Hay, Hershey's bars and filet mignon

This is 2011, first cutting, grass/alfalfa mix hay. For meat lovers, it's the ground chuck of the hay world. For chocolate lovers, it's the equivalent of a Hershey bar.

It is the hay that I feed the ewes in early winter, the hay that Lily the Haflinger always eats, the hay that Jet the Haflinger eats slowly on most days.

This is 2012, third cutting, grass/alfalfa mix (drought year) hay. For meat lovers, it is the filet mignon of the hay world. For chocolate lovers, it's the equivalent of Godiva chocolate.

The farmer calls it "milking hay." It's the hay he would feed dairy cows when he wants to increase milk production. It is the hay that I feed to the pregnant ewes during late pregnancy and lactation. It is the hay that I feed Jet the Haflinger when I want her to finish her meal fast. It is the hay that Lily wants and never gets.

And, it is the hay that I use to entice the sheep to walk through belly-deep snow drifts.