# What is the best way to tell if grass hay is dry enough to bale



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

I am having trouble deciding if my very thick first cut orchard grass and fescue is dry enough to bale. I mowed before lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday morning I tedded it. I went and checked it yesterday evening and it seemed pretty dry even the stems except for the nodes on the stem. Since the nodes seem to hold more moisture than any other part of the grass how dry do the nodes have to get and what is the best way to tell if it is dry enough? I am trying to decide if the hay will bale later today or tomorrow. In the past I think I was being overly cautious and letting the hay get to dry before baling. Thanks, Hayden


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Better to error on the dry side....probably will do after 2....

Regards, Mike


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

one day of drying is like 2.5 days in August


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## R Ball (Feb 26, 2013)

I with Vol. we have been having wind and low humidity which is a big help in dry down.


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## AndyL (Mar 9, 2013)

I'm with Vol, better to era on the dry side. But not to dry. I've used the microwave to check moisture and it seems to work good, and cheaper than a tester.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

FarmerCline you picked a good week. Yesterday was near perfect for drying, fairly low humidity, a stiff breeze and about 86 for a high here in NC. Your soil is probably wetter where you're at, I know you've had a lot more rain than we have. If it's up on that stubble you should good to go this evening or tomorrow when the dew is gone. Of course without seeing it can't say for sure.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol said:


> Better to error on the dry side....probably will do after 2....
> 
> Regards, Mike


When you say after 2 is that 2 days of drying including mowing? I just got back from checking the field and the hay seems dry and has a good cured smell all except the nodes on the stems seem to still have a little moisture in them. This will be the third day it has been on the ground including the day I mowed and as grateful said we have had good drying weather.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

The three methods I've learned of are 1. Twist/feel method 2. Moisture tester 3 Relative Humidity at the windrow (for more info see Haywilson tx). As with any type of method practice and experience learn you best


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

FarmerCline said:


> When you say after 2 is that 2 days of drying including mowing? I just got back from checking the field and the hay seems dry and has a good cured smell all except the nodes on the stems seem to still have a little moisture in them. This will be the third day it has been on the ground including the day I mowed and as grateful said we have had good drying weather.


2 o'clock.....today.

Regards, Mike


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Tried a new deal on my alfalfa today.....mowed early Tuesday....did not ted out until this morning(Thurs) in hopes of keeping good color. Tedded mid-morning exposing green stems.....finally stems almost dry at 4.....waiting for humidity to climb back up before raking(rotary) and baling later this evening. Color is very good for here....hope I can get it baled before gets too "in case". We shall see. Humidity is very low today for here....right now about 44% in the river bottom.

Regards, Mike


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Well I checked the hay again at 4 this afternoon and I decided to go by the twist method to see if it was dry enough. The field up on top of the hill broke with three twist so I went ahead and got it baled but the field on the side of the hill the hay would not break until 4 or 5 twist and since the weather is still good tomorrow I decided not to chance it. I just don't know where I'm going wrong on getting the hay dry, and I'm a bit confused because the stems and leaves seem to be plenty dry its just the nodes....maybe I don't need to let the nodes get completely dry?


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol said:


> Tried a new deal on my alfalfa today.....mowed early Tuesday....did not ted out until this morning(Thurs) in hopes of keeping good color. Tedded mid-morning exposing green stems.....finally stems almost dry at 4.....waiting for humidity to climb back up before raking(rotary) and baling later this evening. Color is very good for here....hope I can get it baled before gets too "in case". We shall see. Humidity is very low today for here....right now about 44% in the river bottom.Regards, Mike


 Mike, how did the alfalfa go this evening? Your doing good to get alfalfa dry faster than I am getting orchard and fescue. It sounds like we have had about the same drying weather. Just curious with the type of weather we have had since tuesday how long would it take you to get orchard grass dry?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Tuesday nite we had 1/2 inch rain .. started mowing alfalfa O/G MIX Wednesday noon cut 45 acres.. Ted @ 10 am Thursday [today] .. Rake 20acres @ 2:00 ..Started baling @5:00 30 hours after it was cut . Meter on baler read 13 to 18% moisture Treated 10 pounds per ton . We did this because chance of storms each day and we baled a 3rd of what we have laying to cut our risk a little.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

FarmerCline said:


> Mike, how did the alfalfa go this evening? Your doing good to get alfalfa dry faster than I am getting orchard and fescue. It sounds like we have had about the same drying weather. Just curious with the type of weather we have had since tuesday how long would it take you to get orchard grass dry?


