WEATHER EFFECTS ON HAY DRYING RATES

Abstract

Observations taken at Nappan, N.S. of drying rates of field-cured hay and the corresponding weather data are reported. Three consecutive good days were chosen as the standard for good hay drying weather. Based on 30 yr of weather records, the highest probability (36%) of having this good weather at Nappan occurs in the first 2 wk of July. Maximum production of digestible dry matter in hay occurs about mid-June. Rapid storage of high quality forage is desirable. To facilitate harvest, early cuttings of forage should be taken as ensilage. An equation is developed which relates the observed moisture content in the field to the accumulation of potential evaporation from the time of cutting. The effect of precipitation on drying time is considered. An index based on potential evaporation and precipitation is proposed as a measure of the suitability of weather data for predicting field drying rates. A good drying day is defined in terms of this index and used in the estimation of the probability of sequences of good drying days from 30 yr of weather data from Nappan, N.S.