# Straw got rained on in the windrow, what to do to get it dry to bale



## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

My wheat straw got about an inch and a half of rain on it a few hours after I combined the wheat. I had hoped to not have to take it out of the windrow to dry but I don't know now. I am afraid if I would Ted it out and rake it I would lose quite a bit of the straw. Would it dry out leaving it in the windrow? Thanks, Hayden


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## enos (Dec 6, 2009)

Maybe leave it a day or two and flip it with rake?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

A rotary rake would be good


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Never have raked straw with a rotary, but I think endrow might be right....I can see where using a rotary at low rpm's with the rotary throwing against its fence to keep from scattering the straw would be quite useful.

Regards, Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

I've used a wheel rake set pretty straight and it will gently roll it over.

Rained on straw is more absorbent


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I've raked straw that was combined too wet. Direct cut using a 30' platform, so it was a large dense windrow that was not drying on its own. Used a wheel rake as swmnhay said, but had to move at 10 mph at least to get the windrow to flip upside down.


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

just roll it with a rake , bales better after a rain any ways . knocks a lot of the hulls .not as dusty , some guys I have talked to thinks it makes better straw after a rain.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

It seems like its a unanimous vote to flip it with a rake....I haven't bought a rotary rake yet, planning on getting one I have been trying to decide wich one to get....I don't have a wheel rake either. I do have a rolabar rake though would that be okay to flip it over? I was cutting with a 13 foot platform so the windrows are pretty light. I'm thinking about letting the windrows dry on top today and flip it in the morning and maybe bale tomorrow evening. It did have a bit of green from the grass and weeds that was trying to come up through the wheat but I don't guess that will hurt as long as it dries out before I bale.


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Sounds like a plan to me . I have baled some with a lot of green . Biggest problem some buyers might not like it , just depends on what they want it for . Around this part of the country I'd say just about all has a little green .


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> I've used a wheel rake set pretty straight and it will gently roll it over.
> 
> Rained on straw is more absorbent





Chessiedog said:


> just roll it with a rake , bales better after a rain any ways . knocks a lot of the hulls .not as dusty , some guys I have talked to thinks it makes better straw after a rain.


i agree one hundred percent, rained on straw makes better bedding and washes the dust off. We never used to bale straw until after it got rained on, then took a rake and just flipped it over half a turn.

I always get a chuckle at the auctions, everybody is willing to pay more for "bright" straw that doesn't make as good as bedding as the dull rained on stuff.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Depending on the shape and size of your windrows, a rollbar rake might not work. I tried the R23 on the straw I raked and it was a flop. The straw just bunched in front of the basket.
Another thing that may work to dry your straw out is a fluffer like this http://www.tractorhouse.com/listingsdetail/detail.aspx?OHID=6901357


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Most of my straw will go to people sowing yards and erosion control and to mulch gardens. Even though its not necessary to have bright colored straw for that purpose it just sells better if it is. Last year I sold some to the town for fall decorations but this year the straw was already too dark standing in the field from all the rain for that purpose. I still shouldn't have too much trouble selling it as I saw a bale of straw someone got from lowes and it was a solid mass of mold, you couldn't hardy flake it apart....I cant believe they are selling it like that. If mine was that bad I wouldn't even bale it. Now I will just hope the rolabar will flip it okay and we won't get any rain tomorrow....or for the next week would be fine but that is wishfull thinking.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Well I got the straw baled today. Took the rolabar rake and flipped it over as soon as the dew burnt off...it worked okay I found I needed to keep my ground speed high to keep the straw from wanting to buch in front of the rake. Let the sun draw the moisture out for a couple hours and started baling. For some reason the straw seemed to be ground up pretty fine as it wanted to kind of tumble in front of the pickup on the baler. I was also a bit disappointed in my yield...only got 50 bales per acre.


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## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

This is the first year I have run straw and got more then 50 an acre on it some where . Baled some for a guy the other day made 74 or 75 per acre .


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## sethd11 (Jan 1, 2012)

I have been baling up straw for a few years now. The best way I have found to rake straw is with a rotary rake. Works well with heavy windrows that rolabars can't handle. Most of the ground I bale for straw is cut really low and averages 100 bpa. 2-4 inch stubble. Makes it a little harder to dry out after a rain. Also the combine that is combining the wheat makes a difference. If it is a newer rotary combine they chew up the straw so bad that you lose bale per acre. The older straw walkers are gentler and is the only way to make nice long straw.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

The combine I used was a walker machine but it still seemed to grind up the straw a bit much especially where the wheat was lodged bad. I have some straw in the windrow that has been rained on 4 or 5 times in the past week and looks terrible and molded so I obviously don't want to bale it and I don't know what would be the best thing to do with it. If I had known that I would not get it baled because of the almost daily rains I would have put the chopper back on the combine. Would I be better to take the bushhog and chop up the windrows or would it be better to take the tedder and scatter it out?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

FarmerCline said:


> The combine I used was a walker machine but it still seemed to grind up the straw a bit much especially where the wheat was lodged bad. I have some straw in the windrow that has been rained on 4 or 5 times in the past week and looks terrible and molded so I obviously don't want to bale it and I don't know what would be the best thing to do with it. If I had known that I would not get it baled because of the almost daily rains I would have put the chopper back on the combine. Would I be better to take the bushhog and chop up the windrows or would it be better to take the tedder and scatter it out?


Tedder. It might dry out and be worth baling if you have a mulch straw market. if not, it will be spread out and out of your way.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

No mulch straw market...the straw looks downright nasty after being rained on off and on for a week and then got 4 more inches on it this weekend. I was thinking a tedder would be the best to get it scattered out, it's not a real heavy windrows so I think once they are scattered out it shouldn't cause a problem no tilling through it. Now if it would ever get dry enough to get the tractor and tedder on the ground.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

If you ted your ugly straw it will start to bleach from the sun (whether you're still getting occasional rain or not) and it will look better in 2 weeks than it will today. So unless you need to do something else in that field sooner than that, don't absolutely rule out the possibility of baling it later and looking better than you'd believe.


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