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Hay making at night

R

ryanwheelock

Member
With all the HOTT days that have been going on here in my neck of the woods (Michigan) seems like alot of people make hay after dark all night long to beat the heat. Seems like mostly people that do small sqaure bales but I've seen a few doing rounds in the wee hours in the morning. Just wondering if any of you do it that way. I'm sure some of you have new tractors with AC so it isnt you out there after dark. I like to work after dark but my tractors are all 6 volt and dont have really good lighting so I usally only go to about midnight or so.
Ryan
 
I suppose I could mow after dark around here, but it is too humid here in southern MO and when the dew settles, it's like it rained on the hay. Couldn't bale after dark.

I finished our first cutting during a week when it was in the mid to upper 90s. Open station tractor and no umbrella for shade. Took time off of 'work' to make that hay!

Christopher
 
I roundbale corn stalks at night, other than that, I have never baled hay at night, and dont forsee it happening....dew dosent permit it for us.
 
I have heard that farmers out west bale hay at night because it gets to dry during the day and they lose to many leaves. Believe it or not, hay can get to dry to bale.
 
I have heard that farmers out west bale hay at night because it gets to dry during the day and they lose to many leaves. Believe it or not, hay can get to dry to bale.
Click to expand...

Well, in my neck of the woods (Michigan) my brother and I started baling hay at mid-night on a field last year. The hay was just too dry to bale during the day. Had to wait for some dew to help hold it together.
 
Here in SC Kansas it depends on the humidity. But yes a lot of hay is baled here at night. If conditions are right I bale till I"m done.
 
We do a lot of baling at night. It all depends on the conditions. A good hay man bales when the hay is ready.
 
Don't see much of that in North Central Indiana. Some will rake early morning before chores (milking) to have the dew keep leaves on if real dry.

Horses don't have lights anyway (amish)
 
Too much dew in n.e. Tx to bale at night. Grass is very wet in the morning.

Usually have to wait until at least 10:00 to work hay.

Lately with the rain and high humidity, dews have been very heavy. Moisture doesn"t evaporate off the grass until almost noon.
 
I had times when it got too dry for haylage in the afternoon, went back in the evening with a round baler and square baler. Oftentimes quit chopping in the heat of the day, took a nap, and went back after dark, ran til overnight dew made it too wet. If not wet, chopped until morning milking. Each cutting throughout the year is different, depending on the weather. The first time you quit because it is too dry is difficult, but it WILL normally pick up dew and get better.
 
Most of the high-quality alfalfa is grown in the desert areas of the West (under irrigation, of course)- almost all baling is done at night, to keep leaves from shattering. Hay seldom gets raked, it dries fine in the swath. So bale at night, mow (or pick up bales) in the morning, sleep during the heat of the day.
 
Right on the money Pete. That is why they make moisture testers, We have hay ready befor noon and be to dry by 4:00 and be ready to bale again at 7:00 PM and to wet at 11:00 PM. It all depends on the quality of hay you want. The custom operators ,as a whole, in our area, it is all about how fast you can go and then they want 2/3 of the hay.
 
Usually too much dew here to bale hay before 10:30AM or 1/2hr prior to sunset.
Last two nights have been the exception with no dew.
We used to load the last three hay racks of the day to the max. Have supper, do chores and fill the barn hay mows. Or unload before chores in the morning.
 
(quoted from post at 06:01:37 07/07/10) With all the HOTT days that have been going on here in my neck of the woods (Michigan) seems like alot of people make hay after dark all night long to beat the heat. Seems like mostly people that do small sqaure bales but I've seen a few doing rounds in the wee hours in the morning. Just wondering if any of you do it that way. I'm sure some of you have new tractors with AC so it isnt you out there after dark. I like to work after dark but my tractors are all 6 volt and dont have really good lighting so I usally only go to about midnight or so.
Ryan
Click to expand...
not much of that here in my neck of the woods esp in our hot humid weather this week once the dew settles in around dusk its too wet to bale. i think if i started to bale some of my fields at night the cops would be called. heck i had the cops called on me during the day 1 time, for baling, gotta love trying to farm in a once rural area thats become home to surburbanites.
 
Just put the third cutting of alfalfa hay in the barn in small square bales on June 30th. We bale most all our hay at night with the dew point at 60% or higher. Sure like that "on board" moisture tester we installed on our new JD 568 round baler.
 
I just can't help being curious about you having the
police called on you. Were you baling that grass
with the funny looking leaves?

Christopher
 
We put up alot of alfalfa at night. Times vary greatly whith dew levels. Sometimes can start baling at 10:00 pm and go all night, sometimes hafta quit by 1 or 2 AM. Other times we can't start till 1 or 2 am and bale till 3 or 4, sometimes clear through till 11 am. Conditions vary greatly one night to the next. I've spent more than a few nights with my bedroll stretched out next to the windrow, alarm set to go off every 15 minutes, reach out and feel for the dew... Makes for some loooooong nights. Do alot of morning baling too, as the dew is coming off.

Most alfalfa here gets raked starting about 6 am.
Grass hay is a totally different program.

Ben
 
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