# Moisture increase with sweating bales



## bhamrick (Jan 4, 2013)

What kind of moisture percentages do you guys normally see in small squares as the bale sweats if baled in the 14 to 18% range. We have some that was baled 6 days ago and testing in the low to high 20's yet the inside of the bales are cool to the touch and smells great.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Are you using different moisture reading instruments to bale with and to test them with in the barn?

Regards, Mike


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## bhamrick (Jan 4, 2013)

Yes sir .. We are using harvest tech on the baler during baling and the delmhorst to test out of the baler.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

hmmmm....sounds like maybe something is not jiving. Have you ever tested one of your bales that you just baled and knew what the harvest tech reading was with your delmhorst and compared how they read against each other?

Testing in the high 20's, but yet cool and smelling good would make me mighty suspicious of the delmhorst....maybe check the calibration.

Regards, Mike


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## bhamrick (Jan 4, 2013)

I've compared the two meters before but didn't when I baled last week. Seems like last time I compared the two they were pretty close to the same readings maybe within a percentage or so. I just checked the calibration on the delmhorst and it checks out good per the manual. We baled some alfalfa the same day we baled the grass and it was averaging 12 to 14% while baling with harvest tech and it pretty much test 12 to 14 % 6 days later yet the grass is testing high. Really am puzzled as to what the deal is. I've baled to dry of hay and to wet of hay before and while this isn't crispy it's not wet either. It was however baled with a little more moisture than what I typically bale. Last couple years we baled at 11 and 12% and the bales just seemed almost to dry.


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