STAHELI WEST, INC.
Advanced Hay Equipment
For Precision Farming
Hay Harvest Management  using the "DewPoint" System

Managing your hay operation with the "DewPoint" Steam Dew Simulation System is similar to conventional hay baling in many ways.  However, if you want to take advantage of the full benefits of the Steam Dew Simulation Process, you should consider carefully the management of all of your management and harvest proceedures.  You will find that this process will become a Keystone to many of the other decisions you make and to the management proceedures you develope.

We will address the following subjects:

  • Irrigation
  • Hay Cutting, Conditioning, Windrowing
  • Raking or Merging Windrows
  • Baling Your Hay
  • Hauling Hay from the Field
  • Stacking Hay in Barns and Large Stacks
  • Hay Storage In Barns
  • Hay Storage Under Tarps
  • Summary
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Irrigation

As you plan Irrigation Management proceedures on your farm you should give careful attention to it's impact on all phases of hay production, not just the Hay Harvest. 

There is no "one size fits all" approach that is effective.  You know your farm better than anyone so be observant and apply your observations to your Irrigation Management Planning.

Consider your water resources and how they vary during the season, giving particular, thoughtful, forward planning on how to maintain sufficient soil moisture during hot, dry periods of the growing season. 

Irrigation In the Fall:
  • As a general rule you should try to fill the soil profile with water in the fall to minimize winterkill and to maintain the general health of the crop through the winter. This will also allow your crop to get a good start in the spring prior to your first irrigation.   

Irrigation In the Late Winter:
  • Determine If winter moisture has been adequate to maintain the soil moisture you applied on your last irrigation in the fall. 
  • If soil moisture is adequate you should avoid late winter and early spring irrigations which will merely flush water through soil which already has a good moisture level (unless you are doing this to manage salt problems in your soil). 
  • Very early irrigations often cool the soil and the air above the soil, because of surface evaporation, and slow plant growth in the early spring.

Irrigation In the Spring: 
  • Fields that start the season with plenty of reserve soil moisture are much easier to maintain during the summer months, particularly when carrying over during hay cuttings where the irrigation is stopped for the harvest. 
  • In general it is best to water deep in the spring to again fill the soil profile as the season begins.  Good, deep soil moisture does not evaporate, it will absorb more heat from the sun during the day and will radiate that heat better in the night. 
  • The water holding capacity of your soil will determine how many inches of water you should apply and the frequency of irrigations during this time of year.  In average soils under Pivot Irrigation or other well controlled irrigation systems, an initial irrigation of 4-5 inches of water will set a good soil moisture reserve in place. Subsequent applications of 2.5 to 3 inches of water will maintain those reserves. 
  • You should  avoid frequent, light irrigations in the spring because surface soil moisture tends to evaporate which causes cooling and will slow crop growth. 
  • Of course your local conditions may vary widely from the "average" and there are many resources to help you plan your irrigation strategies.

Irrigation In the Summer:
  • Again, filling your soil profile with water at each irrigation is important.  Deep irrigation causes your soil to "breathe" deeply.  As the pourous soil spaces are filled with water the soil exhales and as the water settles and is consumed by the crop between irrigations, the soil inhales new air into these spaces. 
  • Deep irrigation also reduces the effects of evaporation during the hot summer months allowing a higher percentage of the applied water to be utilized by the crop. 

Plan early for Irrigation Management around your Hay Harvest
  • Irrigation practices in relation to your hay harvest can have a substantial impact on your  ability to get hay dried down enough to bale safely within a reasonable amount of time.  However this should never be your only concern.  You should carefully balance drydown considerations with the water needs of the next crop you will be growing.
  • Consider as much as possible, the natural drydown characteristics of each field.  Swails or other low lying areas tend to dry slower than higher areas.  Even in relatively flat country you have probably noticed that often one side of a field dries faster than the other.
  • Where possible,  such as under pivot or other automated irrigation systems, you should plan your pivot rotation or other irrigation cycles so that the higher or naturally drier parts of the field are the last ones watered just prior to when you cut hay.  This will "even out" the drying time of your crop throughout the field.  This will also effect how evenly natural dew sets into a field of cut hay which will also effect drydown.
  • Irrigation should be stopped early enough prior to cutting hay to avoid laying cut windrows on wet or muddy ground.   Your soil types will determine what interval between Irrigation and Cutting is appropriate.  Just be observant.  Generally 2 to 3 days is a minimum time between irrigation and cutting.  (See Side Note Here - - - -)
  • Irrigation should be started as soon as possible after your hay is moved off the field.  A good thorough irrigation at this point is much more effective than a quick light run around the field. 
  • A common mistake by hay farmers after a cutting of hay when the ground looks dry, is that they think a quick 1 inch application of water on a pivot in 2 days will help kick start the next crop.   All they have done is essentially wasted 2 more days.  Most of the water applied in this manner is lost to evaporation.  
  • A good deep 2.5 to 3 inch water application after a hay harvest will do much more good than a light one, even though it takes longer to get around the field.  Evaporation losses are cut dramatically and the water is put down where the crop can utilize it.  Again, soil conditions will determine the best management practices on each of your fields.

