Producing the highest quality hay and customer satisfaction are the top two priorities at Windmill Farms. When the farm was converted to hay production in 2000, cutting edge technology was used to design and modify the land for optimum irrigation and water drainage. Windmill Farm differentiates itself from other commercial hay operations by employing the following cutting edge production practices to ensure quality:
- Comprehensive Soil Testing – Samples are taken all over the property to see what is needed where.
- Soil Mapping – Using GPS technology, the farm was laid out in a grid. Every 3 acre area of the 500 acre hay farm was soil sampled. Based on the results of the soil samples, a bench mark soil map is created.
- Custom Fertilizer & Micro-nutrient Blends – A custom blend of 60-20-40 fertilizer and micronutrients is created based on the soil samples.
- GPS Guided Fertilizer Application – The fertilizers and micro-nutrients are applied in the exact right location only as needed using a GPS guiuded air flow applicator connected to the computer which meters out just the right amount of fertilizer where it’s needed.
- Regular Weed Control – Fields are routinely sprayed for weed control to insure you are feeding only top quality Jiggs Hybrid Bermuda hay to your horses and cattle.
- Moisture Controlled Irrigation – A 1/2 mile Zimmatic center pivot sprinkler system is used to monitor soil moisture so water can be applied when necessary to maximize hay quality and nutrient density. Our fields are cut on 21-30 day intervals which makes Windmill Farms hay the best quality.
Fertilization
Every acre of the Jiggs hay and Gordo fields are fertilized with the best-quality blended 60-20-40 fertilizer to insure the highest protein content. We use leading edge soil mapping technique on the Jiggs hay fields to establish what fertilizer and micro-nutrients are needed where. Our fertilizer provider then creates the right blend of nutrients to be applied to the field and creates a program that is uploaded to our GPS-guided-equipment to ensure that the nutrients are applied exactly where they are needed. This type of precision application helps insure consistent quality in every bale.
Irrigation
Other commercial hay operations either have no irrigation abilities, or they flood irrigate which can dramatically reduce the quality of the hay. Windmill Farms irrigates the hay with a ½ mile center-pivot sprinkler system. This Zimmatic center pivot is one of the largest in Southeast Texas and allows for the application of just the right amount of water at just the right time that water is needed to increase protein content.
