Making hay while the sun shines is an old English saying. Basically it means using good times to provide for the bad times! The same is true for providing enough feeds to your dairy cows during the good times ( the wet season when grass grows well) and during the bad times (the dry/ winter season or droughts). During the growing season grass grows at a fast pace. It is at its greatest nutritive value when all leaves are fully developed and seed or flower heads are almost mature. At this stage the pasture is cut. Hay cut too early will not cure as easily due to its high moisture content. It will also produce a lower yield per acre than longer, more mature grass. But hay cut too late is coarser, loses some of its nutrients and has a lower feed value. There is usually approximately a two-week window of time during which hay is at its ideal stage for harvesting. During the drying period, which should take 1 to 2 days under East African conditions, the process can be spaded ...
Lifestyle, Technology and Personal Finance