Okay, I've just about quit selling hay!

[aczlan]

Eddie--If hay is going to spontaneously combust, it does it on a given number of days after baling. I can't remember the days but maybe it's 11. Others will know. There is also a specific temp to watch for but I can't remember that either. If no one knows, I'll get the answer. Hay will heat a little after it's baled but that's no big deal.
The way to take a temperature is with a long soil thermometer, probably 12" or so. These are inexpensive at a hardware store and will reach to the center of a bale.
If I was going to buy hay out of the field I would bring someone with you that knows hay. Make arrangements with the farmer, tell him that you are an honorable person and say you will show up BEFORE he starts baling. That is a test of character he will appreciate.
Hoses need mold free hay or can develop respiratory problems so the hay cannot be rained on and needs to be baled at the correct time. I don't know southern hay but northern timothy or alfalfa hay is green in color and smells good enough to eat.
Find a farmer with good ground that know show to fertilize it and has reliable hay equipment.

I think the time it takes to spontaneously combust depends on the moisture content and how its stacked (ie: how well it can breath).
We moisture test all of our hay and if its over 20%(or thereabout), it doesn't leave the farm except as junk/mulch hay.
A moisture tester like ours runs $225 at Gemplers (Agratronix HT-PRO Hay Temperature and Moisture Testers | GEMPLER'S) but its well worth being able to tell a buyer "pick a bale and we can test the moisture content" if they are worried about the moisture content. It also makes it easier to have a go/no go moisture level for us when baling.

Fresh small squares should ALWAYS be stacked with the strings on the side. That way the stack of hay can breath and you dont get pockets of warm moist air trapped in the stack.

Aaron Z

 

[Soundguy]

Is Bahia anything like Johnson grass or Sudan. Sometimes we will get that in a bale and it's stemmy

Google argentine or Pensacola Bahia, its the grass that sends the stem up with a split blacktop.

 

[Walkin Horse]

I see it's not even close. That looks like good stuff.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I have never stacked hay with the strings on the side unless it was to fill a gap in the hay. I have been baling hay for around 15 years now and have always done between 5k and 20k square bales. My nose has always been very reliable for baling hay. If it smells musky or damp, its to wet to bale and to wet to buy/stack. I have no idea what that moisture content is, but we take care of around 30 horses right now. I recently ran into a fellow who had his nose "Calibrated" by that I mean that he worked for a drinking water treatment plant and was very accurate using his nose to detect various compounds in the water. He claimed he was able to detect in the low parts per million range and had been verified several times by lab samples.

 

[sixdogs]

Here's a site that lists hay temps and risks.

Spontaneous Combustion of Hay - WSU Extension

Hay warms over specific number of days but I can't remember how many. Hay when first cut and baled will warm a bit but as long as temps stay in line it's no big deal. Anyone who knows what they are doing will not have hay heat and mold or worse. It takes pretty damp hay to heat up.

Also, you can spray a chemical on hay while baling that cancels the risk of heating.

We baled 15,000 or so small bales a year and never had a problem. The simple hardware store thermometer served us well and I can't recall even one bale that came back.

 

[MikePA]

Wow, do I feel blessed. We have had horses for over 15 years and are on only our second, primary supplier of hay. The first farmer had a stroke and had to get out of farming all together. He or his wife would call us when they were baling hay and we'd take the small bales right off the field/hay wagon onto our truck, drive home, stack it and head back for more. They were less than a mile down the road.

Our current supplier, about 2 miles away, has larger, small bales, I am guessing 50 - 60 pounds, charges $6.00 each and delivers it for $20. We just got 120 bales. The father tosses them in the hay door, his son and I stack it. When his truck is full (a Chevy C60 with plywood sides) the top layer is even with the hay door. By the time he gets to the bottom row, he is tossing the bales up through the hay door. All for $6.00/bale and $20 delivery. A bargain in my book.

He always asks if the horses like the hay, which I appreciate, but my criteria is low - if the horses eat it, I am happy. It's timothy and orchard grass.

 

[Bigfoot62]

I've been involved in haying since I was a kid. I drove the tractor as soon as I was big enough to sit on the sear and reach the steering wheel.

Several years ago, I had a bunch of cattle, but no hay equipment. So, I was a consumer. (and at the mercy of custom balers) Now, that I have my own hay equipment, I don't have any cattle. I currently sell every roll I produce.

I am probably one of the pickiest hay producers that you'll ever meet. So, call me a flake if you want, but I take pride in the hay I produce. Here's a few principles that I go by:
I ONLY bale my hay meadows. I don't do custom baling for anyone else. Sorry, but I don't want your weeds, or your junk, messing up my stuff. Besides, I have over $100K invested in my equipment. I didn't buy it for you.
I practice very aggressive weed control, and, it shows. My property is split by a state highway, and my customers can see most of my meadows from the road. There's nowhere to hide, and I have nothing to hide.
I apply lime and fertilizer per soil analysis. That means about $2000-3000 every 4 or 5 years for lime. This year, I spent $3000 on fertilizer to produce 290 rolls of hay. So, just for lime and fertilizer, I'm at about $12-15 per roll.
I use sisal twine exclusively. It's the most expensive, but I don't like plastic. (my customers don't want plastic either)
I try to cut every 4-5 weeks, depending on weather and growing conditions. (my first cutting was actually 23 days after the first application of fertilizer) I watched a neighbor that only cut one time this year, in September. The grass was waist high and completely dead on top. Weeds were everywhere. I'm sure they sold it for "horse" hay.
I only bale when the hay is dry. That usually means that the hay cures for at least 2-3 days. Once it's cured, I don't start raking until after lunch, and I stop baling about an hour or so before sunset. (whenever the dew begins to rise)

You're probably thinking, "He can't be making much money." And, if you are thinking that, you're right. I don't make much on my hay farm. Some years, I don't make a profit at all. But, I love my farm and I don't want to plant it in pine trees. Besides, I would still have to have tractors and equipment to maintain my place. And, if I didn't have a legitimate "Farm Operation," I couldn't write off the cost.

 

[WM75Guy]

Eddie,

I get my square bales in Chandler from Terry Marshall. Excellent hay and he loads them with a grapple so it's easy hauling. He will load on Saturday mornings.

Hay For Sale in East Texas at The Forage Mart

 

[WM75Guy]

Double post

 

[DANOCHEESE]

We have a Hay Auction here every Saturday. Bring one small chunk bale or a semi load. Typicly you can use the hay rack it was brought to town on to haul it to your place. Then take the rack back tot eh auction. Local feed mill guy takes care of paymeants No Hay leaves until he is happy. He gets his cut and plays middle man . Seems to work well.