farming comes first

The farmer who sells us the little bit of hay we keep for emergencies tells us he's never seen such a hot, dry June. Since he's in his late sixties and has been making hay here since he was a boy, his opinion is significant. Pastures all around us have turned the pale fawn color of dormancy, but our grass is still green. The timothy flowered last week.

Timing our rotations has an added dimension in these near-drought conditions, but we're leaving a good layer of residual forage in each paddock, in the conviction that the best thing we can do for our soil is keep it covered, and keep it cool.