Country diary: making hay on a family farm

Morcombelake, Dorset: Under livestock farmer Tom Sneath's chemical-free management, plants are starting to reappear in the fieldsAll through the heatwave the village smelled of new-mown hay. Its dry, sweet scent was strongest when the wilted stalks were being fluffed by the tedder, a machine with whirling tines that lifts and turns the cut swathes before baling.This has been an exceptional year for haymaking, with some fields producing double the usual amount. A wet growing season and then a sustained hot spell have provided near-perfect conditions. Continue reading...