Alfalfa hay has stems and leaves. When we let it dry in rows before baling, we are letting it “cure” so it can be stored without molding. Drying the hay is necessary, but presents a couple issues – it’s difficult to keep the leaves intact (making a loose bale) and the stems get hard (not easy to eat). A certain type of moisture is needed to resolve these issues for a perfect bale of hay.
What we need isn’t straight water, but the natural moisture that comes from humidity. We often bale our alfalfa hay through the night, because of the necessary humidity, about 12-15%. This type of added moisture helps soften the hay and makes it easier to pack the bales tight, because the leaves stay put. Once they are baled, we let them sit in the sun before they’re ready for feed.
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