ideal hay conditions

[plbcattle]

what would your ideal haying conditions be. Would it ba to cut in the afternoon. tedder the next morning, and bale late that afternoon. It is sunny, warm and in the 90's. Some reccomend to cut in the morning, tedder late that afternoon, and rake and bale about noon the following day. what is your ideal cutting times and why. Thanks for any comments

 

[Jogeephus]

With good weather I like to cut in the afternoon. Don't like messing with it again till next day. Fluff when dew dries and if possible, bale that afternoon.

 

[Stocker Steve]

Wind velocity and humidity level effect your drying rate the most.

 

[gabby]

There's no way to say. Kind of like asking how tall is a tree. Every field is different. Do you bale it dry as a bone or green and damp (big mistake). Here are some factors.

grass thickness
sap content from recent rains
soil wetness
cloud cover
humidity
temperature
wind

 

[Jogeephus]

Here, when we are not in drought conditions, soil moisture can "steam" the hay and delay drying as well. Usually cut first afternoon, tedder second morning, rake on third morning then bale that afternoon.

 

[IluvABbeef]

We typically cut in the afternoon, when moisture has almost completely dried off the forage with the sun and heat. Never in the morning or evening.

Raking is done at the same time as cutting, when the sun is highest and it's relatively hot and dry, a few days after cutting if the weather has been co-operating.

Baling is done also in the afternoon, sometimes right after raking is done, sometimes a day later.

 

[bigbull338]

what would your ideal haying conditions be. Would it ba to cut in the afternoon. tedder the next morning, and bale late that afternoon. It is sunny, warm and in the 90's. Some reccomend to cut in the morning, tedder late that afternoon, and rake and bale about noon the following day. what is your ideal cutting times and why. Thanks for any comments

the just right conditions for baling hay are a week of no rain.with temps in the 90s.we cut hay at all times during the day.let lay 2 or 3 days depending on how hot it is.we never tedder hay.then rake an start baling as soon as the dew is dryed.weve had rain all summer.an only have 35 bales.have 50acs thats so thick an tall its laying down.we prolly need 10 days of good weather to get that hay baled.

 

[msscamp]

what would your ideal haying conditions be.

That is going to vary from cutting to cutting, dependng on the weather. There are no guarantees.

Would it ba to cut in the afternoon. tedder the next morning, and bale late that afternoon. It is sunny, warm and in the 90's.

Ok, but what is the humidity level? That is going to be a major factor, especially with alfalfa. Afalfa has to be baled with the dew/or with moisture to keep the leaves on it. I have never seen anyone cut in the afternoon, rake/fluff the next morning and bale that afternoon around here. The hay has to lay for a few days to dry/cure before it's raked - how many days depends on weather conditions.

 

[mnmtranching]

On our prairie hay we cut after the dew, rake the next day, and bale before dew next evening. Good haying conditions. On alfalfa hay it needs two or more days in good weather conditions.

 

[AngusLimoX]

If you are going to ted, why wait. I have seen studies that say tedding should be within 2 hours of cutting.

You are tedding to speed drying, exposure to the sun.

I have cut all day and night several times - ideal is is getting it off dry with minimal handling. Which means every situation is a judgement call.

ALX