Our pasture is a mix of alfalfa and grass. It's over 2 feet tall now, almost ripe for hay-making. A neighbor cuts it for us in late June. Our semi-arid region gets under 8 inches of precipitation per year.
To grown anything other than sagebrush, we must irrigate using water than comes from mountain snow melt. 
Our first irrigation was in early May. As you can see, the mornings were still so cool that we had frost on the wheel line.
No more frost. Temperatures are in the low 90's this week, favorable for alfalfa growth.
Goodness - that is such a different way of life. Alfalfa's wonderful though - full of goodness - isn't it? . . . it's dried and sold in UK where we take the rainfall too much for granted . . .
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of freshly cut alfalfa.
ReplyDeletemy mother's is about the same height too. I remember once when she had a friend visit from South Carolina. She had to take pictures of the sprinkler spraying water and a tumble weed tumbling along, she thought they were so amusing. She also laughed over our "rivers" stating they were nothing more than a little creek.
ReplyDeleteThat top picture is beautiful. The greens are so green and the blues so blue with no sign of civilization... ok fine, maybe just a little if you blow the picture up. Almost no sign.
ReplyDeletemy husbands Aunt and Uncle in Wyoming grow hay...and also have several ranches they bail hay for...love your photos...
ReplyDeleteFeast or famine, its either to cold or to hot. What happened to the in-between. Your fields look great, your critters will love it when it is cut, Janie.
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely pictures capturing the countryside & you do live in gorgeous country.
ReplyDeleteHave a beau-TEA-ful day!
TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon
This is so interesting Janie.
ReplyDeleteSo is the alfalfa used for horse feed?
Interesting, Janie.... It's good that you can get water from the snow melt... I'm sure you'll have alot of alfalfa/grass for hay...
ReplyDeleteOur temps are supposed to soar this weekend... We never have to turn on the AC here until mid-August---but that may change this year.
Hugs,
Betsy
Thanks for the explanation of how you grow your hay. We grew a combination of grass and alfalfa on our farm when I was growing up, but since we lived in northern Indiana we got plenty of rain and didn't have to irrigate.
ReplyDeleteThe endless beauty of the countryside!
ReplyDeleteYour hay field is a pretty sight. There is so much work to do with horses.
ReplyDeleteAre you supplied by a ditch, then? Montana is just getting around to adjudication--it's a real cluster* what with ranchers trying to justify exaggerated claims on over-appropriated rivers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the explanation you emailed--I spend some time on water/trout/in stream flow issues, and am endlessly fascinated by water law in the West. You know the saying Sam Clemens cited, "Whiskey's for drinkin' but water's for fightin' over." Very true here in the arid West. - Pat (aka EcoRover)
ReplyDeleteIs that the Alfalfa that we eat for salad?
ReplyDeleteInteresting way of life you have there. Such a vast area to manage.
Janie, I love that photo of frost on the wheel line. We're to get snow this weekend...
ReplyDeleteLooks like great hay (not that I would know anything about it). Southeast Idaho was very green last weekend.
ReplyDelete