Past, Present and Future of Hay-making Structures in Europe

Abstract

Hay-making structures are part of the agricultural landscape of meadows and pastures. Hay meadows are still used and found all over Europe, but their distribution patterns as well as their characteristics and regional features depend on geographical area, climate, culture, and intensity of agriculture. Intensively used hay meadows are the most dominant, using heavy machinery to store hay mostly as rounded or square bales. Traditional hay-making structures represent structures or constructions, used to quickly dry freshly cut fodder and to protect it from humidity. The 'ancient' forms of traditional hay-making structures are becoming a relic, due to mechanisation and the use of new technologies. Both the need for drying hay and the traditional methods for doing so were similar across Europe. Our study of hay-making structures focuses on their current state, their Sustainability 2019, 11, 5581 2 of 22 development and history, current use and cultural values in various European countries. Regarding the construction and use of hay-making structures, we have distinguished three different types, which correlate to natural and regional conditions: (1) temporary hay racks of various shapes; (2) hay barracks, a special type of shelters for storing hay and (3) different types of permanent construction and buildings for drying and storing hay. Hay-making structures have been mostly preserved in connection with traditional agricultural landscapes, and particularly in the more remote regions or where associated with strong cultural identity.

Grassland with tradition: sampling across several scientific disciplines

“…Recently, traditional farming systems and local-ecological knowledge concerning meadows and pastures have been of interest for ethnologists (Boiko 2008(Boiko , 2009aFruntelată et al 2016;Iuga 2016 ;Boiko and Łach 2020), but also for botanical, agricultural, and landscape-focussed researchers. Numerous studies have taken place in the Carpathian regions with well-maintained traditional agriculture Page 2006, 2011;Dahlström et al 2013;Molnár 2014, 2016;Biró et al 2014;Molnár et al 2015;Plieninger et al 2015;Hartel et al 2016;Ivașcu et al 2016Ivașcu et al , 2018Sõukand and Pieroni 2016;Špulerová et al 2019;Kun et al 2019). Some of these studies are the result of joint research: either a collaboration by biologists and ethnologists, or biologists who recognize the importance of integrating social aspects into landscape studies.…”

Expansion of hay production and marketing in Brazil

“…Over the animal transportation from the silver to alqueive, part of the manure was lost, indicating a limitation of the system (BACC II Author Team, 2015). As a result, sheds were used to shelter the animals near the alqueive areas, and the hay storages from silver areas were arranged on wooden covered structures (Spulerov a et al, 2019). Herds then spent the entire cold season in stables, which allowed the manure collection at night (Neres et al, 2017).…”

Country Perspectives on Hay-Making Landscapes as Part of the European Agricultural Heritage

“…The latter provide a large range of ecosystem services, including biodiversity. As Špulerová et al [5] pointed out, a large number of definitions exist in the scientific literature. However, different national policies and statistical surveys make it difficult to obtain comparable statistics about the actual extent of hay production in Europe.…”