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Benefits of laying down a wide swath of alfalfa
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Hay Wilson in TX
Posted 7/1/2006 07:29 (#23248 - in reply to #23220)
Subject: We all must adjust for local conditions.



Little River, TX
When visiting in California, I listened to one grower mention he could not fluff up his hay as their wind would blow the hay to the nearest fence line.
Just as my usual late June, early July cutting does not want to be in a wide swath. First of all I would never be able to rake the hay would be too thin to pick up with a rake. This is not a problem as a 3' swath will not be a deep as an April >6' swath.

Hay test, seldom is one of my customers impressed by a lab report. Many also like color. I just tell them to feed a couple of free bales and see how their animals eat the hay. Works.

The key still is sunshine. With no sunshine a wide swath is not an advantage. No sun and we are using the slower low humidity, strong winds, temperature part of hay curing. In Your case as well as Mike's and Dave's case that is the better option. This is a tactic based on local conditions. There is no change in the basic truths for hay curing, just adapting to local conditions.

You will note research quoted is from eastern states, where their his considerable humidity and a probability of a rain every week some time. If I were going into larger scale hay production I would be forced to go to baling at night. Here for day time baling I usually start in the morning and will shatter leaves two or so hours later. Night baling here, during summer, can start about 10 PM and it will be 3 AM or so before the hay is too tough to bale.
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