Hay Customers?

[holeycow]

I'll second this. I have baled hay for 15 years and I can tell when hay is ready by smell. I feed my own 40 horses and I don't like dealing with horse people. These are not backyard mutts either, well some of them are but the majority are show horses. Horse people think they know hay but its only what they have heard in conversation for the most part. I have never used a moisture meter and don't plan on getting one. I have let fields go that hay got rained on after the hay was dried for 2 days. Just take the hit, and spread it out with the brushhog. Its not worth baling.

We had a really tough summer here. After years of drought culminating last year in severe drought and grasshoppers, this year it rained every 3 or 4 days all summer.

I have a 10' cutter (and a 16' I don't use much), so I was in the best shape possible for these conditions. I got over 90% of my hay off with no rain. Lucky and crafty and patient.

One piece of one field was nearly ready to go several times and then got rained on again. This was predominantly meadow brome. I never let it get "black". I raked it 3 times back and forth in between rains and eventually ended up with about 65 rounds of "grey" hay. I wouldn't feed horses with it, but the cows can use it for bedding and they actually ate one to the ground the other day. There's very little dust in most of it I would say.

Another field got one rain only and that came off as decent hay.

I hadn't used that rake in years...

Point being sometimes with some work and luck you can make a poor situation improve. Had I not kept an eye on that swath and raked it at the critical times I would have baled it to burn it.

 

[holeycow]

You might need 2-3 days at least with these lower temps. Unless humidity is way low.

"Lower temperatures"; that made me chuckle, as mid 80's is getting hot around here.

 

[Hayboy83]

@Holycow- I start getting cold once temperature get below 68f. Then is time to where long sleeves or hoodie. lol

 

[holeycow]

I work off farm in the winter. Outdoors. A couple of Africans showed up one day. I was a little skeptical. Turns out they were great guys and were able to deal with our cold. I asked them one day " how did you guys make out in your first winter?". The one fellow said very seriously "I thought I was gonna die". They then went on to say that they had help learning to deal with the cold (how to dress, what to do and what not to do, etc.) From coworkers and that's what got them through.

We all can get used to almost anything. I would think I was going to die in prolonged over 100f weather. But probably not. I would just learn how to deal with it. A little help from the locals would certainly help.

 

[Tx Jim]

I've been making hay for over 25 years. I have lots of 30-60 acre fields of various grasses to bale. At this point I put up 600 to 1000 round bales a year for my own use. Occasionally I have to buy additional. We only get 1 cut around here.

I am thinking of making a change and might get back into making some small squares. That is a lot trickier than rounds.

Why do you ask?

Because if you've never utilized a moisture tester consistently then you can't realize it's benefits over the touching/twisting hay testing. Back in my hey day?(when I was younger) I baled 5000-6000 5-1/2 feet tall rd bales per year and some days touching/twisting doesn't get the job done. PS: I've been custom baling since '87 last rd baler I traded off had 30,000 bales on monitor & present baler has 23,000 bales on monitor.\. IMHO baling hay without utilizing a moisture tester is similar to operating an engine with no fuel gauge,volt meter or oil pressure sensing device. Yes it can be accomplished but one can sleep better knowing one isn't JUST GUESSING!!

 

[holeycow]

Ok. I don't agree.

Bigger does not mean better or smarter.

The nose knows. Along with some other senses.

Never seen a custom hayer that does a consistently good job. Just my experience.

If you've never learned the art, then you better keep using your tester.

Do you sell testers?

 

[holeycow]

I am in no way, shape, or form "guessing". I know my grass, my climate, and my equipment.I try as much as possible to keep an eye on the immediate weather around me. Sometimes that is tough with cab tractors.

Like I said, the condition of the hay changes minute to minute. You are using a crutch, imo.

Perhaps I would have learned a little quicker with a crutch, but I would never know now what I know by using that crutch.

I feed all my bales and always have, so I actually get a look at all of them. Or my wife does.

Likely you don't open very many of the bales you wrap?

Feeding many different species of animals many different species of grass from many different fields allows one to get a good handle on things.

RedNeck knows too.

 

[Tx Jim]

Ok. I don't agree.

Bigger does not mean better or smarter.

The nose knows. Along with some other senses.

Never seen a custom hayer that does a consistently good job. Just my experience.

If you've never learned the art, then you better keep using your tester.

Do you sell testers?

Never stated or implied bigger was better just stated that I had probably cut/raked & baled more hay than YOU which gives me more experience. Since I bale more hay per year than you then factor in mother nature I don't doubt that you can pick & choose a better window to do you hay. After being in the custom baling business for nearly 30 yrs with some of the original customers I'll classify myself as being way above a rookie. NO I DO NOT SELL moisture testers. I hope you have a nice day,Jim

 

[holeycow]

Yup, I was pretty sure your intention at the outset was to prove you were better than me.
You have a nice day too sir.

Oh, and you should sell testers. You are trying to sell them right here. There are those of us who really have absolutely no need of them whatsoever. Your inability to conceive of that tells me your experience level, I don't care how many bales you have made.

 

[holeycow]

Do you open the bales you make? You'll not learn much, or very fast if you don't. That is the key right there.