Why timing is everything when it comes to making hay while the sun shines

When it comes to getting his hay cut and baled before the rain can ruin it, Ian Dann has one eye on the field, the other on the sky. 

Dann and his crew were busy baling hay in sweltering 30 C weather on a 40-acre field near Thorndale.

The old saying is to "make hay while the sun shines," and it's certainly true that once the grass is cut, getting it baled and stored quickly is crucial. 

Dann's hay is a high-end product that must be stored dry before it's sent to Florida to feed horses. It needs some time after being cut to dry out, but every day after it's cut, it's at risk of rain. 

"Timing is everything," said Dann, taking a quick break from baling to answer questions from CBC News.

"When the crop is ready to cut, we got to get out there and cut before stuff gets too mature. But we also can't cut when it's not mature enough, or it just doesn't cure properly.

"On the flip side, when it's ready to go, you need Mother Nature to play her role, and you've got to have no rain for a few days."

Dann said hay that gets wet is prone to mould and may have to be sold to customers at a discount.

So while getting the hay baled and into storage quickly is essential, this is no simple mow. It's more like a frantic but highly organized operation.

On Sunday, the 40 acres of hay had been cut and left on the ground to dry for a few days before the process of baling began. Then on Wednesday, Dann and his crews were in the field keeping a few tractors, balers and semi-trucks busy to get the hay briskly baled and safely into storage.

Never stopping, the balers come along and scoop up the long rows of cut hay in the field. As it travels forward, the baler presses and ejects the hay into large cubes, each composed of 21 square bales. Tractors with hydraulic arms then come behind and quickly scoop up the bundles to load them into waiting semi-trailers. When the trailers are full, the hay bundles are sent to a nearby storage facility where they continue to dry while awaiting a customer's order. 

"We ship our hay to customers year-round," said Dann.

Dann and his crews were able to bale all the hay off the field they were working Wednesday and it's a good thing they did. A weather system brought thunderstorms to the area on Wednesday evening that would have damaged the crop. 

Southwestern Ontario hay is becoming a big business. Ontario hay farmers formed the Ontario Hay and Forage Co-Operative earlier this year.

Its aim it to increase the value of Ontario hay in by drying the product at yet-to-be-built a large facility in Ontario to prepare if for shipping to overseas markets.