# moisture in greenfeed oats



## crossroad cowboy (Sep 7, 2015)

I have 200 acres of green oats cut,,cut with haybine...,wondering if plant moisture is different then dew moisture.. the swath feels dry yet the dew underneath is keeping the moisture in the tester higher,,, Hope im making sence,,, if I went by feel,, id bale it ,,but by the tester its tough,,,sometimes I think them testers should throw in the bush... Your thoughts guys....


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

The cooler weathet also does not help any when feeling the oats. One thing tk check. The oats have two layers to the skin on the stems. Have to make sure the inside layer is dry before starting to bale. Pick up 4-6 stems and twist them three times. Want at least 2/3 of the stems to break not twist. Or like I said before you want dust coming off baler. No dust no baling. Baling oats this time of year in this area can be tricky. Last week when I baled mine the work day was from 1or 2 after things dried up to 4or 5 when things started to get tough again. But I was also baling beside a big lake so it makes thing wet later in the day quicker.

Yes stem and dew moisture are different. Dew moisture is just on the surface and stem is all the way through. Both will read the same but with stem moisture there is a lot more water. Where it gets tricky to judge is when things have not fully cured plus have a dew on them. Like I have said before with dew moisture I can bale at 20-22% on the meter. Still have dust flying and be fine. Go that high with stem moisture no dust and maybe hay sticking to belts. Moisture meters are just a tool and have to learn how to read and interpret them. I go by my meter. The twist test. The dust coming off baler and the chaff falling of the pick up. I also like to take the oats a bit dryer than the hay.

Good luck.


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