From fluffy windrows to bodacious bales – area’s summer harvests are in motion

Last week, combines harvested ryegrass in the fields of Walterville’s Millican Century Farm. After cutting, the grass was left in windrows to dry in the summer sun before specialized harvesters returned to collect and compress the seed into 1,000-pound bales. Oregon’s Willamette Valley is one of the world’s leading producers of cool-season grass seed, with ryegrass harvested during the warm, dry days of summer to ensure high-quality seed for lawns, pastures, and turf around the globe.