Cutting Conditioning and Windrowing

Remember that the main thing we want to do is to get the hay cut and dried in preparation for baling as soon as possible without undue crop damage.

  • It is well established that properly conditioned windrows of hay will dry faster when laid out wide where the sun and air can react with more crop tussue surfaces.  The only other consideration you should take into account when determining  windrow width is your ability to rake the hay into windrow that can be picked up by the baler.  Sometimes on a very light crop you must narrow up the windrow width so the hay rake will make a clean sweep when double raking.
  • Careful cleaning, inspection and maintenance of the conditioner adjustment and pressure makes a tremendous difference on drydown regardless of the type of conditioner you use.  You should become very familiar with your Windrower and Conditioner Operator Manuals and follow the  the maintenance and adjustment recommendations and intervals carefully.
  • The cutterbar on both Sickle and Rotary machines should be cleaned, inspected and maintained in good condition at all times to insure smooth crop flow into the conditioner. 
  • Cutting and windrowing when the standing crop is wet should be avoided but laying out a wide windrow will help offset the effects of cutting wet hay if it is necessary.

Raking/Merging

Again, as with cutting and windrowing, remember that the main thing we want to do is to get the Hay raked or merged into a windrow suitable for baling, and dried in preparation for baling as soon as possible without undue crop damage.

Many types of rakes and windrow mergers are used to combine windrows in preparation for baling.  Regardless of the type of machine you use to do this operation some basic principles should be followed.

Consider the type of atmospheric conditions which are forecast for the drydown period of your crop, including, Humidity, Dew Point Temperature, Wind, Sunlight, Temperature, Storm Risk, etc.

In our experience there is not just one effective way to rake hay all through the season.

Dry Conditions
If it is going to be a dry you need to be sure that you do not wait too long before raking your hay.  Heavy crop damage is inevitable if you cannot get Natural Dew on over dried windrows for raking.  

  • In dry atmospheric conditions we like to rake our hay 1-2 days after it is cut while it is still drying down.  Even in very dry conditions a windrow of hay at this stage will create it's own Dew because evaporation of moisture from the windrow in the night time hours will cool the air in and around the windrow so that it reaches a natural dew point with the evaporating moisture from the windrow.  It sounds a bit confusing but it works.   At night the area in and around the windrow becomes an independant atmosphere during drydown but after drydown is fairly complete this same area becomes subject to the general ambient conditions.  
  • Also, windrows that are raked earlier in the drydown stage are much less prone to wind damage.
  • Timing is everything and should be carefully considered.

Humid Conditions
If you are in a monsoon season where there is excessive dew at night you will have to manage raking in a different way.  

  • Often a day or two more of drydown time is required prior to raking into double windrows.  Premature raking in these conditions can make drydown very difficult.
  • In extreme cases raking just prior to baling may be necessary.

Baling Your Hay

When baling with a "DewPoint" Steam Dew Simulation Machine it is important that your crop is completely dry with regards to stem moisture. 

There are two problems with stem moisture.
  • Your risk of bale damage, spoilage, fire etc. is much higher in any baling operation when there is stem moisture in your hay.
  • When your windrows are mostly dry (except for stem moisture) the stem moisture prevents you from adding enough steam to your hay to create a good quality bale, and you will have shattered, detached leaves in your bales even though the overall moisture level is acceptable.
  • We recommend that you never bale with stem moisture.

