# Mowing time of day



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I just finished 3 fields of alfalfa which were mowed at different times of the day. The results were interesting!

Field 1: 5 acres, high on top of knob. Mowed 6/1 between 10-12 AM, tedded at 3PM, temperatures in the low-mid 90's, raked and baled 6/4 at noon, moisture in the 8-10% when baling, almost too dry! Yielded 17 BR's.

Field 2: 14 acres, low area, Mowed 6/1 between 1-4 PM, tedded at 4 PM, temperatures in low-mid 90's, raked 6/4, a little tough, waited until 6/5 to bale at 2 PM temps on 6/5 in 70's-low 80's, cloudy, baled at 2 PM 6/5, moisture in the 15-18% range. Yield 43 BR's.

Field 3: 16 acres, right next to field 2, mowed 6/4 between 9-12 AM, tedded at 1 PM, temperature 6/4 low-mid 90's, 6/5-70's-low 80's cloudy, tested moisture last night at 6 PM--running in the 16-17% range. Will bale today.

Here's my observation: The fields cut in the morning dried substantially faster (one full day) than the field cut in the afternoon.

Anybody else notice this kind of pattern? Does mowing in the morning take advantage of the stomata opening? (Thanks for the articles, hay wilson)

Ralph


----------



## jdhayboy (Aug 20, 2010)

I didnt ever really pay attention to that stuff until I started becoming a user of this website and reading some of these articles. I didn't know much about the "science" of grass and hay cutting. I just assumed morning cut hay dried faster because it has what I would call an extra "noon sun" on it, versus afternoon cut hay. But I do believe stomata plays important role as well, or maybe most important. The way I look at is that stomata acts just like the pores on our skin. They open up expirate heat and water from the plant when in direct sunlight. This would be the reason I assume that hay cut on a cloudy, overcast kind of day doesn't dry nearly as well.
I always cut my square bale first usually between 10-2, most of my fields are between 30-50 acres so that works out real well for me. And then move on to cut hay that I would round bale in the afternoon, since you can bale round bales with a tad bit more moisture. I do live in the land of the hot and humid where hay doesn't dry very easy and bleaches out super easy. Sometimes it can be tough bale around here so I need any extra advantage I can get.


----------



## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Yes, for sure.

On the other hand for a higher sugar level PM Cutting is advised.

But for that the hay MUST be dry enough to not have resperation over night.

It is a balancing act with no ONE Best Answer.


----------



## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

I have a real good, real simple method when it come to the timing of hay cutting... I cut it as soon as the weatherman says there will be 3 or 4 days in a row without rain, and the time of day is when the rest of the work is done and I can get to it!! lol but there is alot of science to this haymaking thing I can an artform, I just can't always follow along gue to work schedule, custom work and labour, but everybody has the same sort of distractions in their life. The farm life is not for everyone and you gotta love what you do it is a way of life not a job!!


----------



## Vincent1988 (Jun 7, 2011)

Morning cut alfalfa has more time to be dryed under good drying condition. But drying hay as quickly as possible is critical. If baled the next day, the hay would be in risk of weather damage.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

There is a lot of variables for when to mow, most of the time the mowing around here gets done when I have time. Something else to consider, my NH 1431 tends to wrap alfalfa up if it's down and wet from the dew, wait till it drys and no problem.

I broke all the supposed rules the other day, wasn't going to mow then the forecast changed slightly. Left the farm a little after 2:30 in the afternoon, mowed one pea patch then went to another to get em out of the way. Both will most likely be going to corn next year as both are getting a little weak and weedy so if they got wet I wasn't horribly worried about it, if my beef cows don't like it they can eat snow flakes this winter.

Tedded the next morning around 8:30, raked around 3pm and baled at 6pm. So roughly took 27 hours from the time I started mowing to the time I started baling. Hot afternoon and early evening last night with a breeze so the dew held off long enough to get em both baled last night. So now I'm gonna go pick em up in 100 degree misery. I ever hit the lottery and I'm going to England to farm...67 degrees for the high there yesterday and absolutely nothing for winter there like we get in Northern Indiana.


----------



## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

Tons of research to support the morning mowing. I used to cut at night all the time and for sure took a day or two more to dry. This year I have done 2 day hay by cutting in mid morning and finishing by mid day. Rake on the late morning of day two and bale in the afternoon. Only one field was 3 day hay. No tedding, just raking.


----------



## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

I have been cutting my timothy in the early am (discbine doesn't care) and tedding right behind it. Raking the next day once dew is gone and baling around 2 pm. Making perfect hay.


----------



## MikeRoger (Aug 4, 2011)

I always mow in the evening. Turfgrass undergoes physiological stress with each mowing event and my thought is that when mowed in the evening, the turf an entire cool night to heal over.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

All depends on the weather, our favorite cousin was in from England for 13 days, spent the first few with us, then 8 days with the inlays then we had em again the last three. Had to return his rental Monday, figured might as well pick my Mom up and take em all out to eat while in that direction. Loosened the Circle C's up considerably, started mowing at 6 am, finished by a little after 8 as I also had to take the wife to get a test done to figure out what's been causing the vertigo. Got back home after all this by 3pm, hay was already to dry to make good silage, waited till four and baled it all as sweet hay and wrapped. If I had left the rollers tight would have been too dry to even bale as dry hay by 3pm. I thought it was too humid that day to get much drying, but had a stiff breeze all day, no clouds and temps close to 90. So could have baled dry hay in 10 hours.


----------



## Chuck (Dec 14, 2014)

I was told that if you cut in the afternoon around 3pm,, the plant has expired a lot of moisture during that day .


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

MikeRoger said:


> I always mow in the evening. Turfgrass undergoes physiological stress with each mowing event and my thought is that when mowed in the evening, the turf an entire cool night to heal over.


Mike, welcome to haytalk....we are talking about hay production, not turf grass....


----------



## reede (May 17, 2010)

This thread is from 2011


----------