I got about half of it baled before the humidity/moisture got too high(evening). Hope to start earlier on baling the other half today and finish what I did not get last night. Orchard Grass is alot easier to deal with than alfalfa here....too much wait and see with alfalfa...of course if I had gotten a preservative applicator put on it would have done earlier for sure.

I can bale Orchard grass or Timothy 48 hours after cutting everytime if the sunshines. Just alot easier to deal with...no leaf shatter or worry with stem moisture or color loss.

Regards, Mike


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## blueridgehay (Dec 25, 2012)

Cine, if you've had the weather we've had, it should go easily by today. When the weather is like this, I generally always err on the more dry side. I have missed this whole week, tryin to get my corn in.Just finished up 50 ac and switchin back to pumpkins today. If all goes well, will finally get started next week. Just killed me by missin this week, cause this kinda of weather is hard to come by. This wet spring has got me behind. Also finished footers on 90 x 40 barn. They goin start on it Mon. Been one of the hardest weeks I have ever had. If I can just hold on for 2 more months and get retired, it should get easier.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

blueridgehay said:


> Cine, if you've had the weather we've had, it should go easily by today. When the weather is like this, I generally always err on the more dry side. I have missed this whole week, tryin to get my corn in.Just finished up 50 ac and switchin back to pumpkins today. If all goes well, will finally get started next week. Just killed me by missin this week, cause this kinda of weather is hard to come by. This wet spring has got me behind. Also finished footers on 90 x 40 barn. They goin start on it Mon. Been one of the hardest weeks I have ever had. If I can just hold on for 2 more months and get retired, it should get easier.


Next week ain't looking too good down here in the Piedmont/Triad area. Only 2 days, maybe 3 depending on who you look at, of sun and cooler.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol said:


> I got about half of it baled before the humidity/moisture got too high(evening). Hope to start earlier on baling the other half today and finish what I did not get last night. Orchard Grass is alot easier to deal with than alfalfa here....too much wait and see with alfalfa...of course if I had gotten a preservative applicator put on it would have done earlier for sure.I can bale Orchard grass or Timothy 48 hours after cutting everytime if the sunshines. Just alot easier to deal with...no leaf shatter or worry with stem moisture or color loss.Regards, Mike


 If you can bale 48 hours after cutting that pretty much makes me think for sure I am letting it get extra dry before baling as I normally wait 72 hours after cutting before baling. I had one customer mention last year that they really like my hay but it was a bit dry and brittle. Funny thing is all the things your worrying with on alfalfa I am worrying with on grass. I am constantly worry that the stems are too green, the leaves are shattering, and the color is bleaching. I guess I am over thinking it and just need to go with my gut feeling which told me to bale yesterday but I found a few green stems so I got scared.

Hope your alfalfa goes well today and let me know how it turns out. Thanks, Hayden


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Hayden I think you hit the nail on the head. What you want is around 18% avg moisture between the leaves and stems combined. I do all grass type hay. I started last year to bale with the morning R H moisture at 60% +- this is after hay is down to15% (checked with moisture tester) the evening before. Worked out well for me but have to stop when Relative Humidity is at or below 50%


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

All depends, with my aftermarket rollers and tedding the next morning I can normally make alfalfa/og mix the end of the second day.

This year when it's not raining it's been quite cool with cloud cover, when it gets hot it rains.


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## Willyd3588 (May 30, 2013)

Endrow you said you applied 10lbs/ton at 13-18% moisture, that seems like super over kill or at least for my brand of acid. Mine calls for 4lbs/ton @22% and under. Why the extra 6%, are your just playing safe. I'm not trying to say you're wrong or anything I don't know I'm pretty new to the preservatives yet.

