I'm not sure what kind of hay Sir Loin showed there, but that is what an alfalfa hard core would look like after a few months if you baled it tight and testing around 24% or 25% moisture. Between 20 and 24%, you'd get some bad spots with alot of discoloration on the rest. Between 18% and 20%, most of the bale would keep fine for 2 or 3 years, but you would get some small spots of heated hay. 17% and under, that bale would be as green as the day you picked it up. With softcore and square balers you can add quite a few points of moisture onto the above numbers. I've baled softcores testing 24% on a real dry day, dropped my pressure a hair, and had them keep well, but its certainly not something to make a practice of.
Rod
