# more rained on hay questions



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Cut hay on Thursday mid morning. It rained on Saturday morning (36-40 hrs later).

I teddered it on Sunday and twice again today. Baled it today with applicator readings at 18-21%.

Hay looked great. No off smell, but it was still a little damp for my liking. Had to get it done because it is going to rain again tonight.

So my question:

Will the crop saver do anything to make rained on hay less likely to mold?

I would think external moisture, whether from dew, ground, humidity or rain is all the same to the applicator.

Would you market it as good quality hay?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Wait a week or three and by then it should be obvious how it should be marketed.


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Rain ,Rain ,Rain .. Weathermen are so far off this year !


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

You might be surprised. Keep patient

That's what I live by


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

What would rain do to hay that ruins it if you Tedder it quickly afterwards as long as its to right before bailing?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Cut hay on Thursday mid morning. It rained on Saturday morning (36-40 hrs later).
> I teddered it on Sunday and twice again today. Baled it today with applicator readings at 18-21%.
> Hay looked great. No off smell, but it was still a little damp for my liking. Had to get it done because it is going to rain again tonight.
> So my question:
> ...


The crop saver will work at those levels if enough was applied . We try to error applied rates on the high side this time of year.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I went with the rates they specify. 
I am sooo happy I bought the applicator.
In this area, an applicator is almost like a Tedder. Damn near impossible to make hay without it.


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

Nah! You can make hay all day without an applicator! Just makes a difference whether horses or mushrooms will be eating it!  :lol:


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I bet your fine. The rain we got wasn't horrible and it dried pretty quick afterwards. Its not like we had 3 days of wet nasty weather where the hay layed and festered. You will probably have some color bleach but the acid should take care of the moisture.


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Jd rained on hay is not any more likely to mold than any other as long as they both were put up dry . The rained on hay , unless rained on for several days does not lose a lot of quality but it is going to lose some. It's not going to make as much difference if your rolling it because you can't see much of it. But if your square baling it and that color is not there , well then the price is most likely going to drop .

Just the same as buying blemished tires . They might wear just as well but they are not right so the price reflects it .


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## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

8350HiTech said:


> Wait a week or three and by then it should be obvious how it should be marketed.


This is what I would do.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Just make sure you bale when its sunny and dry aka low humidity.

Had some o-grass mix get some light rain on it then four days of sun. Baled it when it was overcast by the time we finished you could feel the humidity soared. Hay looked good felt dry didn't have the rank rained on smell. ...fast forward a week and a half....opened a bale to feed smaller heifers in the barn and it looked good on the outside. ...not so much inside...white mold and dusty the slabs were sticking together...they ate it though. These are small squares


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## davang (Apr 7, 2010)

I go by smell after it's re-dried. I have bluestem in my mix and it smells great if it's fresh. Several of us here in southeast texas got our last cutting rained on. One guy has pure coastal and was planning on square baling. BUT, we got several days of light rain and then one overnight good rain. My hay which is mixed was obviously molding so this guy comes by and offers to roll it and get it off my hands (I just do horse squares). I said it's all yours, I was just starting to shred it after I tedded it out of the re-growth.

The other guy with coastal rolled his. I know they're going to feed cows but isn't it just a tad dishonest if you're rolling it to hide the fact it's off hay? I'm sure a lot of the nutrition got washed out after so many days. It's harder to see the mold on bermudagrass but still?


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Depending on length of time laying on the ground rained on grass hay if laying for only a few days will loss Vitamin A but very little protein. If it lays long enough it can be musty smelling but if dry when baled should have no mold especially if it had be laid flat when it was cut.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

For that moisture level I'd go ahead and stack it and not worry as long as your sure enough product was applied. Better yet if you have room get it inside spread out and let it breathe if possible.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

I have a 55 gallon drum of buffered proprionic acid in the shop that I hardly ever use (Have a Harvestec applicator on the bailer) because my customers don't like it......


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

I like this very true observation,

*Depending on length of time laying on the ground rained on grass hay if laying for only a few days will loss Vitamin A but very little protein*.

A wide swath will allow the leaves dry considerably before dark. After the leaves are in the dark the breathing holes in the leaves will close and not reopen with fresh sunlight.

A good thing about a wide swath is it puts less weight on the stubble and there a less chance for the hay to settle on to damp ground.

If you have direct Sunshine Tedded hay and hay laid down wide will be heated by the sun, increasing the vapor pressure. This steam pressure will drive the moisture out the nearest openings. This is where hay conditioning comes in.

