Great composition, although I think I prefer the colour version too! I've never seen round hay bales here - for some reason straw is baled round, and hay generally as smaller square bales.
I saw your comment on my horse picture. Well, I've wanted to take a hay picture but the only ones I've seen have been on a busy road lined with crosses (if you get what I mean). I'm seeing now what @vignouse is telling me about things on the diagonal making a good picture.
Interesting sometimes to be able to make a comparison between two versions of the same shot - I like them both but I think the B&W has my vote. That said, I would have liked to have seen a bit more contrast and would have preferred that you had removed the utilities pole as you did in the colour version. Small niggles in an otherwise very pleasing image.
I had the same B&W/colour dilemma with my second album shot yesterday and eventually settled for the colour one - I think I will follow your example and go back and post the B&W one as well.
I like both versions for different reasons. I've been taking pictures of these babies all summer; haven't liked any. Looking at these shots, I'm thinking that getting quite a bit closer would have helped.
I had the same B&W/colour dilemma with my second album shot yesterday and eventually settled for the colour one - I think I will follow your example and go back and post the B&W one as well.