# Questionable bale moisture/temp/sweat in round bales



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Unfortunately due to a horrible, wet spring with excessive heavy rains, I was only able to make about 25% of my hay into "horse quality" hay. The other 75% will become mushroom hay. It has moisture readings above 20%. I constantly probe these high moisture bales looking for excessive heat. Much to my surprise, the highest readings I get, even on a few thate were baled 30+ % bales is about 130 deg. They seem to cool down after about a week dropping to about 110 degrees. 
I thought with moisture over 30%, these bales would be much higher, possibly on fire.

I don't know what to make of it. I knew what I was baling was too moist. I knew it was going to be mushroom hay. Deadlines forced me to bale before I wanted to and sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Those bales are stored outside in a field.

I actually jumped a few fences this week and probed one of my local bigger fellow mushroom hay balers competitors hay bales. They read 35-40% !!!! He leaves these big squares in the fields sometimes for a few days, sometimes for weeks. He bales probably 500 3x4x8 big bales per cutting. Never see him have a problem. WHY? 
I will always continue to try to make dry, quality hay and will never take these readings lightly or assume I can get away with ever selling any of the over 20% hay to anyone other than mushroom growers, but it does make me wonder what is going on. My meter is calibrated correctly.

Also, if one probes a bale once, aren't they just giving the self a false sense of security? I can probe a bale until I find a moist spot. I will make bales that I can probe 10 times at 14%, then on the 11th probing, it'll read 20%. It probably found a wet slug in the bale. I guess there's no 100% assurance that even a good field of dry hay won't have a few small patches that create problems like that.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I ran into a similar issue this Spring and created the discussion then on moisture gauge accuracy. I still have my concerns.

I rolled some hay that was dry. It was dry the day prior. Let it sit another day before baling. Decided to play with a new moisture tester and became alarmed. It was reading 30% and better. Some as low as 27%. This was in fescue hay they was fluffy and light. The temps never showed mch more than ambient air temperature. I was bumfuzzled then, and still am. I stopped baling, afraid I was creating a disaster. I should have rolled the rest of the field because it rained before I could finish the following day.

I have unrolled and fed 19 of the rolls already to check for any signs of it being baled too soon. None. The hay looks, smells and feels perfect and the cows dig in.

I still have 125 rolls sitting on the field edge and will haul it soon. I believe I was getting a false reading.

I helped a friend finish a field to beat the rain. We baled beside each other. My rolls were much more dense than his, hard to get the probe in mine. His measured 17%. Mine were @ 30%.

With a square baler I could pick up a bale and know pronto if the hay was still green, could listen to the plunger and know the tractor was working too hard.. Not so with a roll. I am not as confident with rounds.

PS

I have never heard of spontaneous combustion in rounds stored unstacked/uncovered outside. Can it happen?


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

So far, I've never had a problem with putting the round bales into the hay barn as soon as possible after baling to eliminate the chance of them getting rained on. One time I finished getting them all into the barn, put the tractor into the shed and got drenched walking to the house. However, this year the hay bale maker began rolling the second day after cutting and discussions on Hay Talk got me to worrying, so this year I decided to leave the round bales out in the field as long as possible, but within a couple of days rain was predicted. I took a long stemed thermometer and tested 5 or 6 bales and all of them tested about 88 or so degrees F. So, into the barn they went. This is mostly Coastal bermudagrass hay.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Jd let me ask you, after a high reading on your tester lets say 130,which is pretty damned high, did you allow the probe to sit in the ambient air for a while before inserting again? I'm asking because of what I found to be terrible reaction time to temp changes, I tested a bale, tested 110, put the probe in front of my trucks air vent, 5 min later it was at like 108.....this was a JD by agri, so I say what the hell is the use in multiple probes....unless the damned thing goes higher you would have to be there all day probing bales to find accurate temps...all other readings would be contaminated by the first....that's my take anyway after wondering why anyone would make such a tester....why not a faster reading....reminds me of my mother taking my temp, seemed to take forever but she would shake it and take it again if she got a inkling you wuz faking it.....


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

On another note....unroll one of those bales in a few days....

Tim, I've heard of em combusting out in the field but it was when someone was moving them and they ignited...


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

somedevildawg said:


> Jd let me ask you, after a high reading on your tester lets say 130,which is pretty damned high, did you allow the probe to sit in the ambient air for a while before inserting again? I'm asking because of what I found to be terrible reaction time to temp changes, I tested a bale, tested 110, put the probe in front of my trucks air vent, 5 min later it was at like 108.....this was a JD by agri, so I say what the hell is the use in multiple probes....unless the damned thing goes higher you would have to be there all day probing bales to find accurate temps...all other readings would be contaminated by the first....that's my take anyway after wondering why anyone would make such a tester....why not a faster reading....reminds me of my mother taking my temp, seemed to take forever but she would shake it and take it again if she got a inkling you wuz faking it.....


That's exactly right. The temp probe is only good for one temp reading because it stays hot.
So lets say I'm testing a roll. I insert probe and first check moisture. It's a bad bale and it reads 35%. The corresponding internal temp might be 130. I thought it would be a lot higher? Or maybe it takes a long time to get a lot higher? I read the univ of MN tests 
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G4575
It doesn't seem to be anywhere close to reading what it should according to them.
They seem to indicate my bales should be in the 150's or worse on the occasion I get a really moist bale.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I think what might be going on in my case is I really don't have a lot of internal moisture. What I have is external moisture (from wet ground that won't dry). 
Would like to know if there's a difference between the 2 and what I can expect from external moisture.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Moisture that is actually inside the plant or moisture being sucked up from the ground, hmmmm I don't like bales that read that high, I would unroll one and see how it's doing inside. 130 is very high, how long have they been rolled up? I rolled some last year and tested with same tester, 30% or better on all bales, temp never got above 115 and the ambient air temp was close to that! Led me to believe that the moisture sensor was of no value, so after 4 weeks I unrolled one, 4 weeks later I unrolled another, I still don't know what the hay was for sure, it had been rained on very consistently for about 13 days.....it was crap anyway, sold it to cattleman, no complaints...


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## Fowllife (Sep 10, 2010)

JD3430 said:


> I think what might be going on in my case is I really don't have a lot of internal moisture. What I have is external moisture (from wet ground that won't dry).
> Would like to know if there's a difference between the 2 and what I can expect from external moisture.


I think you are basically talking about the difference between stem moisture & leaf moisture. For the most part when a stem dries it stays dry. Leave will dry & then regain moisture over & over, wether from rain, or other external enviromental sources. There is a difference in the 2, and they need to be handles differently. If you notice hay preservative charts they reference stem & dew moisture individually.

I would think that if you are dealing with only dew type moisture you would have more internal mold, but less heat. Stem moisture would cause more heating.

I'm sure one of the smarter fella's on here may have a better answer though.


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## NDVA HAYMAN (Nov 24, 2009)

JD, I would not be so sure that your tester was correct as far as calibration. If you did a side x side with your neighbor in the same field and got that much difference, something is wrong. Most hay that I have checked the next day is from 90 to 110 degrees and does not go any higher even thru the sweat. I would find somebody with another tester and check a sxs in the same bale with 2 testers and see what you get. Mike


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