Can alfalfa dry to fast?

Tractorcedric · Jun 8, 2021

Weather station by my chair says ONE percent humidity and falling! Good twenty mile an hour wind out of the south. If this picture works, an Old style 88 on the mower. A 1600U on the rake and a 1600 RC on the inline Heston baler

cjunrau · Jun 8, 2021

not sure if I have heard anyone ever think it could. I remember one year we were cutting a real good stand of alfalfa in the morning and baling at less than 12% in the afternoon. Had a very wet spring and heat for 2-3 weeks and then drought and 100 degrees weather. dried it out standing and the ground was so dry it was hard to believe. No crop after we cut, looked like we had sprayed with round up. By fall we got some moisture and it greened up a bit.

Bruce from Can. · Jun 8, 2021

If it gets too dry, you will loose leaves to shattering while raking and baling. If you can rake it early in the morning while still tough could save some leaves. If the leaves fall off, you just end up with bales of sticks

SVcummins · Jun 8, 2021

No but it can get too dry

Matt in Oz · Jun 9, 2021

If lucerne is dry look at bailing it when the atmospheric moisture is back up, the plant will become tough again and feel plyable. In my part of the world that is at or just after sunup. If you can check a local weather station online they have readouts of relative humidity which can assist. Around 70% RH can be a good guide. I also use wind direction, east of where I live is moister than here so an easterly breeze will also assist getting enough moisture to bale. Be patient and don't do it wrong cause you can't undo it. Sometimes you just have to hurry up and wait.

Northvale PA · Jun 9, 2021

Many years ago around 2004, during a bad drought, I raked in the evening and we baled the following day, waiting until after dark. It was about 9pm before we started. That is unheard of here in the high humidity east. But that year was bone dry. That was some perfect alfalfa hay.

jacksun65 · Jun 9, 2021

Two weeks ago I was doing hay clover grass mix. It was 92* and 5% humidity. Started baling the next afternoon and hay got too dry, baler was plugging because grass was breaking. Had to wait until evening to get some moisture. Usually have to wait three days to bale. Now two weeks later it's 77* and 100% humidity here in central KY

Can alfalfa dry to fast?

Tractorcedric

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cjunrau

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Bruce from Can.

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SVcummins

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Matt in Oz

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Northvale PA

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jacksun65

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