Time of day to cut hay??

[tom4018]

There is a guy locally big into forage. Made the comment the other day about he likes to cut after the dew is off but stop mid day so that the hay would cure some before sun set. He said that the hay would burn energy during the night if the moisture is too high. Stated that the sugar content was better when you cut early.

Sometimes I have to cut after work so some gets cut in the dark. Am I hurting my quality?

 

[snoopdog]

I think he's FOS!

 

[Bigfoot]

We cut in shifts, and never stop rolling. He may be right, but I can't do that.

 

[tom4018]

We cut in shifts, and never stop rolling. He may be right, but I can't do that.

I got to cut when I have time and the weather cooperates. Need to be cutting now but the ground is saturated here. Hopefully a couple days of drying will be enough.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Yes, he is right, but depending on conditions the loss may be marginal.

 

[kenny thomas]

Yes, he is right, but depending on conditions the loss may be marginal.

I disagree. Sugar content gets higher from the sun. It goes down during the night and is at its lowest at daylight. I wish I could cut all of mine from 4pm to 8pm.

 

[1982vett]

Put it this way...photosynthesis doesn't happen at night so sugars are higher in the afternoon....

Don't think it matters in the big scheme.

Beat me to it Kenny.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

Yes, he is right, but depending on conditions the loss may be marginal.

I disagree. Sugar content gets higher from the sun. It goes down during the night and is at its lowest at daylight. I wish I could cut all of mine from 4pm to 8pm.

I meant the part about dew wet hay degrading because the plant continues to grow, and digest sugar.
Should of quoted that part.

 

[tom4018]

One of his comments and some I found searching state if the hay goes into the dark at 60% or higher moisture that it burns a lot of it's energy up trying to live.

 

[Silver]

I have heard these claims, and there may be some truth to them. But we cut from early in the morning to late at night all haying season, and feed hay for 200+ days a year and haven't killed anything yet. Well, not from the feed anyway.

 

[Aaron]

Your sugars are maxed out just before sunset. I like to cut all afternoon and evening. Haybines don't like cutting early morning dew-soaked grass.

 

[Bigfoot]

Are we talking about negligible amounts of sugar, or significant amounts of sugar?

 

[Texasmark]

Even though I agreed with TAMU extension service memos, I think that the important consideration is how much stubble you have left. Stubble is where the sugar is stored to get the next cutting off to a good start. Cut too low and not much stubble and not much sugar and not much performance on the second cutting.

Now which is more important, and if the sugar is in the stalk in the afternoon and not in the stubble, should it have been in the stubble so you should cut in the morning anyway, and how much is there to distribute, and OMG if the sugar isn't in the hay the cows won't fight over it....I don't know. I just wish I had the weather cooperating. Got another 10 day rain free window yesterday. We'll see how accurate they are this time. :bang:

 

[chaded]

I was reading an article on it once and it was stating the best time to cut was in the afternoon and had something to do with the sugar. It made sense but currently I don't cut my own hayfield as it is done on halves with another guy so I can't really do it when I want, it's when he has time.

It's nice when you don't have to fork money out for equipment and whatnot but frustrating when everyone's field around you is laying down and yours isn't. It's all about trade offs I reckon....

 

[sstterry]

Here is an article that will totally confuse the topic.
http://omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/field/news/croptalk/2010/ct-0610a7.htm

 

[VaCowman]

https://www.progressiveforage.com/forage-types/other-forage/why-you-should-care-about-high-sugar-forages

"Management is ultimately the key to harvesting high-sugar forages. Many of you have probably heard of the AM/PM hay research done in Idaho.

We get many calls each year in the Midwest from producers who tried to cut hay in the afternoon but when the feed test came back, it was no better than morning-cut hay.

Producers out West believe that afternoon-cut hay is definitely better. Who is right? They both are. The key is understanding how sugar levels fluctuate in plants and in understanding plant respiration (breathing, if you prefer that term).

Photosynthesis uses sunlight to build sugars in the plant all day. So sugar levels are highest in the afternoon when the sun has been out for a long time.

Conversely, sugar is lowest in the early morning before the sun is up because the plants have been burning sugar all night long without being able to make any.

Respiration is the process of burning sugar. If you cut any forage plants, they will continue to respire until they dry down to about 40 percent moisture. Respiration rate is faster at high temperatures and lower in colder temperatures."