Hay baling game plan help

Hey guys, I need a little advice. I have been cutting and baling the neighbors field for him for years. It's about 25 acres and we bale small squares for horse hay. This is the first year we have a tedder and I've never used one. It's also been raining here almost everyday for seemingly months so the ground is really wet. It looks like we finally have a weather window starting tomorrow (Friday). Friday and Saturday are both sunny and high 70's, Sunday is low 80's with a 20% chance of rain. In the past I would cut on day 1 and bale on day 3. On day 2 and day 3 I would flip the hay with a rake. I always managed to get it dry, but I think this tedder will be a game changer. (I cut with an old Haybine with the crimpers set about as tight as they'll go). If there's a way I could get this stuff in the barn in 2 days instead of 3 that would be huge. Can anyone suggest a game plan for me? I'm cutting tomorrow (Friday) morning. After that, I'm not exactly sure when to use the tedder...or how many times.. Any suggestions are welcome!

If the ground is really wet as you describe then the last thing I would do is ted the hay because the hay will completely cover the ground and prevent the sun from drying the ground out, if the ground is real wet the hay will not dry until the ground under the hay dries out. If the ground is wet but the sun is shining hot and dries the open areas between the windrows out then you can flip the windrows to those areas and get somewhere.

If it is straight grass horse hay (cool season grasses), the stems are the hardest part to get dry. The good part is the stems have mostly dried and died back already. That makes late season hay drying much faster.
Check the sun, wind and humidity. Hot sun, 10 MPH wind and low humidity can dry grass hay very quickly.

I usually let my hay lay for 1/2 day after cutting before i tedd. I like to get the top layer pretty dry first, then tedd it to get the underneath hay exposed and the wads of hay spread out. I sometimes tedd twice 10 am and again at 4 to spread the hay and expose it to sun and wind. Hay will dry until 9PM if it is a hot day. Tedding is fast work. I don't go slow and beat the hay to death, I just stir it up and get all parts of the hay exposed to drying.

That is the way i do it...may not be everyone's method but it works for my horse hay.

One other thought. I try to rake the hay into a big fluffy windrow 3 or 4 hours before i bale. The hot sun and wind really seem to dry that last little bit of moisture out of the hay in the windrow better than spread out on the ground.
I have actually pulled in and started baling...then stopped because the bales were too heavy and damp. Shut the thing down, waited a couple hours and baled beautiful hay. Haying is an art, based on science.

As usual with hay - I think the right answer is "it depends".

It depends on how thick the hay is. Depends on the type of hay. Depends on how wet the ground is, how high your stubble is, wind, humidity, what moisture content you're comfortable with in your final product, what cutting this is.

Very generally speaking - If you're not in arid conditions, 2 days CAN be good, but still wetter than 3 day - and therefore a lot heavier, and a lot more work if any of your processes involve touching the bales, so don't overlook that reality.

When your testing it before baling - be SURE to sample your worst areas as a guide, not the best. Go to the edges. It's easy to walk into the middle of a field, grab a bunch of bone dry papery goodness - start baling and realize when you're done that the other 3/4's of the field was still green.

Here's how I do my wet field that stays wet: First I should say I don't count on the field for a lot of volume, so I don't heavily fertilize it so it doesn't get too thick. It's pure, weed free timothy.

Anyways: Day one morning, cut and follow immediately with tedder to spread the hay out. This gives vastly more surface area to the sun, the grass is least vulnerable to the thrashing at that time since it's all green, AND it helps "crimp" the stalks a little more by thrashing it.

I leave a good 4 to 6 inches of "stubble" to help hold the hay up off the wet ground. (And I'm talking sopping wet ground, splashing with the tedder in many places)

Ted again in the early afternoon.

Day two, ted in the morning while the dew's on the hay. Might ted again in the early afternoon if it's real dry on top and green underneath (which is the norm).

Day three I ted once in the morning - rake noonish-to 3ish - start baling before 5.

If you're trying to cut on day two - just do day three instead of day two.

Local conditions matter of course - I wouldn't bale any later than 5 because the hay starts picking up
moisture from the cooling air. So obviously adjust your second tedding time to give the hay enough drying
time before baling, to justify the second tedding.

If you get that much rain, it sounds like you don't have to worry too much about "beating the goodness out"of the hay by over tedding (within reason).

I should say I'd always go three days in that wet field. So it really depends on how wet your field is.
"Moist" I wouldn't worry too much about, but wet trator tires would make me question the 2 day effort.

Making hay in WV, we had heavy dew and high humidity. We cut with a Hesston Pt-7 and tedded as soon after cutting as we could. If we had two tractors available, we tedded right behind the cutter. Usually tedded again the next day after the dew was off, say around 10:30 and sometimes had to ted 3 times.
As was pointed out by others, tedding goes fast, and you want to go as fast as possible. You want to fluff it up, not beat the leaves off.

Lot of variables, and specifics to your location and conditions. How wet is the ground, enough to leave tracks or show some mud/water ? I've cut and baled in those conditions, not soft enough to rut, but soft enough to pump a little water up. One field has some springs in it, so if its been wet those areas will remain moist, the hay was tough to dry in those areas, but left in the swath, up on the stubble longer is what helped. Mind you, there were some bales with a bit excess moisture, areas I skipped with the NH 315 and left for the round baler with the propionic acid applicator.

We followed the same routine, cut on the 1st, leave in the swath until day 2, which could be morning or later in the day, then ted at that time. That will take you to the 3rd day when it would be raked when the dew was off, sometimes there may not be a heavy dew, so you could rake earlier. By afternoon its ready to bale on the 3rd day.

