**We gather pre-orders in the spring of each season, and work to satisfy those orders over the summer. There is always a chance of some extra hay of different varieties, so please don’t hesitate to reach out any time of year – though we try our best not to carry much inventory into the wintertime.**
We value creating high-quality forage for the local community, especially those engaged in food production. Recognizing that fields vary in composition, we strive to match our customers with the best type of feed for their animals, and do not believe in the “commodity hay” mentality.
Most of our fields are a variation of a Timothy/Orchardgrass/Native Grass mix with some clover. Our bales are solid, averaging 35-40 lbs, and about three feet long. We mow during the peak of the day for best sugar content (though do make some batches of earlier-mown lower-sugar product for some of our horse customers with special dietary needs.) Our field fertility is diligently managed, individually tested, and amended responsibly each season.
Pricing Structure:
- Standard pricing is “Out of the barn” for you to come pick up your hay (we gladly help you load up!)
- We also offer “off-the-wagon” discounts if you pick up on a baling day for an additional savings – it greatly helps our day and barn space, and we gladly pass that along to you for a discount!
- For the most part we don’t have time or capacity to deliver, but very local delivery is a possibility, depending on how far you are, for an added fee. Please feel free to ask!
FIRST CUT
First Cut Hay – $7/bale ($6 off the wagon)
Our standard, full-quality first cut is our main crop of the season. Harvested as fast as we can get to it, once yields are at their peak and before the bulk of seed heads start to desiccate (also known as becoming “overripe”), if we can help it. Of course, exact timing of first cut depends on the season’s rainfall, but we strive to maximize nutrient quality as well as yield from our first cut.
Early First Cut Hay – $7.50/bale ($6.50 off wagon)
Our early first cut comes from the very first few fields of the season – usually late May and the first week of June, while the first-growth grass is at its greenest and its nutrient content is at its absolute peak (for first cut). Quantities are limited, so please feel free to ask about it!
(Want to know more? See: “What is First Cut?”)
SECOND CUT
Second Cut Hay – $8/bale ($7 off wagon)
(**Prices May Vary**)
Our second cut hay is the cream of the crop – the prime moment of the season. Due to its high sugar content and superior nutrient quality (but reduced yield per acre – roughly half of first cut in a “normal” year), it is generally in extremely high demand.
Harvested during August and September (and even sometimes October), second cut is often subject to our wildest swings in weather patterns – in wet years it can be hard to dry it all, or sometimes hard to even get on the land – leaving some fields unharvested or with delayed regrowth after a late first cutting (2018 and 2021 were such years). In dry years, second cut regrowth can be stunted (such as in 2020 and 2022), resulting in extremely low yields, despite good drying weather. In 2022, second cut yields started out at about half of “normal”, and by the end of the season, fields were averaging about 20% of what was planned for.
**With second cut yields so hard to predict, our new paradigm is to provide the best price estimate for second cut that we can in the spring, in hopes of somewhat “normal” yields, and then adjust if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!**
(Want to know more? See: “What is Second Cut?”)
MULCH / Construction Hay:
–$3.50/bale (1st Cut) / $4/bale (2nd Cut)
When hay that is in the process of drying gets rained on, it loses nutritional value. When this happens, we sell the product as mulch hay – perfect for animal bedding, construction projects, lawn re-seeding, and garden mulching on a budget.
Second cut mulch also has the benefit of not having pesky grass seeds! Perfect for low-weed garden mulching (with more nutrients to offer the soil than first cut), softer bedding, or construction projects where grass seeds would be detrimental.
“ODD BATCHES”
There are times that we have variation in our pricing structure for certain fields or circumstances:
Sometimes a field’s quality is a little bit sub-par (such as a field of all orchardgrass, or a light rain that only slightly hampers color and quality), resulting in a discount without being deemed as mulch.
Sometimes we can squeak in a third cutting, and despite very low yields, wind up with amazing quality forage that sells for more than standard second cut.
Some years we have new fields that we are renovating, which have less-than-ideal composition of grasses, but a sense of variation that can be perfect for goats.
We diligently track and separate each batch of hay in our barns so that different types like this don’t become intermixed. Transparency is a strong tenant of our business practice, so we will always be open and honest about what we have available, including if it is one of these variations on our standard hay.
If you are curious what “odd batches” of hay we have available, please ask!
Place a Hay Order with us!
Each year, demand for our hay has consistently exceeded our supply. To make sure you get what you need, we prefer to take an order from you during Spring and Summer. We can make your hay for you this way, and be in touch about the best time for you to pick it up from us.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we’d love to hear from you! Call or text any time: 413-768-9437 (Or email us at windrowfarmconway@gmail.com)
(Want to know even more about our haymaking process? Feel free to Follow us on instagram and like us on facebook!)
(We also have a Youtube Channel with comprehensive video-diaries of each season, if haying content and discussion is your cup of tea!)
Windrow Farm 