Hay Testing Guidelines, continued
Windrow:
Windrow moisture will vary greatly in different parts of the field. Thick, heavy
sections of the windrow will contain much higher moisture hay than thin areas.
Look for “humps” in the windrows.
Check windrows at several locations by turning the windrow up on its side and
selecting a handful of hay from the bottom.
NOTE: Hay from the bottom should contain the most moisture since the top
of the windrow will dry out first.
Twist the sample handful into a tight knot or loop, trying to simulate the density
of a bale. Insert probe tip into the tightest part of the knot so both brass parts
are within the knot.
Use highest reading as a guideline for when to bale. There are more variables
to testing moisture in the windrow than in a bale. For greater accuracy, several
bales should be baled and tested, before baling the entire field.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT AVERAGE RESULTS.
Rectangular or Square Bales:
The way hay is fed into the baler’s cmpression chamber results in more hay
toward the bottom of the bale than the top. Any shattered leaves, etc., will sift
downward, causing the bottom or “tight” side of the bale to be denser than the
top or “loose” side. (An exception to this is a baler which “folds” hay into the
chamber on each side. The top third of a folded bale and its upper corners are
the densest areas.)
Because the inside of each bale is not uniform in density or leaf-to-stem ratio,
moisture readings will vary from one part of the bale to another. It will read
highest if the probe is inserted into the “dense” side. Tester will give higher
readings in tight bales than in loose bales.
For best results, insert probe into the “dense” side of bale at a 45˚ angle. Take
readings in at least five (5) places (approximately 6 in. apart along the bale
centerline) and use the highest reading as a guideline.
IMPORTANT: DO NOT AVERAGE RESULTS.
Round Bales:
Test readings can be taken anywhere around the outside surface of the bale,
as long as the probe tip is inside the outer wrap, since the outer wrap tends to
dry out first.
6
Operation