When you are considering purchasing new haying equipment, do not overlook the importance of initial drying time and cleanliness of cut.

As hay harvesting equipment has evolved some basic drying principals have been overlooked. Many mower-conditioners have grown in width while the conditioner has remained the same. Much of the value of the conditioner has been lost due to heaver windrows resulting in longer drying times and loss of digestible nutrients.

Rapid initial drying increases forage quality. After cutting, sugars and starches continue to break down until 10 to 15 percent of the water is lost. The longer this first drying phase takes the more total digestive nutrients are lost. During the first phase moisture is lost through openings in the leaf surface called stomates. Stomates open in the daylight and close in the dark. Wider drying swaths maximize exposure to sunlight keeping stomates open longer and this initial drying phase is not affected by conditioning. In addition to allowing for more sunlight, a wider swath allows moisture to evaporate as air circulates through the forage. Wide swaths tend to lay on the top of the stubble while narrower windrows may sink to the ground and lay on wet soil. The relative humidity inside a heavy windrow may exceed 95 percent within a few minutes of cutting, allowing for little drying unless there is a significant breeze.

During the second and third stages of drying (moisture loss though the leaves after the stomates have closed and from the stem) conditioning plays a part as moisture is drawn through the cracks in the stem created by the conditioner. However, much of the benefit of the conditioner may be lost due to lack of air circulation through the windrow. A wide swath immediately after cutting remains the single most important factor in preserving total digestive nutrients in the forage. With an Emerson Double Vicon^® hitch, cut hay is laid out over nearly 100 percent of the mown swath for maximum exposure to air and sunlight during the initial drying period.

To provide a clean cut in the field the Emerson Double Hitch combines two 7 foot 10 inch cutting bars which work independently and follow the contour of the land. The rotating cutters of the Vicon^® bars do not plug up when mowing through gopher mounds and down foliage. There are no strips of uncut forage hidden under a windrow to be discovered long after the mower has left the field.

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