question about hay

[Jamo]

I've got windrows that I'm going to have to leave overnight...is this going to ruin my hay or can I still bale it tomorrow? (it's supposed to rain at 3pm so I would need to start baling around noon in order to get it all up in time)

thanks
jamo

 

[Ed S.]

Unless you get rain on it, I would think it would be okay, but then, I'm also still learning at this... Don't start baling until the dew is cooked off tomorrow...

es

 

[johns48jdb]

you need to run yourrake over it, but just turn whats down up. youll be surprised as to how damp it is under a windrow, so just use the very end of the rake to tflip it 180 degrees.

 

[kyhayman]

The best hay I make is raked one day and baled the next. Its a gamble, since a wet windrow is a mess but it sure sets the color better.

 

[jason, NW Ontario]

Can you elaborate on what you said about the colour setting? I've never heard about that before - does it apply to grass or legume hay?

Jay

 

[Tx Jim]

jason, NW Ontario
My understanding of what kyhayman stated about "sets color better" would mean "retain more green color" from not lying flat exposed direct sunlight. I think this would apply to any type of hay.

 

[Ed S.]

I asked a friend about this yesterday - he puts up thousands of bales of hay a year - and he said he prefers to rake the hay once before baling, in the morning when the hay is still a little pliable from the dew (which reduced leaf loss), and bale that same afternoon (as opposed to raking one day and baling the next). He said the less time the hay sits after being raked, the better the color. He said quality may be about the same as raking one day and baling the next, but in selling hay, color = $$$.

He also said an older farmer told him once if you see the rake and the baler in the field [i:4c19d9cb11]at the same time[/i:4c19d9cb11], either they're loosing a lot of leaf because they're raking too dry, or they're raking it right and baling too wet...

es