Tours Travel

Family fun at VenturaCountyWest

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Spending the winter in California has its benefits. There is so much to do outdoors to enjoy. There is no better location than VenturaCountyWest (the cities of Camarillo, Oxnard, and Ventura, about an hour’s drive north of Los Angeles). Even if you’ve visited California before, VenturaCountyWest offers places you’ve never seen, beaches you’ve never walked, and breathtaking scenery you’ve never experienced, all while enjoying near-ideal weather. Here are some activities for the whole family.

The area is full of bike lanes. Rent bikes on Main Street in Ventura at Ventura Bike Depot. The roads are mostly flat. Here’s a suggestion: After picking up your bikes, head towards the Ventura River. You will pass the Ventura County Fairgrounds, a bird sanctuary, and then encounter magnificent views of the ocean. Choose to stop at the 1,700-foot Ventura Pier for lunch at Beach House Tacos or travel a little further and have a picnic in a quiet, grassy area at San Buenaventura State Beach. The beach, which is never crowded, offers three kilometers for biking.

VenturaCountyWest has two ports. Rowing and electric boats for rent are also available at Ventura Harbor Village. While you’re there, be sure to check out the 32-animal indoor carousel in the village gallery. There are plenty of video and pinball games to keep the kids busy and homemade sweets and other goodies to nibble on. Since the town is located right in the port of Ventura, you can watch the fishing boats arrive with their fresh daily catch.

For an indoor adventure (and when the kids have too much energy), visit Sky High Sports in Camarillo. It’s full of trampolines with super padded floors and walls. Children can play dodge ball on the trampoline and other organized games or … just jump. Sky High also has arcade games and laser tag.

It is whale watching season. From now until mid-April, the whales migrate between the waters of Alaska and Mexico, passing through the Channel Islands off the coast of Ventura County. Book whale watching tours with Island Packers of Ventura or Oxnard. While watching whales, you are also likely to see seals and dolphins along the way. Another ocean excursion to consider is the one near Channel Islands National Park. Just 11 miles offshore, these five islands are an all-natural playground for those who love to hike, camp, snorkel, kayak, hike in nature, or simply breathe in the fresh ocean air. Beginners can hike to one or all five islands, also through Island Packers.

For a more low-key family outing, pack a picnic lunch and take your family on a leisurely tour of the Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard on an electric boat from Hopper Boat Rentals. Hopper also offers paddle boards, kayaks, and paddle boats. All are great ways to get up close and personal with port life.

Where to stay:

Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort in Oxnard is the only oceanfront suite resort in Southern California.

Four Points by Sheraton Ventura Harbor Resort is a short walk from Ventura Harbor Village with views of the harbor marine life and fishing boats.

Residence Inn Camarillo with complimentary breakfasts, free internet access, and kitchens in all rooms.

Crowne Plaza – Ventura Beach is the only hotel in Ventura CountyWest directly on the beach and is only two blocks from historic downtown Ventura.

Technology

5 connectivity trends that will shape the future of the automotive industry

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Innovation is already at the wheel of modern automobiles. Yes, smart connectivity is shaping the automotive industry in ways never seen before. While some of these technologies are already on the verge of becoming mainstream, there are other technologies that are in their nascent state and are in the works. Most automotive management services predict that together these technologies will shape the future of connected cars of the future.

Here are the 5 trends that will shape the future of connectivity in the automotive industry.

1. Autonomous cars

Autonomous cars that can circulate on the road without the intervention of the driver behind the wheel is already a reality with several car manufacturers that have come up with their respective models of said cars. Through various successful tests, driverless cars truly represent the future of the automobile in the world. But based on the experience of leading automotive management services, self-driving cars, despite already being a reality, still takes a decade or so for such cars to go public and hit the road as normal vehicles.

2 AI-powered car infotainment systems

Modern car infotainment systems are becoming more and more powerful and responsive, already capable of responding to most common commands, including voice commands. AI-powered virtual assistants will govern future car infotainment systems to respond to passengers and the driver in a more responsive way. AI is supposed to be introduced into the infotainment systems of future cars in just a year or two from now.