Thanks


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Well I got it all baled today....about 1300 bales but I only got half stacked in the barn I just now stopped for the day as I am completely give out, it's not supposed to rain so I should not have a problem getting the rest in tomorrow. Yes I did let the hay get a bit too dry before baling, I should have went with my gut feeling and baled it all yesterday. I guess it won't hurt anything that the hay was a bit over dry today except the color was bleached more out from laying a day longer and I had to crank up the density on the bale to get a good weight to it so I guess I sacrificed some yield since there is more hay in the bale. I think what threw me off so is last year I was using a disc mower and a poor excuse of a tedder and it was taking 4 to 5 days to get the hay dry. I was probably still letting the hay dry one day extra as I had some Timothy that I thought was dry enough and I started baling (it looked about like what the hay was yesterday when I should have baled) by the time I had baled 40 bales the fellow that had helped me the previous year getting started farming stopped by and told me to quit baling that the hay would mold for sure, not wanting to spread out 40 bales I went ahead and hauled them to the barn and said I would keep an eye on them. The next day I finished baling that hay and it was plenty dry but it did not seem to hurt anything but the color. After a couple weeks I cut open part of the 40 bales expecting to find mold or heating I found none and that was the prettiest hay I had. This year I mowed with a haybine and I have an excellent tedder and I just can't believe how fast the hay is curing. I thought that it would take 3 days to cure the hay as that is a day less than what it took last year when I baled the first 40 bales of Timothy but I can see that it was ready 48 hours after cutting with the haybine. I guess you learn from your mistakes and I seem to have a better understanding when the hay is ready and I'm sure it will get easier the more experience I get. Thanks for all the help as this is really the only place I can turn to for advice.


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## askinner (Nov 15, 2010)

Don't feel bad, better to be too dry and have a little bleaching, than too wet and have mold, at least you can still sell it. I would feel good if I could even get hay dry here at the moment!


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Cline, typically if the weather is 85 or above I almost always bale in the mid-afternoon of the third day here. I usually start raking around noon and baling around 2. I have a rotary rake which fluffs up the windrow nicely and helps about drying anything still green. I cut with a bine and ted also. If I can I ted shortly after mowing and if its not curing real fast I ted the second day also.

Regards, Mike


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

askinner said:


> Don't feel bad, better to be too dry and have a little bleaching, than too wet and have mold, at least you can still sell it. I would feel good if I could even get hay dry here at the moment!


 Yeah I agree better to be a bit dry than too wet and molded. Truthfully the place this hay is going to they won't mind that it is a bit dry as they really liked my hay last year and this is twice as good of hay as what I had last year. I probably let it bother me more than I should as I am somewhat a perfectionist and I want to do everything as good as what it can be done. I learned last year that I can't let the weather get to me since that is something I can't control but I still expect myself to do an excellent job.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol said:


> Cline, typically if the weather is 85 or above I almost always bale in the mid-afternoon of the third day here. I usually start raking around noon and baling around 2. I have a rotary rake which fluffs up the windrow nicely and helps about drying anything still green. I cut with a bine and ted also. If I can I ted shortly after mowing and if its not curing real fast I ted the second day also.Regards, Mike


 Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreciated. I have been waiting until the next morning after I mow before I Ted, which would be around 24 hours after mowing. I normally try to finish mowing early afternoon the first day so I will start trying to Ted right after I mow. I had planned on going to a rotary rake next year, I am currently using a rolabar rake. It sounds like the rotary rake might be the ticket to finish drying the hay the third day, maybe I should go ahead and get a rotary this year. Have you been pleased with your rotary rake and how does it work on uneven ground and hills?


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

if I may say, a rotary rake is a stud rake. I swear by mine. Rugged, easy to fix, doesn't rope hay. Works in most any condition. Get one, you'll wonder how you got this far without one. I have a old Niemeyer and I love it. Just keeps chugging along and does a beautiful job. Get one with dual bogey tires on it. It will walk across holes and ditches.