Bale when your crop is dry so there is no stem moisture.
You have a good deal of flexibility when your crop has dried completely.
  • You can bale with good natural dew when you can get it
  • You can bale with the Steam from the "DewPoint" 6110 Machine
  • You can bale with a combination of a partial natural dew augmented to an optimum level with the addition of a little Steam from the "DewPoint" 6110 Machine.
If there is no stem moisture all of these moisture sources will produce excellent baling conditions.

Simply stated, after your hay has dried thoroughly, the "DewPoint" Dew Simulation process provides baling moisture of a very high quality and allows for adding more or less moisture as ambient conditions demand, on a  predictable, controllable and consistent basis.

Baling with the "DewPoint" Dew Simulation Machine in various regions and atmospheric conditions.
We are most experienced with hay making in the arid desert valleys of the Rocky Mountain States of Utah, Idaho and Nevada at elevations of 3000 to 6000 ft.  We have also had some experience with Dew Simulation machine operation in the hot southwest deserts of Texas, Arizona and California.

We have learned some basic common operating principles which apply to all the climatic regions where we have operated "DewPoint" Machines over the years. 

Generally here in the Western United States there are about four distinct types of weather patterns during the Haying Season.
  • Dry, Hot, Windy conditions in the daytime with dry warm nights where there is little or no Natural Dew, generally in the month of June
  • Hot days which are relatively humid with cool nights where Natural Dew comes in between sunset and midnight.  The Dew is generally too heavy to bale Big Bales within 15 minutes to an hour after it starts to set, generally in May and August.
  • Monsoon weather where the mornings start out clear but where thunder showers develope in the afternoon and evening hours Generally in July through early August.
  • Cool days in the Fall with cold nights.  Sometimes it is quite dry during this time with very little Dew accumulation while in other cases it can be quite humid at night again with too much Natural Dew, generally in September and October.

We will address these in two more general categories.
  • Dry, Hot, Windy conditions in the daytime with dry warm nights where there is little or no Natural Dew
  • Days which are relatively humid with cool nights where Natural Dew starts to set between sunset and midnight and where the Dew is generally too heavy to bale Big Bales within 15 minutes to an hour after it starts to set

Typical Baling Timeline during Dry, Hot Weather using the "DewPoint" 6110
  • During this type of weather you can literally bale for 24 hours per day and make good hay around the clock (with the exception of the hot, low elevation Southwest Deserts which we will discuss below).
  • If you don't have to bale that long,  it is much more efficient to bale between the hours of 7:00pm until 12:00 noon the next day. 
  • In the Hot Southwest Deserts of Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah and in parts of New Mexico and West Texas, where the daytime temperatures are well above 100 deg. F,  you will find that baling from 8:00pm in the evening, to 10am the next morning will be most effective and efficient.  You will use less fuel and water  and the reaction between the steam and the dry hay will be more effective.  It is not so much that you can't get enough Steam Moisture into the hay,  you will just be wasting a higher percentage of the Steam Moisture you apply and adding more heat to the bale as well.

Typical Baling Timeline in Humid Monsoon Weather using the "DewPoint" 6110
  • Usually it is too wet to bale at night during these periods.  Evening Dews can start to set as early as Sunset but usually closer to Midnight.  Often the dew becomes too heavy within 15 minutes to an hour after it's onset severely limiting the conventional Baling Window.
  • In these conditions you will start to bale at around 12:00 noon-1:00pm, when the natural dew is nearly all gone and you can continue to bale until around 12:00 midnight if necessary.  It is nearly impossible to start earlier than mid day because as soon as the sun comes up in the morning it drives the heavy dew on top of the windrow down all the way through the windrow to the bottom and it takes a long time for it to come out enough to bale safely.

The same principles which are outlined above will apply to anytime of year when there are similar conditions.  In any event the window of baling opportunity is quite large during a 24 hour day when using the "DewPoint" 6110 Steam Dew Simulation Machine.  Regardless of the time of season, we normally run the machinery for 8-12 hours daily and we bale from 200 to 280 acres per day with each machine. It may be in the day or at night depending on conditions at the time, but we get it done.


Hauling Hay from the Field

When hauling steam baled hay from the field you should always observe the following guidelines:
  • Hay which is baled during the afternoon and early evening hours where high rates of steam are applied, should not be hauled off the field to the hay stack until the next day when it has had a chance to cool a bit.
  • Hay which is baled in the night time and morning hours where lower rates of steam are used can be hauled off the field immediately.
  • If in doubt, check the bale temperature with a probe before hauling.


