Every figure here carries its unit, the position or basis it was taken at, and a source. A number without those three is not published on this manual.
Method: where the numbers come from
window ALL WINDOWSchecked 2026-09-16responsible Windrow Field Manual (a named masthead, not a person)
Where the figures come from
Every number on this manual is one of four things: a moisture content with its basis stated, a temperature with the position it was taken at, a distance in metres with the object it was measured from, or a count with the period it covers. A figure missing any of those is not published here. That is the whole method.
Units and the traps that come with them
| Quantity | Unit | The trap |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture | percent, wet basis | dry basis reads about 25% higher at these levels |
| Temperature | degrees C, at a stated position | a shell reading on a round bale is four points off the core |
| Distance | metres, from a named object | measured from the fence rather than to the drift end, the setback is wrong |
| Rate | kg per tonne, or percent of dry matter | per bale and per tonne are not the same figure |
| Count | turnings, over a stated period | ten in a day is not ten over fifteen days |
How sources are chosen
A source is used only if it is a specific document that supports a specific sentence on the page, and only if it can be opened. Extension services, federal regulation and transport research are preferred because they publish their methods. Equipment literature is used only where the maker is describing its own practice, and never for a comparative claim.
What this manual measures and what it does not
The manual writes about rows and the numbers attached to them. It does not sell equipment, does not rank machines, and does not accept advertising. Where a page quotes a maker's figure it says so and names the document. Where a page quotes an observation taken at this manual it gives the conditions, and the note is marked as a figure that can rot.
The manual's own observations in the notes are single-field, single-season readings. They are published because the method is stated and can be repeated, not because they generalise to every field.
Where the numbers come from
- S1Haymaking (Chapter II), Hay and Straw Conservation, FAO Agricultural Services Bulletin 154supports the haymaking sequence the manual's object order follows
- S2Hay Moisture and Baling (PSS-2588), Oklahoma State University Extensionsupports the moisture figures the baling pages are checked against
- S3Design, Living Snow Fences, Minnesota Department of Transportationsupports the distance rule the snow pages are checked against
One link, one document. No home pages, no search results, no bare domains.
Put this page down Put this page down when you know which unit a figure is in. The rest of the manual assumes that.