grasses and is now most often baled in rolls rather than rectangular cubes. In addition to providing livestock feed, forages, such as hay, are important conservation crops, reducing soil erosion and nutrient leaching and providing biologically fixed nitrogen.
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