# Do most of y'all tedder your hay?



## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

We've never teddered hay but everyone around here is saying we need to 
especially with round bales. We mow everything with mower conditioner 
and usually give it sufficient drying time and just rake with an NH Rollabar 
rake but this is our year of round baling.


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## OhioHay (Jun 4, 2008)

I believe tedding depends on your location. Here in eastern Ohio, tedding is a must for dry hay. With our high humidities it is very tough to get the hay to cure evenly without tedding it. We typically mow one day, ted the next morning and rake and bale on the third day. There are exceptions, but this is how it generally goes.


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm (Feb 11, 2009)

Haven't in the past here in NW Iowa, but I have been thinking about it. My problem is that if I don't get it into windrows by the second day I'm sometimes shattering more leaves that I want so it is drying too fast.


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

To answer your questionI use a tedder when I expect the yield to exceed 2 T/A. I leave the hay in a 6 ft swath behind a 9 ft disk conditioner when the yield is expected to be in the 1.5 T/A range. If it is a light 1 T/A expected yield I drop the hay into a 3 ft wide windrow.

Now consider these points: 
At this conference there is a lot of good information regarding hay curing. 
http://utahhay.usu.edu/files/uploads/UHFS07 pdfs for web/Undersander Swathing and Conditioning.pdf

The best thing I took from the paper is on page 9. Granted you may have to convert from metric to English measurements but that is fairly simple. The key is the total amount of water evaporation from a standard open pan to cure hay at several tonnages and swath types. 
I have started using it this year and so far it has worked as advertised.

You will note the difference between a narrow windrow compared to a full width swath. In most cases to achieve a full width swath requires the use of a tedder. For this to work the tedder must be used immediately following the mower conditioner.

Now here is another thought. 
There are port holes on the underside of the leaves. (Stomata) Up to 30% of the moisture can leave the plant via the stomata. These ports will remain open as long as there is direct sunlight on the plant parts. In a full width swath this encourages moisture loss through the leaves. Hay that is buried in a windrow the stomata will close and little or no moisture will exit via this route. Night time also causes the stomata to close.

Day two the direct rays of the sun will heat the trapped moisture in the leaves and stems. This will increase the vapor pressure and the (steam?) moisture will be forced out the nearest opening.

One reason to dry the hay down as much as possible that first day is you want the plant to have less than 50% moisture so there will be little or no respiration over night. This respiration burns up the accumulated carbohydrates with an adverse effect on Digestible Energy.

I usually rake the hay the second morning after cutting. Rake when the humidity is above 90% which limits leaf loss. If I have done my part the hay will be dry enough to bale with the dew that evening. Personally I like to bale the following morning as the humidity falls below 70% or 65%. Small square bales.

West Virginia has some interesting charts in this publication. http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/pubnwsltr/TRIM/5811.pdf

All the above is appropriate for the Humid East. For the Arid West there is an entirely different management style required.


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## BCFENCE (Jul 26, 2008)

Here in kentucky we ted in the spring when it needs help drying. I cut the first day ted the next morning with the dew on and rake and bale the third day with raking early in the morning to keep the leaves. If we rake the second day the hay will never dry out, but if its really thin you could probaly rake the second day instead of tedding then bale the third. Tedding all depends on how thick your hay is and your drying conditions you have.
THOMAS


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

Thomas, as you describe the utilization of a tedder appears to be the most popular method. It was mine until I read what they were saying about nonstructural carbohydrates and their conservation. Plus there can be a loss over night of total dry matter.

Here in Central Texas there are very few who harvest hay use a tedder. Most hay here is a grass hay and is dropped into a windrow and allowed to sit until the bottom of the windrow is dry. Sometimes on the bottom of the windrow the hay will mold.

Something I found interesting is, in Idaho they do not have the imperative to dry the hay down to 48% moisture to prevent respiration, over night. Their natural night temperature is cold enough to prevent respiration.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

I haven't decided if we're going get a tedder or not, my JD dealer said he has a used 18' Fort brand Tedder coming in on a trade for a new Krone this week I'm going to take a look at it. I sure do appreciate all the info and the kind words. I'm still reading over some of the pdf files. This thread sort of goes along with this one:

Link:
http://www.haytalk.com/forums/f2/we-panicked-evening-hay-heat-808/

The rest of our Oats were on the verge of being ready to cut yesterday and their calling for rain everyday except one over the next 15 day period according to Accuweather. We've had a 1/2" just today and more is on the way for tonight.


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

A suggestion or two.

Do not run the tedder at 540 PTO RPMs as 350 RPMs will spread the hay with less force. Granted it is fun to have a rooster tail of hay flying out behind, but it is hard on the hay. Much below 350 RPMs and the hay will almost look like it had been raked.

Use the tedder when the hay still has more than 40% moisture to keep leaf shatter down. This means right after mowing or in the morning when the humidity is above 90% and or the hay is damp with surface dew.

I raise both alfalfa and bermudagrass for hay. Treated the same bermudagrass will shatter more leaves than alfalfa.

Some years ago an Eastern Ag Engineer stated that the least co$t method of hay production was to drop the hay in a windrow. He for sure did not approve of using a tedder and to use a rake if a larger windrow was needed for baling. In as way he was correct as with a 20 knot breeze and 20% relative humidity there is no need to expose the hay to direct sun shine to dry it down. That is why the Western Hay can be such a bright green color.


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## 4020man (Jun 21, 2008)

Because of the humidity, we have to tedd hay here. It cuts down the drying time here by 2 days.


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

BUT 
Correlation Does Not Prove Causation

I agree in our Eastern Humid Climate the spreading the hay out full width can decrease the drying time. Our University Friends have measured what each weather phenomenon contributes to hay drying. They came up with 75% of hay curing is from sunshine. The remaining 25% is accomplished by wind velocity, relative humidity, soil evaporation and others. 
What they are saying is a tedder is of little benefit if there is a solid overcast. True in these conditions the humidity is usually high also. 
Now our friends in the Arid West have so much drying potential with their low humidity and strong winds that they do not need that 75% curing advantage. A 20 knot wind coupled with a 20% RH has it's own challenges, but it sure will cure hay. 
Dan Undersander up in Wisconsin has data that shows how total pan evaporation is instrumental in hay drying. Still the time required is based on yield, percentage width of the swath, as well as pan evaporation. Study page 9. 
Our University Friends have been known to mistake correlation to causation from time to time.


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## Alfalfa Farmer (Apr 16, 2008)

In my neck of the woods I cut, ted after cutting or the next morning, rake and bale the next day. Later in the season the tedding depends on the weather and during dry summers I have skipped tedding. Weather is always the factor and even in the humid area here you have a decision to make. Nice article Hay Wilson,, thank you for posting. I am a fan of the literature out of U of W.


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