Hay Customers?

[Hayboy83]

I have baled hay with my dad since I was in High School. It has been all prairie hay for cattle. Well this yar I sprigged some Jiggs, purchased equipment, fertilized, mowed, baled, and now selling for myself (I also partnered with my brother).
Anyhow, I got a call from a customer that needs his hay to be light green with minimal bleaching. To be honest I never heard of curing hay be referred to as bleaching it. I understand he wants good hay, I realize that I have a lot to learn from my customers.
Anyone else heard of any terms or requests that are new to them?

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Jiggs is a hybrid bermuda. You can cut it on a hot day, and bale it the next day or two after all the dew is gone. I'm talking 100 degree days. It will have that green color to it still.

Horse customers are picky but pay top dollar.

 

[Hayboy83]

Thanks for the info Kyle. We usually cure it a day to prevent moisture in the bales. What is a good indication that the Jiggs is ready? Do you at temp, hours cured, and color?

 

[zzvyb6]

Bright sunlight lightens the hay to a washed out or even yellowish color. Too much raking or tedding, or exposure to sunlight in a barn will turn its color. I have lots of windows in my barn. Hay stored in the mow will have the bleached look on the sides of bales exposed to light. As soon as you pull them away, the hay behind them is unbleached.

This is for the owners benefit. Horses are color blind. I've seen bales sprayed with food coloring right there from the propionic acid injected into the bale chamber to prevent mold. The acid also bleaches the hay. You can tell. Smells like vinegar.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

This year we've had thick crops of hay. Most years, you can dry 1 day. If it rains on it, you need to add another full day to let it dry. The blades will be all dried out. I used to live in Manvel, back in 1979. When it stormed those 2 bad storms, 7 days apart on Friday nights. 30" rain in 24 hours on the first one, 24" the 2nd one.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Many horse hay customers will take square bales.

Welcome to the forum. there is a wealth of knowledge and many diverse, kind people willing to offer it here.

 

[Tx Jim]

Jiggs is a hybrid bermuda. You can cut it on a hot day, and bale it the next day or two after all the dew is gone. I'm talking 100 degree days. It will have that green color to it still.

Horse customers are picky but pay top dollar.

Rarely do I cut Coastal one day & bale it the next day because the relative humidity has gotten so high. Back when I started custom baling in '87 it was common to cut Coastal 1 day & bale the next but not in the last few yrs. I guess my relative humidity is just gotten too high. I know it's a lot more humid than when I was a youngster.

 

[joeu235]

We put up about 5000 bales of coastal bermuda for horse owners each year. They are very picky but the price can be 3x what a round bales sells for. Customers trickle in until around February and then it goes quickly.

In the summer we cut early in the morning and bale the next evening. Try to get 18% moisture content. My mom has a probe she sticks in the second bale out of the baler. The hay spends only couple hours in the field and gets immediately picked up. Usually the trailers are backed into the barn loaded and then unloaded the next morning.

 

[Hayboy83]

Thanks for the info guys, I REALLY appreciate it! Joeu235, I read some info printed out by Texas A&M and they said Bermuda should be baled with 18-20% moisture. If your gonna feed it to horses. I was looking into getting one of them moisture meters. They also gave a good idea on how to check moisture by using a 18" long×2" thick peice of PVC with screwed on caps. Put a hole on one cap, pack it with hay and stick the meter probe in there. I like y'alls idea better.

I plan on baling Nov 5, it's a 10 acres field. From what the weather report says, it'll be in the mid 80s. Y'all think cutting in the morning the day before will be ok with that temp? It's the third cut so it'll be all square bales. I'll keep y'all posted and take pics.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

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