Hay for the Day

The technologies which have had the most profound effects on human life are usually simple. A good example of a simple technology with profound historical consequences is hay. Nobody knows who invented hay, the idea of cutting grass in the autumn and storing it in large enough quantities to keep horses and cows alive through the winter. All we know is that the technology of hay was unknown to the Roman Empire but was known to every village of medieval Europe. Like many other crucially important technologies, hay emerged anonymously during the so-called Dark Ages. According to the Hay Theory of History, the invention of hay was the decisive event which moved the center of gravity of urban civilization from the Mediterranean basin to Northern and Western Europe. The Roman Empire did not need hay because in a Mediterranean climate the grass grows well enough in winter for animals to graze. North of the Alps, great cities dependent on horses and oxen for motive power could not exist without hay. So it was hay that allowed populations to grow and civilizations to flourish among the forests of Northern Europe. Hay moved the greatness of Rome to Paris and London, and later to Berlin and Moscow and New York.  - Freeman Dyson

I read that quote in James Wesley, Rawles' book, "Founders" and began thinking about it deeper.  That is because we have just started to feed our cows strictly hay. We'll feed round bales of bahia all throughout the winter and will shortly supplement with square bales of a higher quality Bermuda hay. The grass in the pasture is mostly eaten and that remaining is void of nutrition.  Ruminants need something to eat over the winter and hay fits the bill. Our animals are going through a round bale in about 6 days.  They certainly let us know when the bale is gone by mooing... loudly!

The quote above the picture is interesting.  According to the hay theory, the invention of hay allowed civilization to progress.  I guess I can see that, and I am not nearly as learned as the physicist who was quoted above, but I have several questions about his assertion regarding the invention of hay:

First, even if hay wasn't invented, couldn't people have stored grains or root crops over the winter when grass was unavailable in order to move society to Northern and Western Europe?

Next, the statement about the invention of hay taking place during the Dark Ages has me scratching my head.  Cato the Elder (234-139 BCE), PRIOR TO THE DARK AGES - mentions hay in 'De Agri Cultura', LIII:

"Cut hay in season, and be careful not to wait too long. Harvest before the seed ripens, and store the best hay by itself for the oxen to eat during the spring ploughing, before you feed clover."

Finally, the Holy Bible mentions hay often.  In fact, in a very timely example, the Virgin Mary gave birth to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger as there was no room for them in the inn.  What is a manger?  It is a feed trough - and most nativity scenes you see will show the Baby Jesus lying in a manger filled with...hay!

Maybe there's some context to the hay theory that I'm missing?  Regardless of the timing of hay coming on the scene, our cows are certainly happy that it exists at Our Maker's Acres Family Farm!