Hay! Take minute to read about it.
WE OFFER CUSTOM HAY HARVESTING IN THE UPPER ROARING FORK VALLEY INCLUDING SNOWMASS AND WOODY CREEK.
Whats so great about some grass in a field?
Hay and forage are the primary agricultural crops in western Colorado and we are passionate about growing, harvesting, and grazing at SMF Land Management Consulting. On the surface hay is one of the easiest crops to grow and the simplest to establish, maintain, and harvest. Hay fields and pasture however have many unseen and little understood elements that give this crop a complex ability to heal and degrade the land.
The potential of a pasture
Perennial cropping systems such as hay are home to much more complex biological networks than annual cropping systems and hold a lot of potential for easy soil building, and carbon sequestration and can see dramatic changes in yield based on management practices. Hay fields and pastures are so exciting to us because of this complexity and potential. We work with owners and operators to plan grazing, irrigation, seeding, inoculations, fertilizations, and harvests to maximize the potential of a field. On our test farm in Snowmass, Co we have seen a 3x increase in production with no fertilizer applications and reduced water applications over the last 7 years. We are constantly experimenting with rotational grazing, seeding, subsoiling, harvest timing, and soil inoculations to improve the health of our fields and therefore improve yields and forage quality.
Irrigation: Carefully planned irrigation can increase root growth, build a deeper top soil, increase your water efficiency, and save you time.
Seeding: Adjusting and diversifying the plant populations on your hay field or pasture can have a huge impact on your soil health and yields. Properly selected seed, methods, and timing are critical to achieving success in establishing an optimized field or pasture.
Grazing: Grazing animals and grass have evolved together for millennia and have a mutualistic relationship that can be utilized to our benefit. From the African Savannah, to the Arctic tundra we see patterns in animal behavior that naturally benefits grass and soil. Straying too far from these behaviors can have negative effects on your fields and pastures.