# Humidity Rules of Thumb



## 32-0-0

I have been reading quite a few posts and other literature concerning what the ideal humidity is to rake and bale....but there doesn't always seem to be a consensus. What are your rules of thumb in regards to humidity? What humidity range do you like to take and bale within?


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## 8350HiTech

You play the hand you're dealt. Haying can't have too many rules.


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## 2ndWindfarm

Lot's of variability there.. from place to place, even in the same county! My issue with humidity is likely at the opposite end of the spectrum than you have in Texas.

I've always got too much moisture in the air and; at least away from the coast - Texas - probably not enough!

Nonetheless, if I can get a day with humidity around 30-40%; I'm out there either raking or baling...hopefully both!

Lower leaf loss, stem shatter (bad dust), better bales.


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## r82230

I am guess you are possibly in an area where you need humidity, so you might bale at night. In my area, night baling is unheard of, if you want your barn un-heated and still standing. If you want info on humidity and how dry hay can get with high humidity, read the attachment.

Larry


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## Bishop

Here the rule is if there is humidity you can't get anything dry. On the rare day when there is no humidity you bale like a madman and imagine this is what it must be like in Texas.


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## PaMike

I think the biggest thing I have learned about humidity is that hay will only dry to a certain level depending on humidity. If you have 70% humidity hay will only dry down to around 20% moisture even if its 90 degrees. In a case like this is where acid on the hay pays for itself...


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## somedevildawg

Bishop said:


> Here the rule is if there is humidity you can't get anything dry. On the rare day when there is no humidity you bale like a madman and imagine this is what it must be like in Texas.


Maybe Colorado.....


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## vhaby

32

Uvalde is sufficiently similar in climate to an emeritus Hay Talker named Hay Wilson's location. Bill frequently posted about making hay. He hails from Little River, east of Temple, TX. You might do a search of his posts to determine proper climatic conditions for raking and baling.

Raking is best done after the visible dew is off the grass, but there is still moisture in the grass. Baling is started the day following raking, when the humidity in the windrow is about 65%. Look in Google for a thermohygrometer. This is what Mr. Wilson used and convinced me to start using and it seems to work. At 65% humidity in the windrow near ground level, the moisture content in the bales will be around 15 to 16%.


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## reede

Agree wholeheartedly with vhaby. HayWilson's method has definitely let me put up hay with more leaves and more consistency. Of course, weather patterns change through the growing season, so time of day for baling does, as well. There often still seems to be a wrench that wants to get into the gears and make things difficult, but I've baled at times of day I never would have dared to before, and put up some really nice hay.


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## hcriddle

vhaby said:


> 32
> 
> Uvalde is sufficiently similar in climate to an emeritus Hay Talker named Hay Wilson's location. Bill frequently to post about making hay. He hails from Little River, east of Temple, TX. You might do a search of his posts to determine proper climatic conditions for raking and baling.
> 
> Raking is best done after the visible dew is off the grass, but there is still moisture in the grass. Baling is started the day following raking, when the humidity in the windrow is about 65%. Look in Google for a thermohygrometer. This is what Mr. Wilson used and convinced me to start using and it seems to work. At 65% humidity in the windrow near ground level, the moisture content in the bales will be around 15 to 16%.


Dr Haby, I have been wondering what you guys were using to measure humidity in the windrow. Do you have a suggestion on which meter. Looks like quite a range of types and prices.


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## reede

https://www.amazon.com/Extech-445815-Humidity-Meter-Remote/dp/B000GFCN1I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1496847969&sr=8-2&keywords=extech+hygrometer

This is the one I like the most. I have one that is the integral unit without the remote. What I found with it is that sunlight will superheat the face of it(it seems to act like a solar panel), and cause the temp to read high and humidity to read low. You can put a shade over it, but this one, with the remote probe, you don't get the heating. I usually put the box next to the windrow, with the probe laying on top of the hay.