3. Maintenance and repair with Blockchain technology

We are all aware of how counterfeit auto parts cause performance failures and ultimately damage vehicles. But until now, in many countries to prevent such counterfeit parts from entering the market, there is no reliable system. In this regard, the Blockchain-based repair and maintenance mechanism can really play a revolutionary role in auto parts authentication. Blockchain, which as a distributed ledger system does not allow for the deletion or manipulation of data, while also offering open and pervasive access to data, can help authenticate auto parts through a distributed ledger of auto parts from easy access.

4. Vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity

Vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity, commonly known as V2V technology, enables cars on the road to share information and stay in touch with each other. On the road, a car can share information about speed, traffic, road conditions, any dangerous threats, etc. Automotive Management Services maintains that such V2V communication not only dramatically improves car safety and security, but also actively helps cars avoid routes that may take longer to reach the destination due to heavy traffic. Some cars already have a better communication system within the car and highly equipped fleet management systems already exist. All of these together will shape the fully equipped Vehicle-to-Vehicle connectivity system of the future.

5.AR powered maintenance

Augmented reality technology that has already penetrated many industries and niches due to the unique ability to integrate digital interaction with the real world around it. Much like finding the digital game character of Pokémon in a popular AR game like Pokémon Go in an AR-powered vehicle repair and maintenance environment, the military can provide their services with the guidance of a digital interface that displays all and each of the parts of the car.

A service engineer who can see the entire car from the car seats to the interior features of the engine and hood can easily have a guided experience in repairing the entire car. This will help the automotive industry to save a lot on maintenance and services. Also for customers, this will ensure greater precision, timely service and longer vehicle durability.

Business

Correspondence principle in accounts receivable

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The matching principle is the basis of accrual (or accrual) accounting and revenue recognition. According to the principle, all expenses incurred in the generation of income should be deducted from the income obtained in the same period. This principle enables a better assessment of actual profitability and performance and reduces the mismatch between the time the cost is incurred and the time the revenue is recognized. In accounts receivable, the provision for bad debt expenses in the same year in which the related sales income is recognized is an application of the matching principle.

Accounts receivable represent the amount owed by customers for money, service or purchase of merchandise on credit. On the balance sheet, they are classified as current or non-current assets based on expectations of the time it will take to collect. Most accounts receivable are trade accounts receivable, arising from the sale of products or services to customers.

To help increase its sales revenue, the company extends credits to its customers. Credit limits entice your customers to make a purchase. But whenever a company extends a credit to a customer, there is also the risk that the customer will not return the money. In order to eliminate risk, the company establishes some guidelines and policies to grant credit to its client. They conduct a credit investigation to assess the customer’s creditworthiness. They established a collection policy to ensure they received payment on time and reduce the risk of default. Unfortunately, there are still sales on account that may not be charged. Either the customer goes broke, is unhappy with the service provided, or simply refuses to pay you back. The company has legal recourse to try to collect your money, but those often fail and are costly too. This uncollectible account receivable is a loss of income recognized when recording the bad debt expense. As a result, it is necessary to establish an accounting process to measure and report these uncollectible accounts.

There are two methods for recording bad debt expenses. The first method is the “Direct Cancellation Method” and the second is the “Allocation Method”.

The direct write-off method is a very weak method and does not apply the principle of comparison of recording expenses and income in the same period. This method records bad debt expense only when a company has made every effort to collect the money owed and ultimately declares it bad. It has no effect on income because you are simply reducing accounts receivable to their net realizable value.

It is a simple method but it is only acceptable in cases where the company does not have precise means to estimate the value of the defective teeth during the year or the delinquencies are irrelevant. In accounting, an item is considered material if it is large enough to affect the judgment of its financial users. With the direct write-off method, several accounting periods have already passed before it is finally determined to be uncollectible and written off. Income from credit sales is recognized in one period, but the cost of doubtful accounts that are related to those sales are not recognized until the next accounting period. This results in an income and expense mismatch.

