Minsterley Meadows are nationally important and are amongst some of the best flowery grasslands in Shropshire and have survived agricultural changes over the years. This has preserved their diversity and gives visitors a chance to see what our countryside would have looked like in the past. On the 1836 Tithe map of the area the two fields are called Alderley Leasow and May Piece.  Designated as an SSSI by Natural England. Approximately 5000 Green Winged-Orchids flower in Apri

Every year countless fawns (the young of a deer) die unnecessary deaths or are injured during the annual mowing of fields. The german measure of “Kitzrettung”, “Save-a-Fawn” offers a solution to this problem of modern haymaking. Fig. 1 "Kitzrettung" in action. (by Jens Gebhardt all rights reserved) Roots of the Problem Does of the different deer species found in Europe or North America typically put down their fawns in fields with high grass to protect them from predators. Th

Our growers Kathy Bethmann and Christopher Brock tell how hay is made at the Burghof Damm: Haymaking starts in the last days of may or early in June at Burghof Damm on a meadow with restricted utilization for the protection of the Dusky Large Blue, a butterfly living on Great Burnet (Sanguisorba officinalis). The meadow is our favourite location for haymaking – it is flat, has a comfortable rectangular shape, there are no obstacles and it is very close to the farm. As the mea

Hayracks, or kozolci , are among the most distinctive and iconic features of the Slovenian rural landscape.  These wooden structures, crafted by skilled carpenters, were originally developed to dry and store hay. Over time, they came to embody much more: the ingenuity of Slovenian farmers, their adaptation to changing climatic conditions, regional building traditions, and a deep sense of identity rooted in the land. Hayracks in Studor, Bohinj, Upper Carniola, 1980s. Photo by

Phtographer Vlad Dimustrescu tells us a story about traditional haymaking in Romania, illustrated with his magnificent pictures: One of the first subjects that captivated me when I began practicing photography was the world of haymaking. It is a theme that follows the rhythm of the entire year. If it’s not the work of cutting and storing the hay - from late spring until the first snowfall - then it’s the task of carrying haystacks back home and feeding the animals through win

If you are a fan of landscape art, you may have noticed that hay has a prominent position in art history across many countries and...

Background: Our land is on a rocky ridge near the Susquehanna river in southeastern Pennsylvania. The soil is thin and it’s not easy to...

As a working farm and historic site in the heart of Canada’s Capital, the decision to highlight hay by the A Year On The Field project...

It is time for the Introduction of our second growers for this years "Hay year". Burghof Damm Our second grower this year is the small...

Hay plays an important role in modern agriculture; it is used as fodder for horses, cattle and other ruminants and in times when it is...

We are happy to share the first part of Donn Hewes`s (Northland Sheep Farm, USA) Hay Makers Journal that he started for A Year On The...

Making hay is, with ploughing the land, in my opinion one of them most essential parts of farming. When we bought our land six years ago...

Today we are happy to dive into our first hay story from Eastern Europe. Lukáš Balhar, a young farmer from the Czech Republic is not only...

Its time for our second hay story! Today, Sarah Mary Wallace-Johnson will share her special childhood memories with us: I grew up in...

The Historic Farming Trade at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Virginia, USA) has provided the Year On A Field Project with a brief...

Its time to start introducing the growers of this years "Hay Year". The Koch family from Eberbach, natural and traditional farming with...

We are happy to share our first Audio Episode from our series " Haystories ", a new element of A Year on The Field. Todays episode was...

Mixed grasses on a meadow: brome and fescue. Copyright: Lauren Muney. Imagine yourself as a farmer before the invention of tractors and...

When is the right time to start mowing? When is the grass ready to be mown? How do people know all these details, in order to start...

Send in your pics, vids and stories now! On April 15th, we will officially start with our hay year. On a weekly basis, you will get a...