Getting Hay Dry
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Warren C. Thompson At this time of year many growers begin to think about haymaking and problems associated with getting first cutting put up without rain. Sometimes we make things harder than necessary for ourselves. There are three simple rules to maximizing drying rate of alfalfa: |
The first rule is most often broken on the mistaken belief that conditioning will offset the need for a swath and allow the grower to put hay directly into a windrow. This is absolutely not true outside of the Great Plains. Think of clothes on a laundry line; we would never bunch the clothes up and expect them to dry – why do we think alfalfa will dry if immediately bunched up into a windrow?
The fact is that the interior of the windrow rapidly reaches 100% humidity and no further drying occurs unless this air is removed. This is true whether the alfalfa is conditioned or not. So a strong wind is necessary or we must ted or turn the windrow.
Not only does alfalfa in a windrow dry more slowly, but we lose energy or TDN. The cut alfalfa plant continues to respire, breaking down starches and sugars into water and carbon dioxide, until it dries to less than 60% water. By putting alfalfa immediately into a swath and encouraging rapid initial water loss, the plant dries more quickly and respiration is slowed or stopped sooner. This can result in 4 to 6% higher TDN in the hay or haylage.
Secondly, we must keep the swath or windrow up off the ground during the hay or haylage making process. In the spring the ground is often wet and alfalfa or other hay, if touching the soil, will soak up water from wet soil like a sponge. This and the fact that air flow underneath the windrow is restricted may add several hours to drying time.
Lastly, choose the conditioner carefully and then adjust it properly. We do not recommend flail conditioners for alfalfa. They are great for grass but cause alfalfa to dry slower than roller conditioners and cause more leaf loss, reducing both tonnage harvested and quality of the forage (since mostly leaves are lost). Roller conditioners must be properly adjusted both for roller spacing (a piece of aluminum foil bunched up and fed through should be a thin as a dime at the thinnest part) and for tension (based on volume of forage going through).
Putting alfalfa into a wide swath initially, keeping it off the ground, and using a properly adjusted conditioner can easily mean that haylage can be harvested the same day it is cut and that hay can be harvested 1 to 2 days sooner. The reduced likelihood of rain damage and higher TDN hay or haylage make these rules very important to the alfalfa grower.
