rain on baled square bales

I"m sitting inside watching the rain that has been
falling for about 45 minutes straight. The radar
had indicated that it would have passed by now but
it didn"t, and now I"m thinking I shouldn"t have
left that last 100 sitting in the field in the
hopes that the sun would come out later.

I"ve had about 10-15 minutes of rain fall on baled
square bales before and I"ve just laid them out on
the threshing floor of our barn with the doors
open and left them to dry for a week or two...this
amount of rain (45 minutes +) on them has me
nervous though...anyone ever brought hay in after
more than just a quick 10-15 minute shower on
already baled square bales?

Thanks,
Jameson

I too have had baled hay caught in a short shower. I left it until the next afternoon. I think I may have turned the bales so that the rained on surface faced south. They dried out no problem. It takes awhile for rain to penetrate a tight bale. I would say that in your situation it is doubtful that you can save it but I would try. Rather than bring it in, if weather permits I would try drying them where they sit.

I picked up some bales that had 2 inches of rain on it. Left them sit in the field for about a week, turned them once and they are now in the barn.

Probably depends on your environment - if you've got real dry air it might help.

You can always try to dry them and open a few up to check them over time. It's a lot to just throw away.

But if it were me, I'd assume they're dead. Use what you can of it to feed out now - but I'd guess they're going to mold up pretty quickly.

I lost 300+ in June when rain came 8 hours early, then rained every day for 5 straight. If you have the space to open them is best, it will dry right out.

As a kid we baled sedan as square baled feed and for sileage. The hay was stacked right by the fence where it was fed and sat out all fall and winter. Those bales were fed just like the ones on the bottom. Cattle didn't waste those any more than other bales from the middle of the stack.

Leave them set out until they are dry. Haul them to the barn. Wait several months. Feed them. Rinse and repeat.

I"m in Southwestern Pa. Thundershowers have been off and on, I took a gamble cutting and I lost. I just checked them (they had about 1.5 hours of steady rain on them). The top and side 1/2"-1" is wet, the rest is dry. I"ve got two hay racks that I think I"m going to try to load them on (one layer only) tonight since it"s supposed to rain tomorrow. Then I"ll roll them out in the sun Thursday and Friday and see what that does. If they don"t seem to be drying out I might open them up and try to save them that way and then rebale it maybe ...I just hate this feeling...more work to do by then end of the day then when I started.

Thanks for the replies,
Jameson

I lost 1500 like that 2 years ago...
They will mold. You've got mabey a week to get them fed. Otherwise, toss them... or if you have use for construction hay... break them open, dry them out and rebale. We stooked them and left them... and they never properly dried. They all ended up in the woods.

Rod

Salt them.Put a layer of(ice cream)salt between the layers as you stack them.The salt will 'absorb' the moisture and 'kill' the mold.The cattle will do well on the salted hay...

if the sun comes out let them dry in the field, (I can remember turning hundreds by hand so he dried on all sides), then pick them up and sprinkle alot of rock salt between layers

That's the very reason I always stack on wagon right behind baler.

A lot depends on how tight they were baled and what kind of drying weather you get after the rain. I'd try "tenting" them inside where you can get a decent air flow for a few days, then take a few apart to see what you have. If thay are tight enough and you can get a good flow of air around them they may dry out OK.

Where abouts are you in SW PA? I know we have a good many guys from around there on here

That's the reason they invented round balers,..round bales can stand the weather :wink:

I was so close to cutting hay at about 11:30 this morning.

decided to run an errand and grab lunch on the road first. I am glad I did.

From my place to Lone Pine, PA there wasn't a cloud in the sky. From Lone Pine home, the sky was black as night the closer I got to home.

Neighbor had some hay cut and already raked up into windrows. It's going to take a lot to dry those out.


I watched the news last night, and this morning... no rain on the radar, no major indication that anything would develop. This afternoon, I was about ready to punch Jeff Verszyla in the mouth.


Now it looks like they are changing their minds on the forecast again, and again...