The allocation method is a preferable method for recording bad debt expenses. This method is in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Accounts receivable are recorded in the financial statement at their net realizable value. The net realizable value is equal to the gross amount of the accounts receivable minus an estimate of the uncollectible accounts receivable. This is often called a bad debt allowance. This is considered a contractive account on the balance sheet. This contra asset account has a normal credit balance instead of a debit balance because it is a deduction from accounts receivable. The provision for uncollectible accounts communicates to its financial user that the part of accounts receivable is expected to be uncollectible. With the allocation method, you can estimate bad debts based on credit sales for each period or based on accounts receivable.

The estimate of bad debt as a percentage of sales is consistent with the concept of coincidence because the bad debt expense is recorded in the same period as the associated income. It is calculated by providing a fixed percentage of the period-to-period debt provision to the bad debt expense account in the income statement. Past-year trends or patterns in credit sales and related bad debts provide a basis for a reasonable estimate or projection of bad debt expense for the current year.

By estimating bad debts based on accounts receivable, a business can estimate the aging schedule provision or a one-time calculation of total accounts receivable. When using the estimate based on accounts receivable, the journal entry for bad debt should consider the current balance in the reserve account. The entry amount is the amount needed to bring the allocation account balance to the desired ending balance.

Home Kitchen

Make your kitchen cabinets look great for less

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Kitchen cabinets are one of the most prominent features in your kitchen. If your cabinets look worn or drab, it will affect the overall appearance of your kitchen.

The good news is that there are several options available that can easily update your kitchen with a modern look. Some options are expensive and others are cheaper.

If you like the layout of your cabinets and the cabinets are in good condition, recoating or re-coating your kitchen cabinets may be a good option for you.

Veneering or veneering consists of replacing the cabinet doors and drawer fronts with new ones and then treating the cabinet frame with a matching veneer. There are many types of woods and plastics available for this, so your options are virtually limitless.

For best results, it is always best to hire a professional to do this job. However, it can be quite expensive, ranging from $ 3,500 to over $ 10,000. The job usually takes 2-4 days, depending on how many cabinets and drawers are involved.

If your cabinets are weak or damaged or you just want to change their design, replacing them entirely is another option. Replacement cabinets may not cost much more than clad / cladding either. New cabinets can add more utility to your kitchen and increase the value of your home, too.

If resurfacing or replacing your kitchen cabinets doesn’t fit your budget, there are much less expensive alternatives.

My first choice for updating the look of kitchen cabinets is paint. What a difference a coat or paint can make!

For a retro look, you can use bold colors like pink, turquoise, or orange. Be brave and paint designs on the cabinets or use stencils or a faux finish. Add some matching accessories and you get new cabinets for under $ 300!

Another idea is to permanently remove all cabinet doors. This would not be appropriate or functional for all kitchen styles. It could work well for a cottage kitchen design or even an old Victorian design. You can line the shelves with lace or doilies that swing over the edge to add to the look.

An alternative to completely removing the cabinet doors is to replace them with old windows of the correct size. You can also create new doors from different types of materials, such as bamboo or fabric.

Another idea for renovating kitchen cabinets is to wallpaper them or apply adhesive paper. A plain pattern is best, and of course make sure it’s washable. It is not necessary to cover the entire surface. You can cut out different shapes or patterns and apply them to the surface of the cabinet. This would be a good short-term solution for renovating your kitchen.

So there you have it. There are many ways to make your kitchen cabinets look great without spending a lot of money!

Auto

Security check 2018

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In January of each year I write an article to help you think about your Home, Electronic and Personal Security. In 2017, assistants like Alexa and Siri have gotten “smarter” and claim to help us more in our daily lives.

Home and lock security:

Look at your locks and your doors. Are your locks working smoothly? Are they at least a class 2 lock? Do all of your exterior doors have deadbolt locks installed? Can you account for all your keys? If not, replace the lock or have the key changed. Try lockable key fobs to stay in control of your keys.

Is your alarm system working properly? In 2017, the biggest change from 2016 to 2017 is that most alarm systems can now be controlled by smartphone apps. Maybe it’s time you upgrade to a modern alarm system that can control your smartphone. You must communicate with the central station via cellular service rather than a landline.