On the mowing: you might want to mow later in the day. I have read here many times that mowing later in the day makes for more nutritious, better hay.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Yes, JD is right....rotaries are a great rake. I rake in a high gear at low rpms....you can rake much faster than a rollabar. My rotary clean rakes 11 1/2 feet...makes just about as big a windrow that you would want in heavy hay for squarebaling. Operates very smooth even on rough ground...fluffs the hay nicely and does aid in drying. Rotaries are pricey new....I have over 7K in mine....but it is worth it. Also nice is the ability to raise the rake up to cross over a windrow if needed and you can almost do a pirouette with the rake so that you don't get boxed in and have to back out....as with a rollabar. Very nimble.

Regards, Mike


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## R Ball (Feb 26, 2013)

Fellas I am still sold on my kuhn SR 110 . Yes it ropes a little, but it will rake from 15.5 to almost 22 feet and will raise out of the windrow with ease. The faster I rake the less roping I have. Not uncommon to rake at 8-10 mph or faster depending on the bottom. Air ride comes in here. The windrow is 4' wide which is perfect for my NH 565 or Rebel 5410 for gathering wheels. We like to see the chamber full instead of repeated passes baling.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I really like a Kuhn SR for round baling....but I still prefer a rotary for square baling.

Regards, Mike


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Well I just finished hauling the last load to the barn a little while ago and boy am I hurting all over....going to have to think about some type of less labor intensive way of handling the bales, not that I'm lazy just too much to get done in too little time. This makes a total of about 2,900 bales this year and I still have 4 acres of first cut still to go not to mention the straw I will have in a couple weeks, then summer annuals, and second cut grass. If I had know that the hay was going to cure as fast as it did I would have cut the last of the first cut a day after I cut the others so it would have baled today. I will say one thing though I will never cut with a disc mower again, the combination of the higher stubble and conditioning of the haybine made a world of difference in drying also the reel seemed to do a good job of lifting the grass for a clean cut as it was lodged badly. Yes I do have to go bit slower with the haybine but I had stub guards installed as the standard guards plugged about every five feet but the stub guards never plugged one time and the hay was very thick and wet underneath. Time go go take a nice hot bath.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

FarmerCline said:


> Well I just finished hauling the last load to the barn a little while ago and boy am I hurting all over....going to have to think about some type of less labor intensive way of handling the bales, not that I'm lazy just too much to get done in too little time. This makes a total of about 2,900 bales this year and I still have 4 acres of first cut still to go not to mention the straw I will have in a couple weeks, then summer annuals, and second cut grass. If I had know that the hay was going to cure as fast as it did I would have cut the last of the first cut a day after I cut the others so it would have baled today. I will say one thing though I will never cut with a disc mower again, the combination of the higher stubble and conditioning of the haybine made a world of difference in drying also the reel seemed to do a good job of lifting the grass for a clean cut as it was lodged badly. Yes I do have to go bit slower with the haybine but I had stub guards installed as the standard guards plugged about every five feet but the stub guards never plugged one time and the hay was very thick and wet underneath. Time go go take a nice hot bath.


Ditto on the nice hot bath....shut the tractor off at 9:30 tonite....long day in the seat....dusty, need precept


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

somedevildawg said:


> Ditto on the nice hot bath....shut the tractor off at 9:30 tonite....long day in the seat....dusty, need precept


 That's one nice looking operation you've got there. What model of tractor and baler is that?


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Yes, JD is right....rotaries are a great rake. I rake in a high gear at low rpms....you can rake much faster than a rollabar. My rotary clean rakes 11 1/2 feet...makes just about as big a windrow that you would want in heavy hay for squarebaling. Operates very smooth even on rough ground...fluffs the hay nicely and does aid in drying. Rotaries are pricey new....I have over 7K in mine....but it is worth it. Also nice is the ability to raise the rake up to cross over a windrow if needed and you can almost do a pirouette with the rake so that you don't get boxed in and have to back out....as with a rollabar. Very nimble.Regards, Mike[/quote That's one sweet sounding rake. It sounds like it is everything I want and more. I'm glad to hear that I can rake faster with a rotary as I really need to get done raking quicker. I may be getting a rotary rake sooner that I thought. What brand of rotary rake do you recommend? It looks like Krone makes a good one.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Thx, 6715, and 468 silage special, ain't never seen silage in its life, seen plenty o peanut hay tho...

As for rotary rakes, krone does make a nice one, as does claas, and kuhn, several others as well...


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