By Donald McCrimmon
guest contributor
“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace.”
― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac
Many farmers in and around the Town of Cazenovia are especially busy this time of the year. Getting in the first cutting of hay depends on the cooperation of the New York late-spring weather that, as 2016 has demonstrated, can be fickle, cool and wet. Fortunately, the middle weeks of June 2016 provided abundant sunshine and almost cloudless skies, along with rapidly moderating temperatures — ideal conditions for cutting and bailing hay.
A crew of six (who preferred anonymity), working three tractors and related equipment, recently cropped hay on multiple acres at the corner of Maple and Ridge roads. Coming across the scene, and having a camera at hand, I took the opportunity to photograph the operation.
Before I arrived, the hay had been cut and then was spread out to dry before being raked into rows for bailing. Traditionally, hay is judged ready for bailing when it has dried to a moisture content of from 8 percent to 15 percent (measured with an electronic moisture probe inserted into a test bale) and I was told by a crewmember that the moisture content was 8.5 percent — right on target. The cutting and raking preparations had been the most time consuming. The bailing and filling of hay wagons actually went pretty quickly, taking only a few hours, once things got started.
Much of the hay-making operation was highly mechanized, and operating a modern tractor with sophisticated controls for the various attachments including rakes and balers clearly demanded considerable skill. This crew used mechanical rakes of several designs to form the hay into long windrows prior to bailing.
Although large rolls of plastic-covered hay weighing 1,000 pounds or more are commonly seen in our region, a more traditional bailing setup was used at this particular field. It consisted of a coupled tractor, baler and staked- hay wagon to produce rectangular, twine-tied bales for barn storage. Each bale weighed 50 pounds or more and, when the hay wagons were full, they were trucked to another location several miles away where the bales were stacked and stored.
I learned that the actual stacking was accomplished by human muscle power, largely through the exertions of younger farm hands.
Having little prior knowledge about the economics of hay production, some homework was in order. According to the Cornell University School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, “The centerpiece of New York State agriculture is dairy farming, and the base for this industry is forage crops.” As Cazenovians as well as other Madison County residents are likely aware, one component of the dairy industry, the production of yogurt, is booming. Foremost among the forage crops that feed the New York cows that produce the milk to make the yogurt is hay, which consists of various combinations of alfalfa, timothy and other grasses.
According to a 2015 report by the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service, statewide in New York among 35,500 farms, 1.7-million acres were devoted to hay, yielding 4.3-million tons of dry forage with a value of $778 million, easily dwarfing any other commodity crop (corn, soybeans, beans, potatoes, etc.). Among the 62 New York counties in 2012, Madison ranked 12th, with 50.8-thousand acres in hay (compared to 31.4-thousand acres for corn), with a value of approximately $6 million. For comparison, the value of the milk which depends on this forage crop was $74.8 million.
The Census of Agriculture also reports that in 2012 there were 488 Madison County residents who identified farming as their primary occupation, with 358 listing some other principal occupation, nonetheless actively farming (total 846). In 2014, the Utica Observer-Dispatch reported a resurgence of agriculture in Madison, Oneida and Herkimer Counties from 2007 to 2012, an increase of 162 farms with Madison County leading at 94 more farms.
For Madison County, Karen Baase of Cornell Cooperative Extension attributed most of the growth to increasing numbers of small farms, which don’t rely on farming for the bulk of their income. This is supported by additional census statistics which showed an average farm income in Madison County of only $34,400.
Some agri-businesses are already familiar to Cazenovians. Larger operations include Critz Farms, Owera Vineyards and the just-opened Empire Farmstead Brewery. Weekly in-season, the Cazenovia Farmers’ Market also makes locally produced food available from many smaller enterprises. On the other hand (and perhaps because it’s simply too familiar), area residents may be much less aware of the work and the value of the hay production that surrounds us. Perhaps this article will serve to draw some overdue recognition and appreciation. As sung by James Wesely, these lyrics are apt:
“I still believe in amber waves of grain,
Man on his knees praying for rain
That grew this country strong
And keep us moving on.
They get tougher as their lives keep gettin’ harder,
Yeah I think it’s time
We all thank a farmer.
Thank a farmer.”
Donald McCrimmon is a former academic vice president at Cazenovia College and, in retirement, serves as McDevitt Research Associate at Le Moyne College.
