Like Gold

Here in CT, not much is more joy inducing to a horse woman than seeing the Holloway Hay Truck parked in front of your barn.  The Holloway  Family has been delivering their signature awesome Upstate New York hay to new England farms for many years.  We used to get a delivery once yearly, but when we moved to This Old House (Gracie as I fondly call her) we had hay fields of our own and the Mr. wanted to capitalize on that to save money.  Well, sounds good in theory, and we’ve been applying that theory for years now – but truth is, hay is harder to grow than you’d think, and not cheap.  Weather is factor, good machinery is important, knowledge and application of seed and fertilizer, etc.etc.  Good drying time and ventilation when stored is also important.

Also, cow grade hay and horse grade hay are two different animals, too.  What we’ve been growing is mostly cow grade – stalky, not enough grasses, timothy too gone-to-seed by the time we bale it.  So.. the cow farmer up the road who helps us with the haying gets most of it.   The rest isn’t enough for me to keep my guys in hay all year, so this year we ordered a full load from my favorite, Holloway farms –   and I now have 700 bales of  GOLD in our lofts.  It’s a beautiful thing.  You’d be amazed at how giddy a girl can be over a loft full of good hay that will last a whole year or more.

There are two cuttings of hay in this load – first cut on the bottom, the lighter colored, and second cut on top – considered the prized hay, tending to be more grassy.  Both are good feed hay, regardless.  A hay field in a good weather season can get two cuttings, one in June, the next in September-ish.

Fall has officially arrived! Do you decorate for the seasons?  As soon as the little pumpkins come out I’m all over it…. my daughter and I have already made our first trip of the season to Scott’s farm down the road  –

On the health goals front – using the SlimNation.com apps and menu plan, I’ve lost almost 10 pounds in 3 1/2 weeks – about 15 – 18 to go.  Feeling better, sleeping better, better attitude over all.   Going into the holidays will be interesting and a struggle with the diet because I love to eat, and cook and bake.  But I’m determined to keep it up, because feeling better is the only way to be if you can help it.  We can certainly control what we put in our mouth, right?   Lord help me please.  🙂

Till soon  friends – 

 

 

21 thoughts on “Like Gold”

    1. Cows have four stomachs and they chew their regurgitated “cud”… whereas horses have a more delicate digestive system. There isn’t a lot of nutritional value in hay though. It’s more about the consistency

  2. I didn’t realize other bloggers knew about quality of hay. My dad taught agriculture at Penn State many years before I was born. He was always improving and upgrading the quality of our hay (for a herd of 50 milking cows). People used to come to him for advice and he was in his element talking farming.

    I have been following a dirty/lazy keto program for almost a month and I am down 10 pounds, too, with another 25 to go. I finally broke through the heavy craving period and that , in itself, is a Godsend.

    I hope you have a wonderful week, Karen. Loved the picture of you -you sure are a purty thang. lol xo Diana

    2. Hey Nana, Penn State is my neck of the woods! Many of my high school classmates went to main campus for dairy farming. My husbands company did fire protection for the new dairy barns they built 15-20 years ago.

        2. I just tried to order it and I got a Fraud Detection alert and it wouldn’t let me CC go through. I’ll try again… yay for the fragrance!

  4. My friend, who always had horses, and now owns a successful tack shop business told me that horses need a better hay than cows. Is it due to nutrition requirements or the fact that cows chew their cud and horses do not? Regardless, I can understand how exciting it must have been to have a full supply, a bit like seeing a full pantry and knowing in your little “pioneer heart” that all will be well. And those pumpkins and gourds make my heart sing! -Jenn

    1. It has more to do with consistency than nutrition – for the exact reason you mentioned – Cows have four stomachs and better digestion than horses. And YES! Exactly like a full pantry 🙂

    2. It’s all about the different digestive systems – cows have four stomachs and chew their cud, whereas horses have a more delicate digestive system –

  6. I’m so proud of you! And it really does make you feel energized to lose a few pounds. You are probably about right now. When it gets even more hard to lose the pounds, you’ll know your body wants to hang on to those. LOVE seeing your house and the beautiful pumpkins and Fall things. Enjoy your week! Hugs, Diane

  7. Oh, it’s truly fall where you are and it looks wonderful, inside and out. What a beautiful and peaceful feeling!

    Three cheers on the weight loss! I’m impressed and it’s lovely to hear you feel better!

  8. A former co-worker had a hay farm (several hundred acres) and delivered it all up and down the east coast. His wife was a serious horse person and was extremely picky about hay. I remember their lives being ruled by the weather when it came to cutting and bailing.

  9. I echo you on all points girlfriend–you’ve got a friend in me!

    But the great stuff, your kids make you happy! How can they not when they are going out into this chaotic world and doing so well? I feel the same about my own.

    You and your animals…sigh. I wonder what I’ll do in the second phase of my life. A small farm (with help) would be something to keep me on my toes. Anyway, you and your man look so great! And Vermont, it’s always been a romantic spot long ago for me after the Bing Crosby movies. I want to get there by train, preferably in a blizzard. ❤️

    Love to you,

    Jane

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