# Raking timing



## Idaho Jade (Aug 3, 2011)

Question for the knowledge network here.

I've got alfalfa down in windrows as I type this that will be dry and ready to bale tomorrow. Being as this I have a full time job, and unless impending weather changes my mind, I try and do most of my haying in the evenings or mornings before work. Based on the old twist method I could almost call it good to go tonight but the weather is perfect the next three days so I figured one more day won't hurt anything. The way I see things, I have three options with the end plan of baling tomorrow evening when some moisture is pulled back in for leaf retention:

1) Rake the hay tonight when a little moisture sets back in to minimize leaf loss.

2) Rake in the morning before work, but will still have a fair amount of dew on top.

3) Not rake at all and bale tomorrow in the existing windrows.

We're supposed to get down to the high 30's tonight but will be back to the mid 70's tomorrow.

Any opinions for or against any of these options?

Thanks

On edit: Small square bales


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

Assuming that you are in Idaho, why are you even raking it? Is it wet or been rained on? Is it not in windrows already? 
Are you in the mountains or the valley? Are you baling on the dew?
I have no idea why someone would rake hay just to burn fuel and watch a rake spin in circles. Not to mention the leaf loss.
I have no idea how many acres you have to bale but personally I would stay up and catch it as the dew sets, provided you have lights on the tractor and or the baler.
Welcome to haytalk. A lot of great information can be gathered here.


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## Idaho Jade (Aug 3, 2011)

Yeah, south eastern Idaho and it is in windrows. It did catch a very light rain the night after I cut but other than that weather has been ideal. Warm and windy. Lights work good and I've always stayed up to catch the dew as it comes in before.

As for the raking, I've debated that very same question about whether it's needed or not. I'm currently using a two wheel 3 point pretty much just to turn it so it's not like I'm gathering two into one. Part of my reason is the whole "that's what we've always done" but I'm coming back into the farming from being gone awhile and "challenging the process". I'm thinking I agree with you Lostin, why rake if it's dry through and through?

I did have to rake the last two cuts to beat the weather man's 3 day and a business trip out of town. At that point, I'd stay up late and rake with the dew to keep leaves. That would bring the bottom to the top and speed it just enough to bale the next night.

I guess when the weather isn't an issue, I'm probably best just to let it hang out til it's dry and catch it as it was cut.

Thoughts?


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## Lostin55 (Sep 21, 2013)

I agree. I wouldn't touch it if it's dry. One less trip over the feild.


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

Farming and off farm job is difficult.
Off the farm job plus putting up hay is just 10 times more difficult.

As you say some compromises have to be made and it is always the farm that gets compromised.

The Humidity is the Key to IDEAL timing for hay.

I like your rake with the morning dew and bale at night as the dew starts to rise.

HERE 97ºW ( The dividing line between the Humid East and the Arid West:
I rake with the first light, Hope fully the humidity, down next to the hay, is 90%, though many mornings I have to live with 80% Humidity,
I start baling small bales at 70% Relative Humidity, down next to the hay. 
I start baling Round Bales at 65% Relative Humidity, down next to the hay.

Baling at night we can tell the humidity is reasonable by the feel on our face.
If in doubt look at the hay pickup. If the leaves are still flying it the humidity is not high enough.

I do not rake until the hay is *stem snapping dry.* I then rake with the humidity the next day and bale the following day.

That is here you are probably different.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

You didn't state what kind of baling you are doing, though I'm going to assume small square. If you are doing small squares I wouldn't rake it at all in your climate if it's at all like mine and it's curing good without. I only rake to rake two windrows together for my big square baler. You almost have to do that to make good bales with a big square.


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## Idaho Jade (Aug 3, 2011)

Thanks for the input guys. Teslan, you are right small squares. My edit was at the very bottom of the post and was easy to miss. I ended up baling that night when the dew came down no raking at all. It really made things go much easier for the baler anyway. The swather cut at a perfect windrow width for the full baler pickup to be used. It fed nice and made tight, square bales. Never felt any big slugs go through the baler. Perfect night to be a hay farmer. I'm pretty sure I might never rake again if I don't have to. At least in my current state of operation.

I'd still be curious to hear peoples thoughts on the idea. Let's just say the hay isn't quite ready to be baled, but weather was going to leave you one more good day before rain came. The top is nice and dry but the bottom is still a little wet but if it were brought to the top, one more good day would get it ready. In that case, my gut would say rake in the morning and bale that night.

Sound like a good theory?


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

We have a great apples and oranges comparison.

We are all talking about baling hay, but with many differing climate conditions.

Idaho & Wyoming are different in that they do not NEED a side swath to cure the hay. Drop the hay in a windrow and 5 days later bale the hay. A gentle 15 knot breeze with a high humidity of less than 30% and the hay will cure. The TRICK is they may not have enough humidity to successfully rake the hay, with out a major loss of leaves due to shattering.

Their nights are cool enough to have very little dry matter burned up by respiration over night.

Many growers can have the LEAVES dry by sunset the day the hay is mowed IF they leave the hay laying out in a wide swath. That is 75% to 80% of the ground covered by hay in a wide swath.

HERE the leaves will be about 20% to 30% moisture by dark with 5.5 hours of direct sunshing. An over cast will need more time. Sounds good but the stems will be in the 75% moisture range.

The next day the hay will cure with direct sunshine of the stems, The ssunshine will heat the moisture inside the stems, creating a increast vapor pressure, Then the moisture will exit the stems via a mild steam pressure. Out the nearest opening. That would be the cut in the stem & any cracking of the stems by the conditioning process.

In Soughern NM, AZ, & CA the hay will be dried to 20% moisture the day of mowing, Problem the hay will not have enough moisture for raking any time if they use a wide swath for drying.

Not every year but many years, HERE not only do we NOT have enough humidity to rake, day or night, in July or Augist, and some years will not have enough humidity to bale hay, day or night, in July or August. HERE being on the 97º W the theoretical devide between the humid east and the Arid West. If we irrigated we could irrigate at night right next to the field being baled. That or some other method to introduce artificial dew.

The beauty of HERE is our spring is as damp as the humid East, and we have an annual Summer drought.


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