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When it comes to producing high-quality hay, few factors are more critical—or more unpredictable—than the weather. Rain, temperature, humidity, and wind all directly impact how effectively hay dries in the field. For small-acreage farmers using compact equipment, understanding and planning around weather conditions is essential to protecting your crop and maximizing forage quality. Rain is one of the biggest threats once hay is cut. Moisture during the curing stage halts th …

When preparing to bale hay, the transition from freshly cut, high-moisture grasses and legumes to dry forage is known as curing. This process takes on average 3 days—in good weather. While some of the factors involved in the curing process like weather can be out of your control, there are many steps you can take to ensure properly cured, high quality hay while even reducing drying time. The first step to speeding up curing time begins with mowing. Since sunshine is a hay producer’ …