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Over the past few months we have been covering the basics of hay production. We have already discussed mowing and tedding. In this blog we will discuss the raking process. Once your fields have cured, it’s time to rake. Though by this point in the process your sights are set on a field full of sweet-smelling bales, raking should never be overlooked in its importance to the final product. Raking done well can increase the quality of a bale while raking done poorly will surely decr …

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’ …

Last month we discussed how to calculate winter hay needs. Besides the fear of not having enough hay in the barn for winter, probably one of the next greatest fears for those dealing with forage is barn fire caused by improperly stored, excessively moist hay. It seems improbable that something as inanimate as hay can simply combust, but hay is anything but inanimate. Within the depths of a bale, particularly a bale that has been harvested when too moist, fungal and bacterial microorganisms grow …