# Hay - Dew vs Thunderstorm vs a Day of Rain



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

I recently had a tractor go down in the middle of baling some hay. We got about a 20 minute thunderstorm on the windrows. Next day, we were able to turn the hay and it dried out very good and baled it. Sold it for mulch hay - just to get rid of it.

But.....

Aside from the color being washed out, it baled up nicely and they folks buying it liked what they saw. I kind of wished I would have priced it higher, but I was always taught - once the rain (any rain) hits it - the hay is not much good for anything.

Question:

In my neck of the woods, in September, the overnight dews are very heavy. The hay (grass hay) is IMHO as wet as if it got rained-on. The difference is it is not beaten down and matted to the ground. The dew burns off and all is good.

How is a brief thunderstorm's rain (15 to 30ish minutes) any different on the quality of hay than a daily dose of heavy dew?

A day long rain: If you can get the hay dried out - what are you really left with, mulch hay or something usable to some extent?

Thanks in advance for anyone's reply.

Bill


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

How is a brief thunderstorm's rain (15 to 30ish minutes) any different on the quality of hay than a daily dose of heavy dew?

It's not...rained on once in the windrow, not a deluge, no problem.....rained on twice, thrice.....you will have problems selling that hay. Biggest issue is color and smell......grass hay that is. Hth


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

Like wheat straw. Buyers want it bright. Problem is, bright wheat straw is waxy. If you want good absorbent wheat straw, rained on is the best.....

Might not be bright, but it's right.

I've never had an issue with a light shower or heavy dew and I've never alluded to my customers it got wet (with dew or light rain).

If it gets rained on lightly, better be out there flipping it the next morning (not roping it with a side delivery either).......


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

"Something useable to some extent" pretty much sums it up. It's not likely automatically mulch from the scenarios you're describing. The worst thing is moisture, any sort of moisture, that you can't promptly address. A quick storm that allows you to get back in soon to dry it back out will affect color, but there is a real possibility that it's merely diminished. Obviously some people don't want diminished quality hay, but it's better than junk hay. There's a market for everything.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

That is a great question is the protein level or palatability truly effected in that senerio ? As I feed to my own in that case I haven't noticed any difference while feeding...


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Nitram said:


> That is a great question is the protein level or palatability truly effected in that senerio ? As I feed to my own in that case I haven't noticed any difference while feeding...


I would say yes, if for no other reason than the fact that the hay is on the ground longer, and the means to the end is teddering which is problematic for leaf retention. So a brief shower.... probably not, and its not really changing much in terms of harvest. I think the best scenario is a light rain while it is still laying as cut by the disc mower, although once tedded and rained on briefly is not a deal breaker, it does necessitate another Ted pass, so.....my 02


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

We have this conversation or a variant thereof from time to time. As previously said, ted it out before the sun really hits it, meaning at 10 in the am not 2. I think the big things are when in the cure process does the rain hit, how much rain-as in does the ground get really damp or muddy-then you have a problem, is it once and done or 2-3 days (showers and clouds). While I don't search for rain to fall on my hay, it does happen and the value of that hay, then becomes a function of what management inputs you commit to making it.

At the end of the day, it is important to keep it in perspective-all the draft horses in the 40s were fed hay without tedders, discbines and most were raked with a dump rake, and they did more work than todays horses, save possibly racehorses, and lived just fine. The biggest element for most of us is the 1-2 horse owner who just wants good smelling green hay but does not understand the tension between baling green grass and dried and properly cured hay, and their horse does not need that much sugar or protein anyway.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Although rain does affect hay color and causes hay to loose some vitamin A I think the determining factor of the quality of rained on hay is the presence/lack of mold or mildew on the hay.


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## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

In early august we cut a 12 acre alfalfa/mixed grass hay field. After raking the entire field we were only able to bale off a little more than half before the rains came. We left the rest of the field in windrows for two days while a light rain fell off and on, perhaps a 1/4" total maximum over 36 hours. On the third day we tedded and reraked and then baled it the following day. There was still some green remaining from the bottom of the original windrows. I sent samples of both the early baling and rained on hay to Forage One in Ithaca,NY for analysis.

Here's some interesting data. The "good" hay tested at 17.8% protein, 62% TDN, 134 RFV, and 1.13 Mcal/lb

The "rained on" hay tested at 17.1% protein, 59% TDN, 108 RFV, and 1.01 Mcal/lb

There was almost no difference in protein but the energy level in calories and RFV showed a moderate loss. The difference in mineral content was minimal. The rained on hay was obviously not as green or pretty as the "good" hay but it still had a fresh smell and is perfectly suitable for non dairy feeding.

I have had hay that got a good soaking of over an inch of rain while it was still spread out and it was totally bleached out by the time we got it baled. I think a light rain is not much worse than heavy dew especially if the hay has been raked into a windrow.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Fossil02818 said:


> In early august we cut a 12 acre alfalfa/mixed grass hay field. After raking the entire field we were only able to bale off a little more than half before the rains came. We left the rest of the field in windrows for two days while a light rain fell off and on, perhaps a 1/4" total maximum over 36 hours. On the third day we tedded and reraked and then baled it the following day. There was still some green remaining from the bottom of the original windrows. I sent samples of both the early baling and rained on hay to Forage One in Ithaca,NY for analysis.
> 
> Here's some interesting data. The "good" hay tested at 17.8% protein, 62% TDN, 134 RFV, and 1.13 Mcal/lb
> 
> ...


Your results showed about the same as my results. Don't have the figures in front of me but had hay had a couple of showers on it layed out for 14 days. Non rain on cut after this 14 days baled within five day. Rained on hay close to 20 points less RFV and 1% less protein, don't remember the energy. Still decent feed.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I think the consensus is....quality only suffers minimally, marketability suffers proportionally to the amount of time In the elements.....


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Thanks everyone - great info!!!!

Bill


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I'll tell ya rain on a windrow is a heck of a lot better than rain on bales.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

slowzuki said:


> I'll tell ya rain on a windrow is a heck of a lot better than rain on bales.


That's true unless the rained on bales are ROUND!


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Slow- I haven't figured out how to ted those bales yet-even my Krone won't do it!


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Baled some orchard grass that was almost fully dried when it got rained on last Saturday tedded Sunday then raked and baled today. Actually didn't look bad still had a decent green color to it and wasnt really faded I was surprised. One year we had some second reed canary lay for two weeks in cloudy rainy condions before we got it baled. Rather black and very dusty....dry cows ate it they loved it compared to some of the good first cutting.

An old timer said one time "Cows will love and clean up the most rotten black rained on hay better than snow balls"


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