Round Bales - MoCo or just cut?

I know round bales were engineered to be stored outside, and to shed rain by the outer layer.

Will conditioning the grass (breaking up the waxy grass and stem) make the outer layer of the round bale less able to shed water?

If so, would it be better for round bales to just cut the hay and let it sit for an extra couple of days before baling?

You can take a 3 point disc mower and a tedder and put up hay as fast as anyone out there. You will also save fuel because you can use smaller tractors and have less soil compaction.

• Hobby farm

The conditioner is worth its weight in gold if you are short on drying time, especially with a "stemmy" crop like alfalfa. By my observations, even in grass hay, conditioning can cut 1 to 2 days from the required drying time.

If you have infrequent rain, light dew, and high temps / low humidity, you probably don't need the conditioner. You know your area / weather better than any of us on here.

Nathaniel

BUT - netwrap makes the long stems of grass all stay tightly tucked against the surface of the bale and shed water much better -

definitely worth the extra price of net