When you believe the hay is within a couple of days of baling rake the hay into a windrow. That night if the hay's stems are snapping dry, bale the next day as the air dried to 70% ( 65% large bales ) and start baling.

The major key for curing time is the accumulated Pan Evaporation.

Note I have had alfalfa require 14 days to be ready to bale, but three days is closer to typical.
During the drought of the 1950's I would mow in the morning. Rake into a baling windrow as soon after mowing as possible, and baled the hay starting about 11 PM of that day. Cut rake & bale in 18 hours. That was with out a conditioning mower also.

If you use hay wagons and have cover only three fourths load the wagon and park it under cover.

I now have a NH Balewagon. This is handy we usually have 18" between stacks so we have good air circulation.

If you are wondering what a Texan knows, we start the hay season late March early April and we have similar humidities and temperatures. July & August is another story. We can go a week without enough humidity to be able to bale, and save the leaves.

*Hay with preservative will store well at 22% moisture*.Not great but better than moldy hay.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

ARD Farm said:


> I have a 55 gallon drum of buffered proprionic acid in the shop that I hardly ever use (Have a Harvestec applicator on the bailer) because my customers don't like it......


What don't they like about it?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

JD3430 said:


> What don't they like about it?


Their horses find mold quite delicious


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

Makes no difference the horses do not write checks.

What do horses know, after all they eat bark off of trees and chew boards off a barn.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

................and pressure treated wood too. You'd think they would get aresnic poisoning but they don't.

It's not the horses that don't like the buffered proprionic acid, it's the payors. I don't take checks, just cash or Pay-Pal from my hay customers.

My shop customers are another story. They take thier 30 days to pay and sometimes more and I never get a finance charge evn though my invoice plainly states 'Net 30, past 30 days, 1.5% of the balance accrued daily. However, they want their product yesterday. Thats business I guess.

Candidly, I don't like it either. It stinks and it's slimy on my hands plus it burns if you get it in a cut.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

ARD Farm said:


> Candidly, I don't like it either. It stinks and it's slimy on my hands plus it burns if you get it in a cut.


One of a few reasons I quite using acid in favor of Hayguard, if it does that to a cut you can imagine what happens if you ever get it in your eyes.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

I'd try some but I have about 40 gallons of the stinky stuff left in the drum in the barn.

One question, does Hayguard freeze? Cropsaver don't.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

ARD Farm said:


> I'd try some but I have about 40 gallons of the stinky stuff left in the drum in the barn.
> 
> One question, does Hayguard freeze? Cropsaver don't.


Yes it will. I have a 12 volt pump to handle the stuff, come fall roll the barrel up to the back door, run the hose down the steps and transfer it to an empty drum in the basement, come spring pump it back outside to the original drum. Tried using a furniture cart the first year, went down the stairs just fine, trying to get 25 gallons back up the stairs was one of my more memorable brain farts.

Before we get much further into the fall I'll drain the baler, rinse it with water, drain again then put RV antifreeze in the system to keep the nozzles, pumps and hoses from freezing.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I got it in my eye. 
Bout 3 weeks ago, I had to buy a 15 G bottle to finish a job. 12v pump was miles up the road. 
Being the strong, but sometimes stupid type, I threw the 15 G jug over my shoulder and climbed up on baler and filled the tank. It got on my hands and of course, I rubbed my eye like an hour later. Burned bad, but it wasn't anything lasting.


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Thats good. Being able to see, especially driving a tractor, is a plus.

I'd hate to get cropsaver in my eyes considering what it does to a cut on my hands. I tend to wear safety glasses anyway and disposable latex gloves when I remember to.

Marty, you need to turn th faucet off...................

Still raining here, off and on. That back field of grass is getting some really serious mileage on it. I've moved it at least 6 times now. Anything leafy would have been all, stems by now.

Nice shade of dark brown.....

Gonna bale it one way or another.....

Maybe I can sell it as 'aged hay' to some horsegal..... 

I can hear her ask...'Why is it so dark?' and my reply.... 'caus it's a new strain of grass, it's good, trust me................


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## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

"Maybe I can sell it as aged hay to some horsegal"

Sorta like "fresh" firewood?  :lol: 

"Sonny, is that wood fresh? --- Yes ma'am, it was still growing this morning!"


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Reminds me of the orange juice ad that aired last year... The one where the female shopper reaches into the deli case and the grower hands her a carton of 'Fresh Orange Juice'..... Problem is, people believe that chit.


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