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## vhaby

Sorry, I could not link the following web site, but this is similar to the hygro-thermometer that I use. Highlight the website and right click to go to the web site. Reede is correct that sunlight affects the humidity reading. I place my hygro-thermometer in the windrow a few inches above ground level, in the shade of the alfalfa and watch the humidity reading for a minute or two.

https://www.amazon.com/Sunleaves-Large-Min-Digital-Hygro-Thermometer/dp/B007QV8JI6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1496856296&sr=8-4&keywords=digital+hygro-thermometer


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## 32-0-0

Hay Wilson recommended the Kestrel 3000. Its a little pricey...gives readings for temp, humidity and wind speed (can use for spraying).


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## hcriddle

Thanks for the info gentlemen.


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## joeberg

hcriddle said:


> Dr Haby, I have been wondering what you guys were using to measure humidity in the windrow. Do you have a suggestion on which meter. Looks like quite a range of types and prices.


I agree with most of it. That's how you should do, but everyone is little different.

Because of my other full time job. I normally rake when the dew is still in the grass. This allows me to keep most of the leaves on the Alfalfa. Once the relative humidity drops under 65%, I can start bailing. I installed preservative on my baler. I don't have a tool to gauge it at the widrow, like everyone suggest. I use this site to help me with that: http://w1.weather.gov/data/obhistory/KLXL.html. It's a good guide and helps me.

This last week has been crazy. Ww had relative humidity under 35% for the last 4 days. It messed everything up. I'm not used to those numbers.

Technically, I should have waited to rake & bale. But I didn't. I paid the price. I was short on that field by 1/3 of the amount of bales I normally get. I'll learn.

Joe


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## hayray

My rule is that if the relative humidity is forecast above 55% then it is too humid to properly dry hay in my area and I don't cut. As far as raking and baling I don't look at the numbers, When the dew is about half off I start raking on day two and bale that afternoon. I bale until I can't bale anymore, never paying attention to optimum humidity levels.


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## somedevildawg

hayray said:


> My rule is that if the relative humidity is forecast above 55% then it is too humid to properly dry hay in my area and I don't cut. As far as raking and baling I don't look at the numbers, When the dew is about half off I start raking on day two and bale that afternoon. I bale until I can't bale anymore, never paying attention to optimum humidity levels.


You should read up on humidity and the "rules of haymaking"....it's very informative and will result in better forage quality once properly understood.
But a curious question for ya....why is the humidity too high at 55% to begin the haymaking process? I don't get it....I wouldn't ever be able to make hay


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## nanuk

when RH is 50%, nothing can get below 10% MC

this is proven scientifically.now,

WHERE that 50% is is very important, that is why Hay Wilson said you need to check at Hay Level.

Sun, shade, wind all play a roll

THIS chart is for wood that has cellular moisture removed. It is close for hay, and gives you an idea


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## Dan_GA

Other factors such as sunlight and wind can alleviate some of the issue associated with high humidity as humidity is not the only factor involved with drying hay. If we in the southeast waited for 50% humidity, we'd only be able to bale in early spring and late fall. I've dried hay in a lot worse than 60% humidity this year in 3 days. Alfalfa and grass differences are also a variable as well.


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## Tim/South

We are baling here with 100% humidity. Not measured at the windrow, just what the weather man says.

Direct sunlight on 100 degree days will cure hay here.


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## glasswrongsize

If you're baling in 100% humidity, you'd better make dang sure your fire insurance is paid up or be wrapping it as wet hay. 100% humidity is gonna be physically wet such as dew or dense fog...sure ain't gonna have 100% humidity and direct sunlight.

I CAN believe that the weatherman did predict or say it was 100% humidity (for a portion of the day), but if your barn didn't burn down and you weren't bringing up water on your tires...you were not baling at that high of moisture.

Since my reading and (more importantly) paying attention to HayWilson's sharing of his research, his humidity levels are pretty close to all kinds of hay and not just alfalfa.

I will attach a good read and there is a great chart (there are a few charts, but one in particular is about humidity and equilibrium of moisture levels) that shows the lowest moisture level reachable at certain humidity levels.

