{"id":676,"date":"2026-05-08T07:27:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:27:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foragebaler.com\/?p=676"},"modified":"2026-05-08T07:27:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T07:27:33","slug":"mowing-conditioning-hay-quality-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foragebaler.com\/es\/mowing-conditioning-hay-quality-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Siega y acondicionamiento para una mejor calidad del heno: \u00bfCu\u00e1nto le cuesta elegir la segadora adecuada en el elevador de granos?"},"content":{"rendered":"
The elevator grade on your hay quality is largely determined in the first two hours after the blade passes \u2014 not the last two hours before the baler. Here is what happens to hay quality during curing, and how mower and conditioner selection changes the outcome.<\/p>\n
Obt\u00e9n recomendaciones sobre cortac\u00e9spedes<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hay mowing<\/strong> and hay quality discussions in most operations focus on baling, storage, and wrapping \u2014 the steps from the second day onward. What gets less attention is that the most important quality window in the entire hay-making process is the period between the blade passing through standing crop and the bale chamber sealing that crop from the atmosphere. That window is controlled by two variables: how fast the crop dries (determined largely by the conditioner) and how much of the crop’s nutritional value is consumed by respiration before drying is complete (determined by how many hours the crop spends in the field). Hay mowing<\/strong> decisions \u2014 mower selection, conditioning method, and cutting height \u2014 directly control these variables \u2014 and all of them have a measurable dollar value at the elevator.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n From the moment hay mowing<\/strong> begins, the living cells in the cut crop continue to respire \u2014 consuming oxygen and oxidizing sugars, releasing carbon dioxide and heat. This respiration produces no visible symptom. The hay still looks green, smells clean, and feels normal. But the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content \u2014 which drives Relative Feed Value (RFV) alongside fiber content \u2014 is declining at approximately 0.5 to 1.5% of dry matter per hour in warm, humid conditions. Over 8 additional field hours (the difference between a 4-hour and 12-hour curing period), cumulative WSC loss reaches 4 to 12% of DM \u2014 a change that is consistently detectable in certified forage analysis.<\/p>\n The fiber fractions respond inversely: as WSC declines from respiration, the ADF (acid detergent fiber) and NDF (neutral detergent fiber) content of the hay increases on a relative dry matter basis. Higher ADF = lower digestibility = lower RFV score. The elevator does not pay for extra field hours \u2014 it pays (or more precisely, discounts) for the fiber content of what you deliver.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n RFV ranges estimated from published USDA alfalfa hay quality data; actual values depend on variety, soil fertility, and weather. WSC % loss from agronomic research on respiration in cut alfalfa.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ambos hay mowing<\/strong> machine types cut \u2014 but the mechanism, cut quality, and downstream effects differ in ways that matter for hay programs beyond 50 acres. The hay mowing<\/strong> choice between a disc mower and a sickle bar is not primarily about price or forward speed: it is about how the cut interacts with crop moisture, soil contamination risk, and crop flow into the windrow that will be raked and baled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hay mowing<\/strong> conditioning reduces curing time by 25 to 40% compared to unconditioned cutting under the same weather conditions. This is the single most significant quality intervention available in the mowing step \u2014 and understanding the mechanism explains both why it works so well and why over-aggressive conditioning reduces the benefit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Crimper (roller conditioner):<\/strong> Compresses the stem between two smooth or ribbed rollers at controlled pressure. Creates crimps at regular intervals along the stem without tearing the tissue. Gentle on legume leaves \u2014 preferred for alfalfa where leaf shatter is the primary protein-loss risk. Conditioning effect: moderate (25 to 30% drying improvement). Most mower-conditioners in the 3 to 4 meter class use crimper rollers as the standard conditioner type.<\/p>\n Flail (impeller conditioner):<\/strong> Uses a rotating impeller with tines or flails to aggressively lacerate the cut crop. More aggressive stem disruption \u2192 faster drying (35 to 40% improvement). But the laceration force also physically detaches alfalfa leaves from stems at the petiole \u2014 creating leaf losses of 5 to 12% compared to 2 to 4% for crimper conditioning. For grass hay where leaves are small and tightly attached to stems, flail conditioning produces faster drying with minimal quality penalty. For alfalfa, the leaf loss at flail intensity often negates the quality improvement from faster drying.<\/p>\nHow Curing Speed Affects RFV and Protein: The Respiration Loss You Can’t See<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\n
\nRFV 185\u2013195 \u00b7 Premium grade<\/span><\/div>\n
\nRFV 170\u2013185 \u00b7 Good grade<\/span><\/div>\n
\nRFV 150\u2013170 \u00b7 Fair grade<\/span><\/div>\n
\nRFV 120\u2013148 \u00b7 Below standard<\/span><\/div>\nDisc Mower vs Sickle Bar: What the Cut Difference Means for Hay Quality<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nYour Situation<\/th>\n Disc Mower \u2714<\/th>\n Sickle Bar \u2714<\/th>\n Raz\u00f3n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Alfalfa, 2nd-4th cut, flat field<\/td>\n \u2714<\/td>\n OK<\/td>\n Disc mower cuts cleaner at stem base, less soil contamination, better for high-value hay analysis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Mixed grass, rough or rocky terrain<\/td>\n OK<\/td>\n \u2714<\/td>\n Sickle bar rides closer to ground contours on irregular surfaces; disc blades more vulnerable to rock strikes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Commercial volume, 60+ acres per cutting<\/td>\n \u2714<\/td>\n No recomendado<\/td>\n Disc mower forward speed (up to 12 km\/h) vs sickle bar (5-8 km\/h) \u2014 at 60 acres disc mower saves 3-5 field hours per cutting<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Small operation, limited capital, flat land<\/td>\n More expensive<\/td>\n \u2714<\/td>\n Sickle bar lower initial cost; acceptable quality on grass hay; not ideal for premium alfalfa programs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Alfalfa first cut, heavy standing crop<\/td>\n \u2714<\/td>\n No recomendado<\/td>\n Heavy dense first-cut mat overwhelms sickle bar clearing \u2014 frequent plugging; disc mower handles it cleanly<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Conditioning: How Crimping and Flailing Change the Curing Equation<\/h2>\n
<\/div>\nCrimper vs Flail: The Trade-Off in Aggressive Conditioning<\/h3>\n