Got to say that I disagree with John_PA a little bit (repectfully, of course). It may do with our climate, where we occasionally get rain every day for 70 days, but only just enough to keep the hay damp. Around here it is better to cut late and get something, than cut with no weather window and lose it all. Half rotted hay is not turned silage at all, silage is an anaerobic (no oxygen) fermentation, not rot. Rot causes mold and mildew that can lead to health problems for horses, and does not increase the palatability at all. Salting hay does not actually dry it enough to help "cure" wet hay, it merely makes a rotted mess more palatable.
That said, hay getting rained on a bit does not hurt it, if it does not stay damp too long, and you can get it dry and out of the field. We get a lot of days where the guessers call for a 40-70% chances of rain, and it is limited to a few showers late in the afternoon, with 80F and sunny before and after the rain. Nobody else around here will cut because they call for rain, yes, mine gets rained on, but it only stays wet for less than an hour. Last two years I have been the first in my area to get dry hay up, so sell out fast to folks who are out from winter. It is a guessing game, but recording the weather every day and then looking at trends from years past has done us a lot of good, the weather seems to follow the same pattern most years, it might be a week or two off one way or the other, but once you figure out where you are at in the pattern, it helps.
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Today's Featured Article - Trailering Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. One of the fun things of summer and fall are the parades and tractor shows that go on across America. Many owners of tractors travel long distances to attend these shows and they usually take their restored iron along with them. Safe trailering practices and inspections will ensure that the event is a fun one. A good habit to develop when using a trailer is to give that �quick look over� before taking it on a trip. Before hooking up to it check the tongue for proper operation. The latche
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