Well, what do you know...
This pocket of Norwegian farmland just happens to be experiencing the perfect weather for hay making! Can you believe my fortune?!
Actually, this time around, it's no BFD. It's hard, dusty, and extremely sweaty as per usual, but my attitude has shifted to one of confidence and appreciation for hard labor at this point.
No, seriously!
(And there's a lot less hay...)
The way it's done here is, generally speaking, a less grueling process. The hay was cut some weeks ago and tediously hung on wire fences to dry (I missed the labor intensive pleasure of this task, thank you very much!). In my opinion, this would be the best way to do things if you're a small, self sustaining farmer worried about it raining a few times beforethe hay's had time to fully dry. Or if you are over seeing an open air museum reflective of farm life in olden times.
So. When you get a few sunny days like the ones we just had, you can do a test on the innermost, bottom hay to see if it's brittle enough. If I haven't yet illuminated you on the ways of hay storage yet, you should know now that damp hay is likely to spontaneously combust within your barn if not sufficiently dried. Just FYI.
If it's ready, you bring out your workhorses or maybe a tractor and you load it up. You then drop it off in the barn, spread it around evenly, walk around on it to flatten it down some, and then salt it - both to continue the drying process and give the cows salt for their hay which is provides nutrients they'll later need.
You will then be exhausted, covered in dust, and have hay everywhere you can think of (and places you can't). Please enjoy a beer and some strawberries and cream. Wake up with a full body ache but feel total mental and physical satisfaction.