[AT] OT Hay question

[carl gogol]

Here in (humid) central NY my dad would start hay the last week of June, 
which is late for today's farmers.  In June, it would take 2 to 3 days of 
reasonable drying weather to make good hay that wouldn't mold.  Starting 
earlier in June would always seem to be a nice idea, but the weather tended 
to be quite rainy early in June and help was limited since school was still 
in secession.  Crying conditions changed quickly, by the time July came the 
hay got more mature and the weather hotter and dryer.  Usually we could cut 
one day and bale the next.  There were rare days that we could cut in the AM 
and bale late in the PM, those were long days because now you were raking 
and baling two day's cuttings.  My dad would start mowing right after 
breakfast or when the dew was off.  I would finish chores and start raking 
usually around 10, finishing by noon or 1.  Baling would commence right 
after lunch  on a good day.

How do you tell when it is dry enough to bale?  Just put your hand into the 
center of the windrow in several places, it you don't feel any moisture, it 
is ready.  Amazing how easy it becomes to measure this after a few years of 
seeing someone else do it and getting the feel for it yourself..  Likewise, 
you can tell when to rake by checking  the hay on top of the swath.  It had 
to be well wilted and starting to feel dry.  Raking too early really slows 
down the drying process, but raking too late was worse, as you lost a lot of 
leaf which is the best part of the protein.

There were days that there just were not enough drivers and tractors to go 
around to make everything happen at the right time.  Today, the locals 
farmers all put up halage or ensile round bales in plastic.  Both process 
don't have to dry down as much and consequently limits the exposure to rain 
as you can often cut and bale in the same day.
Carl Gogol
Manlius, NY
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