© 2022 Staheli West
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Irrigation
General Considerations
When using the DewPoint steam technology to bale your hay you should update your crop
management practices to increase efficiency in your overall operation. Baling is no longer the
limiting factor in your operation, since you are generally able to open the baling window up to
12-24 hours per day if needed. You can bale anytime the hay is dry with the exception of very hot afternoon
hours in some climates.
Irrigation
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COMMON PRACTICE:
Irrigation Timing
□ In arid climates, many hay producers using conventional balers leave their irrigation water on very
close to the time they cut their hay, in order to draw some ground moisture into windrows of hay
for baling after it is cured.
□ This practice causes excessive machine tracking and crop damage when cutting, raking, baling and
hauling hay. It also slows the hay curing process, causes inconsistencies in dry-down, and increases
bleaching and the possibility of wet slugs in windrows of hay.
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CONSIDER THIS CHANGE:
Irrigation Timing
□
When using DewPoint technology, you are able to re-hydrate very dry hay for baling with no
problem.
□ We recommend shutting off your irrigation water several days ahead of your hay harvest to allow
the ground to dry more thoroughly before cutting.
□ This will reduce hay curing time, reduce tracking during harvest operations, improve dry-down
consistency and decrease bleaching.
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CONSIDER THIS CHANGE:
Pivot Rotation
□ You should also consider the rotation of pivot irrigation systems leading up to your hay harvest.
□
Since
natural dew tends to form more heavily in low areas of a field, it is a good practice to water
the low side of the field first and the high side last during the final rotation before your hay harvest.
This will make your dry-down more consistent across the entire field.
