Chop the forage into pieces 1 to 2 inches long. Mix samples in a clean pail and subsample for drying. For baled hays, sample with a Penn State bale corer or another appropriate device. Damp hay baled with preservatives results in excess friction and heats the core borer. This dries the sample while it is still in the bale corer and underestimates moisture significantly.
Postal scales are less expensive but they measure in ounces.
Determining moisture content Moisture determination requires weighing a wet forage sample on a scale, drying it in a microwave oven to a constant weight, and calculating the moisture concentration. The following steps illustrate the procedure. You may substitute other microwave-safe containers such as a brown paper bag or containers that are porous so water can evaporate. Do not use metal. The weight of the container will not change much during drying, but you must know it.