History – Making hay

As summer gracefully settles into endless sunlit days, haymaking contractors skilfully manoeuvre their high-tech machinery between farms, following a carefully scheduled roster of bookings. Their state-of-the-art tractors – complete with advanced on board GPS systems and air-conditioning – blend tradition with cutting-edge technology. Once the hay balers are hitched, drivers can meticulously monitor moisture content and accurately calculate the hay’s dry weight, ensuring the highest standards of quality are met.

Haymaking has long been essential to farming. In the 17th and 18th centuries, it was entirely manual and labour-intensive. The hayrake, one of the first major innovations from the Industrial Revolution, marked the beginning of change, followed by improved cutting tools in the mid-19th century. With the aid of horses, the process became more efficient, though it was still demanding work.

In a beautifully written account, Colin Rotherham, who purchased his Port Albert farm in October 1947 with wife Eva, shares a vivid glimpse into mid-20th-century haymaking, a time of significant advancements for farmers.

With no power, Colin and Eva began milking their 27 cows by hand, but the community quickly rallied to build them a cowshed, with a newly-installed McL. Wallace milking machine, powered by a borrowed engine. Neighbour Dave Kruse contributed by gifting Colin a dog named Mac.

In early December, haymaking began in earnest across the district. Colin helped his neighbour Tracey Gubb sweep hay one day and bale it the next. Then, a crew baled most of Colin’s hay and Eva prepared lunch for eight hungry men. Days later, Colin turned hay at Bert Biddle’s while Des Morgan carted Colin’s hay to the shed. On Christmas Eve, Bert’s hay was baled, and by Christmas morning, Colin was so exhausted he slept for most of the day.

As the New Year began, haymaking continued with Ray Gubb next in line, and stretched well into January. Silaging (the process of preserving green fodder in a pit) also began in earnest and the gang not only shared their equipment between farms but also joined forces to fence a haystack. In January 1949, a gale added to the challenges. Colin’s horse Prince refused to pull the hay mower and sweep, leading to some negotiations with the neighbour and Prince was replaced with Belle and Grey. Horses still played a large role in haymaking, but that summer saw Colin use Fred Bailey’s hay baler to produce 170 bales and by the following year the gang had four tractors between them.

In 1950, after nine years of marriage, Colin and Eva bought their first car. The next year, after a tractor demonstration at Blackmore’s farm, Colin made enquiries. Within days, the bank manager visited him to value his farm and six days later, his new Fordson Tractor arrived, followed by a power hay mower – raising his overdraft by £600.

Colin’s diary beautifully reflects the lasting sense of community, where groups of men came together across the neighbourhood, embodying a timeless tradition of mutual support in rural life.