I Know, I know ....

[Southernspeed]

You've told me before "don't second guess yourself" but I did I baled at 13-14% windrow then when I got it in the barn, well I just had to probe it and 22-26%. OK, no problem, it's doing it's thing. Temps were 108-112, warm but it was a real feel of 112 today and crazy humid. Two hours later I'm at 30-40% and 115-120 degrees. It's 8.30pm now, I'll check it in a couple of hours. Am I panicking unnecessarily or should I get it out of the barn? I'm assuming this humid hot weather isn't helping.
I wish I had the confidence to just bale and forget about it like I did when I first started doing hay!

 

[Saucymynx]

It’s hard to tell. I think Windrow moisture readings are notoriously inaccurate.. I would definitely be uncomfortable having hay at 22 to 26% moisture in my barn if it was not sprayed with proprionic acid. That being said, those moisturizes and temperature risers are way too fast. Are you sure your Provis calibrated right? If you really wanna know the true moisture content, do the microwave test. But don’t burn your house down. This is a good article. When is Hay Dry Enough? | Panhandle Agriculture

 

[Lineman North Florida]

22-26% wouldn't concern me about burning my barn down but I probably would be storing it outside since it's not likely to be #1 horse hay, just gonna be cow hay, but cows got to eat to.

 

[CH4Ohio]

Is it still on a wagon in the barn or off-loaded and stacked?

 

[Southernspeed]

Is it still on a wagon in the barn or off-loaded and stacked?

It's all laid out on pallets, separated, not stacked.

 

[Southernspeed]

I'm wondering if my probe isn't reading right. I used to twist test, bale, stack in the barn then sell it. Our horse customers loved it and we have one lady that breeds champion cattle that's buys all we can supply her as her cows eat every last bit, no waste.
Then I started 'reading on the net' about moisture testing so I bought a windrow tester and a probe. Now I twist test, windrow test (usually reads 13-14%), bale, probe a few hours later after gathering from fields getting readings of 20 something to 30 odd % and temps of 100-120 degrees, panic.
I know that once baled it's going to do it's thing and will heat up which I presume would also create moisture. It also was 112 degrees and very humid when I baled which probably didn't help.
Maybe I should just go back to twist test, bale, forget about it!

 

[CH4Ohio]

I don’t worry about bales that are separated and on pallets where air can circulate. Don’t think the heat can build up. Just my opinion.

 

[CH4Ohio]

What does your tester read when you probe a bone-dry bale that’s been in the barn for a long time. Do you get reasonable readings on known dry bales? Same with temperature — does it read ambient actual temp when not in a bale or in a DRY bale?

Edit — mine reads 14.5% on completely dry bales that have been stored for months.

I do better when I don’t use my moisture tester too. Just causes worry. But I was testing some the other day with readings of 22% to 15%. Didn’t feel at all wet and didn’t heat up at all. I’m leaving it on the wagon for now and checking it, but it seems like really nice hay. (Other than the damn moisture tester reading.)

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I'm wondering if my probe isn't reading right. I used to twist test, bale, stack in the barn then sell it. Our horse customers loved it and we have one lady that breeds champion cattle that's buys all we can supply her as her cows eat every last bit, no waste.
Then I started 'reading on the net' about moisture testing so I bought a windrow tester and a probe. Now I twist test, windrow test (usually reads 13-14%), bale, probe a few hours later after gathering from fields getting readings of 20 something to 30 odd % and temps of 100-120 degrees, panic.
I know that once baled it's going to do it's thing and will heat up which I presume would also create moisture. It also was 112 degrees and very humid when I baled which probably didn't help.
Maybe I should just go back to twist test, bale, forget about it!

Instead of windrow testing why don't you roll one and probe the bale right after it comes out of the roller, I'm not trying to be a know it all , just curious.

 

[CalG]

Well?

Smoke or fire?

Curious.......

 

[Southernspeed]

Instead of windrow testing why don't you roll one and probe the bale right after it comes out of the roller, I'm not trying to be a know it all , just curious.

Hadn't considered that, no reason not to. Although many on here, far more experienced at this than me will just say 'stop worrying!' And they're probably right!

