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Little River, TX | A third of the moisture in hay can exit the hay the first day through the breathing holes in the leaves. If these holes stay open that is. Drop the hay in a windrow and these stomata (breathing holes) close up if there e is not light of some kind.
The direct rays of the sun heats the down hay increasing the vapor pressure, not steam but like steam, and that forces the moisture out the nearest openings.
If the stomata are closed the nearest opening may be you conditioning cracking in the stem or the cut but on the stem. The first day a lot of moisture can go out through the stomata, The second day the moisture all has to find a hole made by harvesting.
The last day of pure drying it makes little difference if the hay is out flat or in a windrow. This may mean it requires 4 or 5 days before the hay is ready to bale. If everything is swinging you can cut in the morning and bale about 2 am the next morning.
It all really is driven by the pan evaporation at your site during that time.
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Can I cut alfalfa in am with dew on it?
