Haying

[rodawn]

This year is our first year at growing hay. We had someone cut our hay. The weather very abruptly and unpredictably changed from being hot and sunny for a week to raining for a few days... on my nicely cut hay. :(

So, the hay guy, who is supposed to be very experienced with this sort of thing, came out today to rake it. It has now been no rain for 2-1/2 days, but it has been windy to help with drying. However, this morning, we had a very heavy dew. I thought great, he's raking it, and I figured he woud leave it for another 2 days and then rake it and bale it.

To my dismay, I walked out this afternoon and found the whole field baled in small squares, very tight. I'm now looking at 200 bales that are all slightly damp. What can I do now?

[MikeP]

If the hay goes through a heat and gets moldy, he baled it too wet. If it doesn't do those things, it's ok.

I'd start by talking to the guy that baled it. He may know the exact moisture % and other things he's actually supposed to know.

[rodawn]

Mike, should I leave it in the field a couple days? I'm expecting us to get another heavy fog tomorrow morning which will give us a heavy dew. Will it be okay to leave it in the field a couple days? It is not expected to rain, but the dew will be heavy, unless it gets good and windy.

If I risk putting it in a barn and it heats I'll have a fire to worry about.

[MikeP]

My guess would be that a dew won't hurt anything. It could, however, absorb moisture from the ground. I think if it were mine I'd stack it somewhat loosely in the barn and watch VERY closely. Check it three to five times a day, if possible.

You can tell quickly if it's going through a heat.

[JSwan]

Mike - in cases like this are you more concerned about spoilage or combustion?

Thanks.

[Tamara in TN]

However, this morning, we had a very heavy dew. I thought great, he's raking it, and I figured he woud leave it for another 2 days and then rake it and bale it.

To my dismay, I walked out this afternoon and found the whole field baled in small squares, very tight. I'm now looking at 200 bales that are all slightly damp. What can I do now?



if the dew burned of properly before he windrowed it you will not have any problems...

if he did not wait...you're gonna be sad

[MikeP]

Mike - in cases like this are you more concerned about spoilage or combustion?

Thanks.

I prefer to have neither. If all that happens is spoilage, you can sell the stuff for mulch. If combustion happens, you get to roast some marshmallows. Which do you prefer?

[JSwan]

I didn't ask which you prefer.

I asked which you were more concerned about when advising a person to stack and store questionable hay. Inside a barn.

You can give me a smart ass nonresponse, ignore me, or answer the question. It was sincerely posed.

Thanks.

(not ignoring Tamara - I saw she posted too - I'm just curious about risks of combustion as it is standard in these parts to not store hay baled wet)

[camohn]

If the dew burned off/baled in the afternoon should be OK. If it was baled with dew and damp in early morning there may be a problem. It should not need 2 days for the dew to dry off though. Do you have room to spread it across the barn floor to let it dry? If not then pile it up VERY loosely with lots of holes/air spaces and as folks noted, check the temp a lot (aka stick a hand in the middle of a bale).

[Cloverbarley]

If you don't have a moisture/temperature probe available to test the hay then use a crowbar instead. Stick the crowbar into a number of the hay bales and when you bring it out, if it is too hot to handle then your heat is likely around 150f which is a dangerous temperature to be at, if you can touch the crowbar easily without it burning you, then your hay is not in jeopardy of blowing up.

I would imagine the farmer has moisture/temperature tested the hay prior to baling it. Most hay farmers do.

If the hay had been mine, I would have loosely stacked it in a barn away from our huge haystack and I would be testing it on a regular basis for the next week or so, or at least until the temperature drops.

[Chief2]

JSwan, the answer is that you have to be worried about both.

This summer it is difficult to get the hay off of the fields to begin with, let alone get it in dry. We finally got a dry stretch of a few days here, and folks are haying in like crazy to put it in dry. Otherwise, they are having to bale it damp. Once the wagons are delivered, if possible, they are left out in the sun to dry as much as possible before bringing them in to load in the loft. Then you have to check each and every bale for heat/mold as you load them into the barn. If there are only a few warm bales, they are spread out on the floor to dry. If there are too many, the wagon goes back out to dry. If they are heavy and wet, it is another story.

Hubby and the BO just turned back a wagon of 300 bales because it was baled too wet. We could already smell the mold starting in the bales as the wagon was beginning to be unloaded, and no one wanted combustion to take down the barn. It was too damp to let the wagon load dry out in the arena. The farmer took it back with apologies. No problem. Also, whenever we hay, I put out my stalled horses. Don't want to take the chance.

[Tamara in TN]

[QUOTE=JSwan;4293699]I didn't ask which you prefer.

I asked which you were more concerned about when advising a person to stack and store questionable hay. Inside a barn.



wet hay ought not go in the barn as spoiling and going up in flames are just two degrees of the same thing

best

[JSwan]

Thanks, Chief2.

This year is wonky for haying (where I live, anyway)

[MikeP]

I didn't ask which you prefer.

I asked which you were more concerned about when advising a person to stack and store questionable hay. Inside a barn.

You can give me a smart ass nonresponse, ignore me, or answer the question. It was sincerely posed.


I think not.

[Bluey]

And here we have to bale at night or wait for dew at dawn to try to bale some without the hay shattering.
Then you only have a couple of hours to bale, before it is too dry again.:rolleyes:

You can feel if the hay is too wet when you handle it and your pant leg/hay chaps gets wet and of course, by touch and smell.

I would never take a chance and put in a barn any questionable hay.:eek:

But you need to protect it from more moisture, set on a trailer or something and tarped.

Making hay is not for sissies, no matter where you are.

[JSwan]

Making hay is not for sissies, no matter where you are.

I put my foot down about two things.

Having my own milk cow.

Making my own hay.

I've done both (step family had a dairy and I helped with haying all the time) and I'd rather have needles stuck in my eyes. Hats off to folks who make great hay and still have both their arms.

Must be a tough call - not everyone has the intermediate facility/area between the field and barn - it's one or the other.