Tama Assist Optimising Haymaking for Top-Quality Baling and Storage
Haymaking is a craft, therefore the process calls for skill, good timing, and knowing your land and crops. “We all know the phrase ‘make hay while the sun shines!’ and the reason for this is that ideally grass is cut for hay and dries quickly on a warm and breezy day. Whether you’re a veteran hay farmer, a contractor or just started getting your boots dirty, producing quality hay will boost your farm’s productivity and sustainability.
Haymaking involves five key stages: cutting hay, drying, raking, baling hay, and storing. Each stage is crucial for producing high-quality hay that’ll keep your livestock well-fed all year round. Let’s look at each stage.
Cutting hay crops typically happens in early to mid-summer. However, the optimum timing of cutting your hay crop will determine your hay quality. The best time to cut hay depends on factors such as the type of grasses, maturity, and weather conditions. For example, it is best to cut meadow grass just after seed has started to set but not dropped. So, aim for cutting when your crops are at their nutritional peak to ensure a high concentration of nutrients. Studies have shown that hay has a higher nutrient content when cut in the late afternoon or early evening compared to cutting in the morning.
Once cut, your hay needs to dry. This step is key to preventing mould and keeping your hay fresh. Firstly the grass should be spread onto a dry stubble, which means it will wilt to the target dry matter much more quickly than if it were dumped straight onto a wet stubble. A tedder is used to speed things up, to fluff up the cut hay, letting air circulate. Tedding aims to preserve the energy value of the forage and limit any weather risk, you’re aiming for a moisture content under 20% or even lower for large round bales this can take multiple passes with the tedder to turn over and over the hay.
When at the required moisture content, which can be a number of days after cutting (typically 5 – 7 days in Northern European climates), a rake or merger is used to put the spread-out grass from the tedder into windrows. This prepares the crop for baling and finishes off the drying process. It’s critical to ensure that when making windrows the rake or merger is set correctly, to ensure that leaf loss is managed, and additional ash (from sand/soil) is not added to the hay, or the quality will be compromised.
Use a moisture meter to measure the moisture content of the hay before baling, to ensure the best quality. The hay bale shape – round or square – primarily depends on the needs of the end-user. To ensure the best quality keep the baler as full as possible at all times. The fewer times the bale rolls in a round baler, the lower the amount of leaf loss. Follow drive directional arrows on the baler monitor to make sure hay is fed consistently across the width of the bale chamber to ensure bales have square shoulders. Modern balers can use netwrap or twine. For instance, products like TamaNet+ are great for protecting your crop and making baling more efficient.
Proper storage of hay bales will ensure your hay stays in top shape. If stored indoors make sure the barn is weathertight and has good drainage to prevent moisture build-up. Ensure a well-ventilated area and avoid stocking too high.
If stored outside, cover the bales with a waterproof material or arrange them so air can circulate between them to promote quick drying, ensure good road access, a level surface and that they are kept away from ignition sources. Also ensure the outside rows of round bales are chocked or fitted with stakes or supports.Consider products such as John Deere CoverEdge to give you barn-quality protection, outdoors.
Bales stacked in a North-South alignment will ensure both sides of the bale dry out.
Regularly check your stored hay, if you detect a caramel or musty smell, it’s likely that the hay is heating. If you’re concerned, monitor the temperature of hay bales twice daily over the first six weeks after baling.
If hay bales exceed a temperature of 78°C, be aware that exposure to oxygen can cause a fire to break out so ventilation should be shut off.
If haystack temperatures rise to above 55°C it can spontaneously combust. The best thing to do if you think hay is getting too hot is to dismantle the haystack.
Be careful!
Call the Fire Service for assistance if your hay bales are measuring temperatures approaching 78°C or higher as you’re likely to start seeing hot spots and fire pockets.
At 88°C you will need the fire service to help you move the hot hay to prevent a fire or at least stop it from spreading.
At 93°C your hay is either already on fire or it is likely to burst into flames at any moment.
Ask Tama Assist for some advice to help troubleshoot your baling operations. They will help you choose the right baling products for your specific hay crop needs and baling conditions.