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When is the chance of rain too high for cutting hay?

B

Brett24

Member
I cut hay for my horses.

I used to use the rule that if I had 4 or 5 days where the chance of rain was no greater than 20%, I'd cut.

One year, using that rule, I cut my hay. It dried for one day, then the rain started. The rain was heavy and continued for five straight days.

Now I'm a bit more cautious.

I am wondering if anyone here has a rule they stick to that has worked well.

When is the chance of rain too great for your comfort?
 
I use to use that 20% thing till every time I did my hay got 20% all over it. I try for 0% chance now days for 5 days or more with warm days as in in the 80s or more
 
We had a ten percent chance last year it was on Wednesday
something told me not to cut and it rained 3 inches over ten
days
 
You'd never get your hay done if you
waited for 4 or 5 days of nice weather in
my humble opinion....
 
When you see the rain on the radar heading your way. Otherwise as you know it is just a guess. The local forecast was 0% chance of rain while it was raining. It was at 20% for a week with no rain at all. I think the forecasting is
worse now that they use computer models than it was when looked at the raw data and took an educated guess.
 


I went by no more than 30% for three days for 25 years. There are other factors though. First is the month. It hurts May or early June cut hay far less to be rained on than July cut hay feed value analysis proves this. Another major factor, at least here in the Northeast is how dry is your ground? Hay is going to dry much faster on dry ground than ground with significant moisture in it. Only two good days are needed on very dry ground. The biggest factor is: Do you want hay for your horses or lumber? Every day past when the seed head first appears you are losing feed value.
 
Try to watch weather here and hope for 20 percent or less.
Ive also gotten out of work and headed to the field to bale
and there was a pop up shower. Can be frustrating. Could
rain on the field and nothing a half mile away. Our weather is
influence a lot by Lake Erie here in western New York.
 
We try for 20 or less for a few days.WE will cut in the morning with a discbine and tedder in the afternoon a lot of time we will be able to bale the next day.
 
Ah, if it were that easy. We have had so much rain the past 5 years..... if they say 2-3 days without rain, Ill cut the day thry forcast rain, so it can dry out after that rain.

Its all a guess. Kinda have to forget about the forecasters and just cut when its ready.

Paul
 
When you see it raining;-) Back when I cut hay I had TWO problems, the weather and when my baler man was able to be there. He never let me down but the weather was another issue. There is no best answer, it's more of how much a gambler you are. I always used the NWS.com forecast and the Weather Channel forecast combined, in about 15 years I think I had TWO times that the rain came when it wasn't forecast. Mostly it depends on where you are and what your local weather patterns are, neither of which are adequately covered in most forecasts, they are computed based on a much larger area, not your hayfield's specific location. I'm sure you have a pretty good idea of local weather patterns, add in the weather-guessers' best guess and throw the dice, you will probably come out okay....most of the time:)
 
Years ago, I had a neighbor that mowed hay in the rain. He said that the hay is already wet and we usually got 2 or 3 days before the next rain and it had time to dry and bale before the next rain got here.
 
In this part of the country in August it can be 40 percent and no rain and in June 20 percent and get your hay wet.
 
This only works later in the summer, but if there is a hurricane spinning in the atlantic or Gulf, usually there is little chance of rain in the upper midwest. An old farmer told me that 20 years ago... and
it is much more correct than not. Any rains in the midwest if there is an active hurricane seem to be small quantity and short lasting.
 
Anymore I believe the quality of weather forecasting is not what it used to be. Fewer meteorologists and more data driven
algorithms. Some things you need an experienced mind to read between the lines and put the pieces together.
 
I cut nearly 200 acres and cut most of it twice some
three times. Unless there is a massive system
coming my way, I mostly just cut the hay when the
hay is ready to be cut to get best feed quality. I will
have hay cut and curing most of the summer it
seems. Some might catch a shower, but most
doesnt get rained on. You can waste a lot of hay
waiting for rain to go past, and it never comes at all.
 
(quoted from post at 17:09:44 05/19/21) Years ago, I had a neighbor that mowed hay in the rain. He said that the hay is already wet and we usually got 2 or 3 days before the next rain and it had time to dry and bale before the next rain got here.
Click to expand...


Super99, I have cut hay in the rain when conditions are right. If I see that the forecast is good starting at some point overnight, and the forecasts really are VERY reliable now, By cutting it in the rain in the evening it will be starting to dry under bright sun at 6:00 AM. Then after a few hours of sun in the AM I will be tedding it out instead of just getting to mowing.
 
My Grandpa used to say, cut on 20%, wait on 30%.
What frustrates me about the forecast is how quickly they update it now. You can check it in the morning and it may say no rain for days, check a couple hours later and it looks like a wash out is coming. I try to look for high pressure coming over and just hope for the best. Its always a gamble it seems.
 

Doesn't dry unless it's cut.

I've mowed with "hot and sunny, 20% chance of showers" and got soaked for two days after mowing.

One year I wouldn't have cut a single field if I waited for the weather to say so, every day was forecast as "cloudy with 40% chance of showers" and they all ended up being hot and sunny.
 
One rainy summer I stopped listening to the weather guessers and starting watching the barometer. If it was headed up I cut hay. If it was going the other way I didn't. Worked out
reasonably well.
 
Well mine has been ready for at least a week and water is standing in the field from saturated soil with more in the forecast.
 
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