Dry grass hay can still be a widely varying crop to dry, from field to field, crop type, heavy leafy grasses, stalky or thick 2nd cut, oat grass hay, the latter 2 can be difficult to dry with the above methods.

I've cut, tedded and raked per the above, in ideal conditions, facing the sun, nice breeze, low humidity, and still had moisture problems with some crops. Some of that was just ground moisture, as the hay was down long enough, but you had to play the game with raking so that the bottom was up or dries, then bale as much of it as you can. Problem was with whatever was not baled, took on ground moisture, and even in ideal drying conditions, it just won't dry to acceptable levels. Adjacent field was clover and grasses, 2nd cut, and was completely dry, in this area, just the field can make all the difference. It was interesting when I got off the tractor and stacked behind the thrower, you could tell what was what as it came in and how it related to ground moisture, as it matched the wet areas.

I'm in Maryland- read humid and can be very wet at times. I cut in the morning as often as possible, then come back in the afternoon with the tedder. Most of the drying in hay is actually done in the first few hours. The last hours are spent getting the material down to where it will store nicely, and this often is affected by the type of conditioning the hay receives at cutting and the type of hay. Doing grass and legumes is somewhat different, yet the same. As far as tedding, I find that keeping the throttle back at 1500 rpms and gearing up a bit works better than a higher speed. After a rain, I let it dry for a few hours until it seems drier on top, and kick it up to get it off the ground and on top of the stubble. I never cut hay tight to the ground, so there is 4-6" of stubble to hold it up. That allows air to move around the stalk. In the best case- lighter grasses- I can mow and tedd one day, then tedd early the next day, rake in the early afternoon and bale in the evening. In most cases, I bale and tedd one day, tedd again the next, then rake and bale the third day. Tedding doesn't take long, and will do more to dry any type of hay faster than anything else. It seems to kick the heavier materials out on top for better curing, and can be done in any direction. You'll learn quickly. It ain't rocket surgery, so says my wife......

I have the same problem you do as for having rain and I have that same window to do hay but with the ground being so wet I am going to pass this window up and let the ground dry before trying to do any more hay. I really need to get it done but I also want to make sure it is dry before I bale it or it is a waste of time

2 days sounds pretty quick - even with a haybine/crimper unless you are in the hotter/drier west.

If everything was perfect - I'd cut with a sickle bar mower (what I have), which lays the grass out very flat, at the highest setting
it will cut - to maximize the stubble height. I let that set for a day, ted after the dew burns off the 2nd day, 3rd day, be ready
to bale, but more likely ted again, 4th day, rake and bale. One of the reasons I'm interested in a mower/conditioner is for the
crimping action and potential time savings that go with it. 3 days from cut to bale in the mountains of VA would be awesome. What I
don't like about the mower conditioners and drum mowers is - it appears to me, they lay a windrow to some extent and I'd think you'd
have to ted right away. The sickle mower lays the hay our very nicely and flat - maybe a few clumps along the swath board at the end
of the bar.

I will say this - I was AMAZED at how the tedder accelerated the drying of our hay. The drying was to the point that some of my hay
appeared to be to dry and straw looking. I'm a believer - tedders work.

Good luck,
Bill

When you cut it... make sure the haybine leaves a narrow row, not a swath so that the ground will have a chance to dry some. Next day, hit it early with the tedder. Mabey again on in the afternoon... then again the next morning depending on just how much time you think you have. Then rake it just before you're going to bale. The last thing you want is hay in a windrow when it's going to rain...

Rod

Southtowns, I had been in your shoes a couple times, this is the best way for me. I am not going to comment on whether or not you will actually be successful on Friday and Saturday. You cant control conditions, you can only control how you handle the hay. Day 1, mow as early in the morning as you can. Generally that is when ‘most’ of the dew has burned off. Set your mower to make a wide windrow and mow about as high as you can, say 3-4 inches stubble. Let dry for 4-5 hours in the middle of the day. Later in the afternoon, say around 4pm hit it with the tedder. Day 2- check on things in the morning after all the dew has burned off, you will probably want/need to ted again. Hit field with tedder. Once finished tedding, begin raking. You will want to start raking the same hay you tedded first. That is, if you started tedding on the right side of the field, begin raking on the right side of the field. Let the hay dry in the windrows as long as you can before baling later in the day. Obviously you want to schedule yourself such that you are done baling at dusk.

I cut the hay in northern Mo. on the 3rd of July. Started to square bale on July 5th at noon. Baled 411 bales. Moisture meter on most bales was between 15% and
20%. Some bales that were near the woods had 30%. The bales that had the higher % I set aside and tested them on the 6th. Measured 20% or lower. Could
it be the some of the dryer hay in the bales pulled the moisture from the greener hay?

well im not sure were you live but I know that in nepa it has been quite yet wet we haven't even gotten all of our first cutting in. the fields still have standing water in them but tedding will make a big difference I think that if you ted it a couple hours after mowing to fluff it then ted again the next morning to get some dew off and then rake it by 2 in the afternoon you should be bale ready by 3 or 4 you may also get away with just tedding in the morning and not right after cutting. you can also rake earlier than 2 maybe at noon and then 2. its a matter of preference but with the fields being so wet you may be hard pressed to do 2 days instead of 3

Thanks for all the advise guys, but we decided to call it off. We got about 83 inches of rain here yesterday and there is standing water in the field. That, and the ground is just so wet we're afraid we'd rut the entire field or get the tractor stuck. So now we wait....