Jack Bowling wrote:

>I'll assume that the Nisqually haying schedule is planned to protect
>grass-nesting species. (Does anybody know?)

>>Haying schedules are run by the weather and crop conditions. Can't let =
the crop get=20
>>overripe or it loses value. Likewise, if you get a dry period, you =
have to knock it down=20
>>to take advantage of the good drying conditions. About the only thing =
which determines=20
>>when a field is mowed is time of planting.

Hi folks,

thought I'd throw my 2 cents in: If the folks at Nisqually were running =
their operation like farmers, their haying schedule would be a lot =
different. Marty, my wife, is much more of a forages expert than this =
old farm boy is, and she notes that Nisqually:

1) Cuts their hay too late to provide decent feed, and
2) Leaves the hay in the field until it gets rained on and goes 'bad' =
most years

The hay that is cut on Nisqually after 1 July is too 'ripe' - the seed =
heads have matured too far and the stems are turning to straw; the =
protein content of this "hay" is pretty low. You could feed it to =
sit-in-the-barn "pet" horses or to cattle that you don't care whether =
they'd gain weight or not, but it's certainly not very high-quality hay. =
A Dairy farmer would never buy that crap. It'd be interesting to find =
out how much or whether they charge the cooperating farmers anything to =
cut the hay - probably so, because if someone takes something of 'value' =
from a NWR, it has to be accounted for, or all the pencil-necks in =
Washington, DC get bent out of shape.

Time of 'planting' has little to do with most hay crops - most hayfields =
are of perennial grasses or legumes, and the weather determines how much =
growth and what the protein level is. Some clover or annual grass =
fields are hayed, but for the most part perennial plant species are =
used. At Nisqually, the fields I've looked at tend to be tall =
fescue/orchardgrass/meadow foxtail/weeds.

Without talking to their refuge biologists, I would presume that their =
postponement of haying until after the first of July is a =
biological/bureaucratic decision made to provide protection to =
ground-nesting birds. Cutting prior to mid-June/early July might, =
indeed, destroy some later-nesting ground nesters' efforts. The western =
Oregon Natl Wildlife Refuges had a similar policy on the books back in =
the 80s, and it might be nation-wide NWR policy for most refuges, unless =
there are mitigating circumstances.

Jack, in this instance, the quality of the hay and the weather =
conditions generally don't have anything to do with the timing of =
haying. Folks driving by on Interstate 5 can see truly "managed" =
pasture/ hayfields on the dairy farm on the south side of the freeway =
just west of the Nisqually River. That farming operation is on its =
third cutting of the season already.... Probably not as many nesting =
Savannah Sparrows over there....

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net