 

[Southernspeed]

Well?

Smoke or fire?

Curious.......

No, all is good. Probed moisture and temps are coming down, smells sweet ....

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Hadn't considered that, no reason not to. Although many on here, far more experienced at this than me will just say 'stop worrying!' And they're probably right!

That's how I have always done it, I actually thought that if a moisture probe was used that's how everyone did it. If it reads higher than I like I just wait an hour and try another one, sometimes that's all it takes, if I know rain is coming I might push it a little but my preference is to roll between 10-14%

 

[CalG]

Common around here, VT. Is to leave the fresh gatherd bales on the wagon for the first night.

 

[Hay Dude]

I just baled hay that was laying in a field for get this….9 days….
It was never rained on. I just couldn’t get to it. I baled it yesterday expecting crap hay and it was still beautiful green underneath, but perfectly dry. It’s about 65% green and 35% “tan” where facing the sun. Bales have surprisingly good color and moisture is about 8%.
Conversely, I made bales waiting the typical 3 days, and most turned to junk…moisture was ~20%.

Learning when to cut and when to bale is the art of baling. Knowing patience and weather and when it’s just right is the whole art of making the best hay. Also accepting that as your climate goes through daily changes has tremendous impact on your hays’ quality.

 

[Southernspeed]

I just baled hay that was laying in a field for get this….9 days….
It was never rained on. I just couldn’t get to it. I baled it yesterday expecting crap hay and it was still beautiful green underneath, but perfectly dry. It’s about 65% green and 35% “tan” where facing the sun. Bales have surprisingly good color and moisture is about 8%.
Conversely, I made bales waiting the typical 3 days, and most turned to junk…moisture was ~20%.

Learning when to cut and when to bale is the art of baling. Knowing patience and weather and when it’s just right is the whole art of making the best hay. Also accepting that as your climate goes through daily changes has tremendous impact on your hays’ quality.

A guy over the way cut and windrowed a couple of weeks back but got caught by a couple of storms and now, although beautiful weather for over a week now, the morning heavy dew doesn't burn off 'til late morn/lunchtime then evening dew starts settling 6-7pm. He came by a couple of days ago and just tedded it out and abandoned it. I ecided last year that I wasn't doing a final cut as it's always a challenge to dry here this time of year with the heavy dew. Maybe I'm just in a peculiar area (edge of several thousand acres of forest and a big river a few hundred yards away)

 

[Saucymynx]

A guy over the way cut and windrowed a couple of weeks back but got caught by a couple of storms and now, although beautiful weather for over a week now, the morning heavy dew doesn't burn off 'til late morn/lunchtime then evening dew starts settling 6-7pm. He came by a couple of days ago and just tedded it out and abandoned it. I ecided last year that I wasn't doing a final cut as it's always a challenge to dry here this time of year with the heavy dew. Maybe I'm just in a peculiar area (edge of several thousand acres of forest and a big river a few hundred yards away)

It’s very hard to get hay dry where I am, in the central upper penninsula of Michigan. I struggled for my first couple years making hay to actually get a window where I can get it dry enough to bale. I’m doing two things differently this year that are really helping. First, I am following “pan evaporation“, and my reading says that you should have a total pan evaporation of 0.6 inches to get hay dry. This seems to be pretty accurate. That assumes you spread your hay wide or you ted it right after you cut it. I do both. Mostly grass. The second thing which has made a huge difference is that I put an acid preservative system on my baler last year. It makes a huge difference. I can bale at 25% moisture and not have mold or dust. Of course, I have to be spraying the right amount of chemical. I carry a moisture meter in my cab and check the first three bales that come out and then every 30 or 40 there after and adjust the spray. I’ve been absolutely amazed at how well it works. I am feeding out some of my first cutting that I baled at 25% and it definitely feels a little moist - more soft than anything, but zero dust and zero mold. I think for anyone who has trouble getting hay dry due to their climate ought to at least consider a preservative system. I did not go with the fancy one – just the manual dial control that adjust the pressure on the sprayer. Super simple, super reliable, it just works.