Article on testing hay for being cured

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1 Oct 2008
By Duncan Handley

An article on testing hay for being cured has been added under the Information / Technical notes section of the AFIA website. This article combines the experience of three AFIA contractors to give an insight into some practical tests that can be used to help determine whether hay is cured properly. As stated in the article, no one method for testing whether hay is cured or not is fail-safe, and experience is needed to proceed with confidence; however, this article is a good introduction for those looking for information on this very important topic.

Since producing this article an experienced member has also suggested that in some areas during drought there can be a tendancy for plants to be pulled out of the ground during the raking process. If these plants, with their moist roots, make their way into the bale they also have the potential to increase the moisture in the bale and increase the risk of combustion.

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