In 2019, we underwent a transformation in naming our Timothy Hay products. Shifting away from the traditional first cut, second cut, and third cut labels, we proudly introduced Coarse, Medium, and Soft Timothy.

Our aim was to ensure that every box of hay consistently meets your expectations. The previous naming system, although accurate, failed to capture the nuanced texture details that matter most. After a decade of using terms like soft, coarse, and leafy to convey hay textures, we realized the need for names that speak universally.

Medium Timothy Hay is almost always harvested from the second cut. However, in the past we have inspected beautiful first cut hay that was on the softer-side of a first cut and had to reject it. Which is extremely silly as we know you would’ve loved it.

Moving forward we will provide you with the highest quality hay we can find that meets the standards for what Medium Timothy Hay should be, regardless if it’s from the second or first cut.

Medium Timothy Hay should have these qualities:

Harvest: Second or first cut of pure Timothy Hay
Color: Described as a hunter or true green.
Stems/Stalks: The stems of Medium Hay should be thin, less than 1/16th of an inch, however, an occasional thicker stem (stalk) is not uncommon. Most of the stems should be solid, almost wiry in feel. Medium Hay is softer than Coarse Timothy because of the lower number of stems and higher number of leaves. 
Leaves: Leaves should be broad and more than half the total amount of hay.
Seed Heads/Flowers: The seed heads, also called flowers, should be fully developed and will generally be between 1-2 inches long on average with small purple wisps. The seed heads of Medium Timothy should be noticeably shorter and smaller than Coarse Timothy, with fewer in number.

Our goal is to offer the highest quality hay, however, all naturally grown and harvested hay holds minor imperfections such as dust, weeds, leaf crush, and brown leaf. The ideal version of Medium Timothy Hay would have none of these.

The 2024 Ultra Premium Medium Timothy Hay we have in stock is currently a second cut. This hay is known as a “true medium” for a Medium Timothy Hay. We rated this year a 9 because of the healthy blend of stems and leaves. This year's harvest is consistent with our 2023 harvest, which many of our customers will enjoy. If you are looking for a little softer Timothy Hay then the Soft Timothy might be a great option for you.

Here is the report on what we have in stock:

Overall Rating: 9/10
Harvest: Second cut of pure Timothy Hay, it was harvested in July and August of 2024.
Location: Northwestern United States
Color: Light green
Stems/Stalks: Averaging 8"-9" in length and up to 1/8" in diameter
Leaves: There is a generous blend of soft leaves averaging about 5" in length.
Seed Heads/Flowers: Fully developed, averaging at 2" in length.
Leaf Crush: Some may be present, but varies bale to bale. No more than years prior.
Weeds: None.
Brown Leaf: Very minimal to none.
Dust: None.

Initial Analysis Summary: The Medium Timothy Hay this year contains a healthy blend of thin stems and flat leaves, with seed heads sprinkled throughout. This batch is considered being close to a "true medium" because of the balance between stem and leaf.

Medium Timothy Hay: 2023 Harvest Report

The 2023 Ultra Premium Medium Timothy Hay we have in stock is currently a second cut. This hay is known as a “true medium” for a Medium Timothy Hay. We rated this year an 8.5 because of the length of stems and leaves (see below for more information). Our Soft Timothy Hay is nice and leafy, which is similar to the texture many Medium Timothy customers got used to over the last year. If you are looking for a little softer Timothy Hay then the Soft Timothy might be a great option for you.

Here is the report on what we have in stock:

Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Harvest: Second cut of pure Timothy Hay, it was harvested in July and August of 2023.
Location: Northern California
Color: Green
Stems/Stalks: Averaging 9-14" in length and up to 1/8" in diameter (longer than previous years)
Leaves: There are a moderate amount of leaves with the leaf length up to 8"
Seed Heads/Flowers: Fully developed, averaging at 2.5" in length.
Leaf Crush: Minimal
Weeds: None.
Brown Leaf: Very light.
Dust: None.

Initial Analysis Summary: The Medium Timothy Hay this year contains more stem content than 2022 harvest. Although this is a great Medium Timothy, many customers favor the softer leafy hay we had previously. Please consider this before purchasing.

Medium Timothy Hay: 2022 Harvest Report

The 2022 Ultra Premium Medium Timothy Hay we have in stock is currently a second cut. This hay is very soft for a Medium Timothy Hay. The cool weather stunted the growth of the hay and caused the leaves to be broader, and the stems to be thinner and almost non-existent. We rated this year a 7 because this is not a traditional Medium (2nd Cut) harvest, even though the hay is very nice, it just might not be what you are expecting. Our Coarse Timothy Hay was also a little softer than normal, if you are looking for a little coarser Timothy Hay then the Coarse Timothy might be a great option for you.

Here is the report on what we have in stock:

Overall Rating: 7/10
Harvest: Second cut of pure Timothy Hay, it was harvested in September of 2022.
Location: Northern California
Color: Deep Green
Stems/Stalks: Almost no stems.
Leaves: Made up of mostly leaves with the leaf length up to 6-8 inches. They are nice and broad.While they seem to be a little on the short side, they are maintaining their structural integrity and are not breaking into leaf crush.
Seed Heads/Flowers: Very minimal seed heads, the few I could find are all very short 1-2” tops.
Leaf Crush: Almost none.
Weeds: Slight Brome.
Brown Leaf: Light. The rest of the hay looks good!
Dust: None

Summary: This year's Medium Timothy Hay is not the best example of what Medium Timothy Hay should be. This hay is very soft for a Medium Timothy Hay. The cool weather stunted the growth of the hay and caused the leaves to be broader, and the stems to be thinner and almost non-existent. We gave it a 7/10 because this is not a traditional Medium (2nd Cut) harvest, even though the hay is very nice, it just might not be what you are expecting. Our Coarse Timothy Hay was also a little softer than normal, if you are looking for a little coarser Timothy Hay then the Coarse Timothy might be a great option for you.