Mountain-Grown Conditions

There is something pretty special about growing hay at more than 9,000 feet.

Our fields in Grand Lake, Colorado, sit near the Never Summer Range, surrounded by the mountains that make this place home.

The growing season is shorter here. The nights are cool, the weather can change quickly, and the water that reaches our fields comes from the mountain landscape around us.

Our fields are literally watered from an oxbow, a curved body of water connected to the Colorado River. That mountain water helps nourish the fields where our Timothy hay grows.

It is one of those details that makes us smile when we think about what goes into a bag of Mountain Paradise Hay.

Mountain grown. Mountain watered. And grown through the season until it is ready.

We produce one Timothy hay cutting each year. Rather than rushing the crop to fit a production schedule, we let it grow and harvest it when the timing is right.

That's one of the things that makes Mountain Paradise Hay A Cut Above.

What Is Timothy Hay?

Timothy hay is simply Timothy grass that has been harvested, dried, and prepared as animal forage. Timothy grass is a cool-season perennial grass commonly grown for hay.

As the grass grows, it develops leaves, stems, and seedheads. Once it reaches the right stage, it is harvested and dried to become the hay that ends up in your pet's feeder.

Because Timothy is a natural crop, it doesn't look exactly the same every time. Color, leafiness, stem thickness, seedheads, and texture can naturally vary depending on the growing season, maturity at harvest, weather, and how the hay is handled and stored.

And that's okay.

Natural hay isn't supposed to look factory-made.

What matters is that it is clean, dry, fresh-smelling, and something your pet enjoys eating.

What Is First-Cut Hay?

First-cut hay is the first harvest of the Timothy crop each growing season. Because our fields are high in the Colorado mountains, our growing season is shorter, giving us one opportunity to harvest each year.

That means we can let the crop grow until the timing is just right, then make one premium cut from the field.

The result is long, hearty stems with plenty of texture for chewing. The longer strands also tend to stay together better in hay feeders, helping keep your pet's hay bin a little cleaner.

It's one more reason we're proud to call our hay A Cut Above.

Hand-Selected Quality

Harvesting the hay is only part of the job.

After harvest, our hay is prepared and bagged on the farm. Each bag is filled by hand, giving our team an opportunity to stay close to the hay as it is packed.

We select dry, clean hay and inspect it for visible mold and excess debris. We're looking for the things you want to see when you open a fresh bag: a clean appearance, long strands, and a naturally fresh, grassy aroma.

Of course, hay comes from a field.

That means a few fine pieces and natural variation are part of the package. We work to keep excess dust and loose debris to a minimum while preserving the longer strands and hearty texture of our Premium Timothy Hay.

And because it is a natural agricultural product, every bag won't look exactly the same. You may see differences in color, leafiness, stem thickness, or seedhead presence from one harvest to another.

Our goal is consistent quality.

We want every bag to meet the same standard for being dry, clean, fresh-smelling, and true to the hearty character of our Premium Timothy Hay.

From the field to the feeder, hand-selection is one more way we take care with what goes into the bag.

What Should Good Timothy Hay Look and Smell Like?

If you've ever opened a bag of hay and wondered, “What am I actually looking for here?”, you're not alone.

A lot of people assume the best Timothy hay should be the brightest green, softest, or leafiest hay they can find.

But color alone doesn't tell the whole story.

Because Timothy hay is a natural crop, its color and texture can vary depending on growing conditions, maturity at harvest, weather, and how it was dried and stored.

Instead, look at the whole picture.

Good-quality Timothy hay should be dry, clean, and pleasantly grassy-smelling. It should not smell damp, musty, sour, or moldy. Look for a texture your pet enjoys, whether that's longer, heartier strands or a softer, leafier feel.

You should also check the bag for excessive dust, visible mold, or unnecessary debris.

The best bag isn't necessarily the greenest one.

It's the one that's clean, dry, fresh-smelling, and something your pet is excited to eat.

Why Does Where Timothy Hay Is Grown Matter?

The short answer is simple: growing conditions shape the crop.

Soil, elevation, weather, water, temperature, and the length of the growing season all influence how hay grows.

Mountain Paradise Premium Timothy Hay is grown in a very different environment from hay produced in areas with lower elevations and longer growing seasons.

Our Grand Lake fields sit high in the Colorado mountains, where the shorter growing season means we get one opportunity to harvest our Timothy hay each year.

We let the crop grow through that season, watch for the right time to harvest, and then bring it in.

And then there is the water.

Our fields are watered from an oxbow connected to the Colorado River, bringing water from the surrounding mountain landscape to the fields where our Timothy hay grows.

It's not something you'll find printed on a nutrition label.

But it's part of the story of our hay.

It's part of what makes Mountain Paradise Premium Timothy Hay mountain grown.

Premium Hay, Grown With Purpose

Premium Timothy hay isn't defined by a label, a single shade of green, or one feature in a bag.

It comes from the whole process.

It starts with where the grass grows. It continues through the growing season and the timing of the harvest. And it ends with the care taken as the hay is selected, packed, and sent on its way to your pet.

For Mountain Paradise Hay, that means high-elevation fields in Grand Lake, Colorado. It means mountain water. It means one Timothy hay cutting each year, harvested when the timing is right. And it means hand-selected hay with consistent standards from field to feeder.

We can't control every part of Mother Nature's process.

And honestly, we wouldn't want to.

Because some of the best things about hay are the things that make it a natural agricultural product in the first place.

Mountain grown. Consistent in quality. A Cut Above.

That's Mountain Paradise Premium Timothy Hay.