I've never had good luck around here with squares that got rain on them. they will turn very quickly. Right now, with the dew point being above the current temp, nothing is going to dry out. The humidity is only getting worse, too. The best thing you can do is give K & K a call, or any other pipeline or well sub contractors, and see if they are buying mulch hay. Put an ad in the Observer Reporter for mulch hay. I hear those ads get the hay snapped up pretty quickly. K&K paid a guy $3 a bale for mulch when they were desperate. (at least that is the local gossip) It's worth a shot. Sheehan is another one.


Sorry about your hay. This has been the strangest summer in a very long time.

(quoted from post at 17:28:30 07/16/13) That's the very reason I always stack on wagon right behind baler.

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Stacking behind the baler keeps them off the ground but you don't cover much ground stopping every three bales to stack them, LOL. That's why I went with a thrower.

(quoted from post at 13:12:20 07/17/13)

(quoted from post at 17:28:30 07/16/13) That's the very reason I always stack on wagon right behind baler.

Click to expand...

Stacking behind the baler keeps them off the ground but you don't cover much ground stopping every three bales to stack them, LOL. That's why I went with a thrower.

Click to expand...

Huh? Wagons do hitch up to the baler. Thats how we do it.

And here in Trumbull County Ohio it rained yesterday. Funny cause I looked at the forecast and it showed I was set to go. So by the time I finished tedding hay, I hear thunder and the sky is getting dark. well 1/2inch rain later..... And this morning loud thunder woke me up, looked at radar and it shows nothing. Well its currently raining again.... Guess those 400-500 bales are going to be rounds now. Alot of hay was mowed around here and now its all wet.

JohnPA,

Where abouts are you...you wouldn"t by any chance
be talking about the Keys farm just south of Lone
Pine(the old O"brien dairy) that had his windrows
rained on? I saw he must"ve made a trip around
the field edge with his round baler and then
called it quits when it opened up. We"re a couple
miles further down Lone Pine Marianna Road, just
off Highland Ridge Road, before you get to
Marianna...Topsail Farm on the top of the ridge.

FullersFarmall, see above...is your farm in the
area? I think I recall you posting that you"re
around the CalU area.

I'm up route 18 south of Burgettstown. I have corn on route 18 at Cornerstone Care between Hickory and Atlasburg.

I went out to Briggs tire the other day, so I turned off right before the O Brien dairy. I know where that is at. Real big barn and 2 silos off pine run. Lots of nice ground on that farm...



I've been out highland before. Isn't there a topsail road? Real nice farm up there on the hill with a huge brick house and all the buildings painted red. I haven't been out that way in a few years, though. If I am down that way, I'm usually at the spring consignment sale, or at Brigg's Tire.

I have Sheehan crossing the one farm on route 18 right now. I'll ask if they are buying mulch hay, if you decide to go that route.

(quoted from post at 05:26:44 07/17/13)

(quoted from post at 13:12:20 07/17/13)

(quoted from post at 17:28:30 07/16/13) That's the very reason I always stack on wagon right behind baler.

Click to expand...

Stacking behind the baler keeps them off the ground but you don't cover much ground stopping every three bales to stack them, LOL. That's why I went with a thrower.

Click to expand...

Huh? Wagons do hitch up to the baler. Thats how we do it.

And here in Trumbull County Ohio it rained yesterday. Funny cause I looked at the forecast and it showed I was set to go. So by the time I finished tedding hay, I hear thunder and the sky is getting dark. well 1/2inch rain later..... And this morning loud thunder woke me up, looked at radar and it shows nothing. Well its currently raining again.... Guess those 400-500 bales are going to be rounds now. Alot of hay was mowed around here and now its all wet.

Click to expand...

Huh, AC Farmer? I wasn't referring to driving one tractor and then another, LOL. Yes, most balers have a wagon hitch on the back, but even so you don't make much time both stacking and driving, which you would have to do if you were alone, which a lot of us are a lot of the time.