You can't dry off with a beach towel that is dripping wet...don't matter if the towel is 100 degrees and sitting in the sun. When the air is saturated with moisture to a certain point (humidity level), the air will absorb no moisture from its surroundings (the hay) that is equal to it's saturation. Also, as the hay nears the equilibrium, the difference becomes less and any drying or moistening becomes slower.

View attachment humidity.pdf


Mark

PS, I just ran the numbers and 100% humidity and 100 deg F would be a heat index (feels like) 195.3 deg F...so if you were in it and didn't die... congrats!!!


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## somedevildawg

Obviously you are not in a jovial mood glass.....I tell you what, come down for a few days and get a load of walking outside in 96 degree weather at 70-75% and you'll swear it's a 100% because your ass is gonna be addin to the humidity around you.....if you can stand it 

Most days here the humidity lowers to about 55-65% during the mid-day, starts rising around 4:30 or so and by night time it's usually 80-85% and 80-85 degrees.....idk what that calculates out to but it'll make you sticky at midnight.....


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## Dan_GA

There will be a difference between alfalfa and grass hay. Alfalfa tends to be cut and left in a drying windrow, thus acting like a blanket trapping ground moisture in the windrow, thus increasing windrow humidity as it bakes. Grass can be teddered multiple times to release moisture and expose unbaked portions to the sun and wind which are just as important factors. You are correct, the air can only absorb so much moisture, which is why we have pop up thunderstorms out of no where. I'm baling today.... 94* and 70% humidity which is typical for GA in late July. Moisture meters will be sitting around 12-14% as long as the storms continue to dodge us.


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## Hayman1

Came smack up against Hay Wilson's humidity musings the other day. Ran out of time baling on Tuesday. Hay was totally cured. Get up Wednesday with a Bermuda high pumping Dawgs humidity in. Had to wait until near noon to lose the dew. Tedder then raked at 2. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get the moisture down where I wanted it even though it was 95. Hit 20% on the monitor multiple times but the hay seems fine. I try to avoid baling on this kind of day but had no choice with upcoming family obligations.


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## Tim/South

Am not going to try to educate or inform those who do not have to make hay in the humid south.


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## glasswrongsize

somedevildawg said:


> Obviously you are not in a jovial mood glass.....I tell you what, come down for a few days and get a load of walking outside in 96 degree weather at 70-75% and you'll swear it's a 100% because your ass is gonna be addin to the humidity around you.....if you can stand it
> 
> Most days here the humidity lowers to about 55-65% during the mid-day, starts rising around 4:30 or so and by night time it's usually 80-85% and 80-85 degrees.....idk what that calculates out to but it'll make you sticky at midnight.....


I sure didn't mean for it to come off like I was in a bad mood or short. I was just trying to give a few different ways of wrapping a mind around the humidity-equilibrium-thinggy. I know, for me, sometimes it takes a different way of thinking of something for the light to come on; I was just trying to provide a few.

Don't know that I've been around your area or not, Dawg; I have summered and wintered (if you can call it that) for a few years in South Carolina in Dorchester and Charleston Counties as well as spent some summer time in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia. I've also summered in the belly of a destroyer with @120 deg ambient, a bilge full of hot water, and steam boilers for the coziness of it all. Feels like trying to breath with your face in the armpit of a fat man.

Right now (here) it's 101 with 41% humidity...113 "feels like" temp. I can work in the heat with high humidity...just can't make dry hay in high humidity

Mark

PS, it prolly didn't help that I was on my third glass of libations.

PPS...aww, who am I kidding... "glass"? Pfffft...heck, I'd had a rough day and was sippin straight from the jug.

Tim, sorry if I came off crappy; it wasn't that way in my head.

EDIT: I will throw in with making hay when the humidity drops down your midday humidity of 55-65%. That's the weather I usually deal with...'cept I ain't had no rain to speak of since the last of May. I'm getting haying weather like out west this year...too bad ain't nothing to cut since we ain't got no rain.


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## hillside hay

Our big problem hear this year is not enough direct sunshine, heat or wind. The cut hay just sorta sits there and stews in it's juices with no breeze or heat. Most of this summer the daily high is pretty close to the humidity level. A severe shortage of days under 65%


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