# Early vs Late Cutting of Hay and Sugar Content - Good Article



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Thought a fresh read on this might be helpful.

See the link to this article regarding morning vs evening cutting of hay and it's sugar content. As I read the article, the bottom line is the sugar content difference is insignificant. My take away is - cut whenever you can vs morning or evening, forget about timing your cut for sugar content.

http://georgiaforages.caes.uga.edu/questions/TimeofDay.html


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## muffntuf (May 1, 2017)

I disagree. But region or area has a lot to do with it. If you read the U of M's version of the same paper- it disagrees significantly with GeorgiaFOrages, mostly if you read this - is type of grass. We have cool season grasses up here- down there you most like do not.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I don't worry with time of cut too much except that I don't like to cut later than 4-4:30 if I can help it, and start as soon as the dew point allows.....


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

What Dr. Hancock wrote is exactly how I cut my alfalfa. Beginning cutting after visible dew is off in the morning saves a day in curing time from cutting to baling. It usually takes about 3 hrs to cut 8 + acres.

With our warm-season grasses, commercial hay cutters begin about 11 AM and continue cutting throughout the day and into late evening to get all the grass laid down.


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## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

muffntuf said:


> I disagree. But region or area has a lot to do with it. If you read the U of M's version of the same paper- it disagrees significantly with GeorgiaFOrages, mostly if you read this - is type of grass. We have cool season grasses up here- down there you most like do not.


We 'mostly likely' do have cool season grasses in the Southeast. Heat tolerant cool season grasses and warm season grasses dominate the landscape down here in the transitional line of NC, TN, and VA.

Adding to the sugar aspects: Laying in swathes will help hay dry out faster so less sugar content is lost. A wide swath, where one must drive one or both wheels on the cut hay, research has shown that this causes less loss than making a swath narrow enough to fit between tires.

However to make 'horsey hay' (since apparently horses can't handle high sugar), disregard the swathing and windrow it first thing in the morning before dew is off and plant is at rest.


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## Idaho Hay (Oct 14, 2016)

"In fact, the moisture in the crop has to drop below 47% moisture for respiration to totally cease." This fact has had a large roll in my harvesting methods. What good is it going to do to cut at the end of the day if the hay isn't going to do any drying through the night. I get up at the crack of dawn and cut now, even before the dew is off, and swath the hay out at 90+% cutting width, because I want the hay to get as early of a start on drying as possible. With the wide thin swath (even in 3 ton per acre timothy) I've never had the dew effect the drying processes enough to cause me to want cut later in the mourning. Besides, if a little dew moisture were to get trapped in the swath, the tedding process later on takes care of it.

I'm a firm believer in doing whatever it takes to cause the quickest drying. Between that and time of harvest (plant maturity), those are the two most important factors in harvesting quality grass hay.


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