Stacking Hay in Barns or Large Stacks

The same guidelines apply to stacking hay as to hauling bales from the field:
  • Hay which is baled during the afternoon and early evening hours where high rates of steam are applied, should not be hauled off the field or stacked until the next day when it has had a chance to cool a bit.
  • Hay which is baled in the night time and morning hours where lower rates of steam are used can be hauled off the field immediately.
  • If in doubt, check the bale temperature with a probe before stacking.


Hay Storage

Because of higher bale density in "DewPoint" steam baled hay, more tons of hay can be stored in a barn or under a Hay Tarp.  In climates where seasonal rain or snow is common we highly recommend that you store your hay in barns or under Hay Tarps.  These methods of protection are economical compared to the weather damage that can occur to your valuable crop in an unprotected stack.

Barn Storage
  • Open sided barns work well as long as you stack your hay up close to the top, especially around the edges where otherwise the winds can blow rain and especially snow under the barn roof. 
  • The installation of rain gutters with downspouts that reach nearly to the ground and divert water away from the barn floor is also very important.

Tarp Storage
Tarps are also a serious means of hay storage protection, however this method can succeed or fail dependant on the planning, proper installation timing and proceedures, maintenance, proper removal techniques and proper stowage of tarps when they are not being used.  Tarps are not for those who don't follow up on things. The most successful Tarp Storage methods include:
  • Selecting real, high quality hay stack tarps that fit your operation and logistics. 
  • You should figure out what type of stack configuration is best for you considering your stacking equipment and the amount of help you have to install and remove tarps.
  • Find tarps that fit your stack configuration well or plan your stack configuration to fit available tarp sizes.
  • Make straight consistent hay stacks with Old Barn shaped tops so that when the tarps are installed the "roofline" is apt to shed water well and is secure against flapping in the wind.
  • Install tarps so they are straight and snug.
  • Check tarped stacks regularly and re-tighten ropes to keep them snug as the haystack settles a bit after the initial installation.  If you don't the tarp will be ruined in a matter of weeks from rubbing on the edges of the stack.
  • Do not ever leave any part of the tarp loose or flapping in the wind, or it will quickly destroy the tarp.  Tarps are not very economical if they are only good for one season.
  • When moving hay out of a tarped stack always pull the tarp back and re-strap it to the stack securely. Don't ever leave it draped over the end of the stack.  If you do it will be ruined quickly.
  • When removing tarps from the stack, clean them up and fold them immediately in the proper way so that they can be reinstalled the next time without trouble.
  • Store tarps in out of the weather when they are not being used.

Summary

Everyone has their own ways of doing things but it is wise to learn from those with some experience, especially in the use of methods and technologies that may be a bit unfamiliar.  The principles and guidelines above are offered for guidance particularly as they relate to the use of the "DewPoint" Dew Simulation Method of making hay.  Our attempt here is to offer suggestions as to how you can better manage your Hay Operation more effctively by the use of our equipment.

We certainly don't claim to have all the answers and we are even more certain that we will learn new things every year about how to improve the application of this technology in the Commercial Hay Industry.

As always we appreciate input and ideas from others and welcome your comments and inquiries.



When should Irrigation be stopped Prior to Cutiing?

This is another area where the use of the DewPoint 6110 should effect your decisions regarding irrigation. 

Because Natural Dew is sometimes difficult to get some farmers will keep their water on right up to a day before they cut hay so the ground moisture might help generate a little Dew after the hay is dry enough to bale.  This practice creates a difficult drying environment for the windrows laying on the moist ground and drydown time is increased substantially. Bleaching of the crop is also more prevalent because heavier Dews will occur early in the drydown cycle on wet ground.   Wet ground is also more prone to tracking and compaction during cutting, raking, baling  and hauling operations. 

With the use of the DewPoint System it is far better to let the ground dry a few days prior to cutting to speed drydown and reduce crop bleaching.  Then you can add the right amount of baling moisture  with the DewPoint machine during the baling process.



 
















The principles and guidelines below are offered
for guidance, particularly as they relate to the use
of the "DewPoint" Steam Dew Simulation Method
of making hay.  Our attempt here is to offer suggestions as to how you can manage your Hay Operation more effctively by the use of our equipment.
Hay Harvest Management Techniques Using the DewPoint System
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Manufacturer of the patented "DewPoint" Steam Dew Simulation System for Hay Balers