Did you know that California is the number one dairy state in the nation? It’s home to over a million hungry cows that eat some 15 pounds of hay every day! There are several types of hay. The most popular, alfalfa, is enjoyed by more than just cows. Horses and goats like it, too!

Alfalfa harvesting begins as early as April. This is what farmers call the "first cut." The harvesting process starts with a mowing…then it’s racked and sun dried to eliminate excess moisture. In between the cuttings is the all important irrigation process.

Irrigation is essential to harvesting, almost as important as the weather itself. And with the weather being different in northern and southern parts of the state, so too are the crops.

Because so many nutrients are taken from the ground when the hay is baled, they have to be replaced in the soil during the growing season.

Much of our state’s hay, more than a million tons a year, is shipped to Japan. California alfalfa is prized in Japan and the Japanese pay a lot of green for this golden crop from the Golden State.