Computer security:

In 2017, our computers, tablets, and smartphones have gotten smarter. They are also more open with extensive Wi-Fi connections. These connections must be protected by some form of Internet security that has built-in Wi-Fi security. Make sure you are using the most up-to-date Wi-Fi security. We are using home automation more and this opens us up to additional security concerns. Be careful about using Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and the Google Assistant.

If possible, use credit cards instead of debit cards. Credit cards give you more security and you are using your money for 30 days. Just make sure you pay your bills in full every month.

Personal security:

When driving or walking, be aware of your surroundings, know where you are at all times. If “Gut” tells you to leave an area, listen and walk away. Park your vehicle in a well-lit area and don’t leave anything visible like your GPS, laptop, etc. When you get home, park your vehicle in your garage and close the door before leaving. If it’s dark, try using the light on a timer inside your home, so there will be a light on when you get home. It is always better to enter a lighted house.

All of the items above are common sense, they all have different security needs, which is why this article is written to help you think about your own personal security situation.

Digital Marketing

Strengthening internal website links: center and radio strategy

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I am not the first person to talk about the “Hub and Spoke” SEO strategy within a website. But I’m talking about it, as this strategy is something tangible that you can do within your website that, over time, will give you good SEO page ranking results; attract more people to your website organically.

First, if you were to take a look at the “Search Console” in the Google Webmaster Toolkit, you would see under the heading “Search Traffic” a subtitle titled “Internal Links.” By clicking on this subtitle of your website, you will see how Google is currently viewing your website with regard to the internal links present on your site. For most sites, the most visited page with the most links to it internally is usually the home page.

So what can we conclude from seeing this in Google Search Console?

1. Internal links are important enough to Google to track this information within its search engine.

2. Since this information is apparently important enough for Google to crawl, there has to be a reason why it is important for them to do so. Once you think about this to its logical conclusion, you will soon realize that the web crawler “Googlebot” is crawling these links to find out which pages on your website are the most important; These are your main “authority” pages on your site. . When Google knows what these pages are on your site, these are the pages to which they will be for the most part, sending traffic organically; they will be the pages of your site that they pay the most attention to and organically, they will become the main “entry points” to your business from the Google search engine.

Now let’s start thinking about the strategic configuration of your site. Where do you want Google to primarily direct people on your site? What are the best pages for your business that you want people to see first? Once you discover this, you can start building and / or rebuilding your website and pages to improve the visibility of your key web pages in the eyes of Google. Over time, these pages will get Google’s attention and become the strongest ranking pages for the Google search engine on your site, and it is important that you always remember in the back of your mind that you are not trying to rank. your entire website for Google, you are trying to rank your web pages most important to the Google search engine.

This is where the “Hub and Spoke” strategy comes into play. Is that how it works.

Let’s say you have a blog site. If you are only writing individual blog posts and none of them relate to each other, they will never get real organic SEO strength in the eyes of Google unless you are very lucky in the uniqueness of your content and keyword search phrases. Since you are competing against millions of pages, this kind of luck is extremely difficult to come by.

Now let’s say you write some content on a blog that is important and you want the world to see it. What you want to do is create a post / web page for it that can be segmented and posted across multiple pages. Each support page would discuss one aspect of the content, maybe a subtopic breakdown or something, and would put links that would take you back to the main blog post / webpage and possibly links to one or more of the others. support pages too.

All subposts / pages would link to the main post page and would also link to each other. The important point here is that Google now begins to view all of your content on a particular topic as more complete, providing a complete answer within a content niche across a series of pages, with one page being the obvious home page to which that everyone connects. In Google’s eyes, this becomes your “Authority” page over time, as people come to your site through all of these pages and most of the clicks on the site’s internal links eventually lead to people to your authority page for that main content starting point. This page will start to sit well for you.

So now let’s expand this concept even further. Start duplicating this across your site, interconnecting multiple “hubs” and “radios” together. Ultimately, it will resemble a cobweb with a series of interconnected spoke pages linking a series of axes revolving around a core business theme, or business niche, and your site begins to become an “authority” site. within a company. niche in the eyes of Google and as a result, you will start to see exponential organic growth of traffic to your site over time as a result.

Every central web page on your site will eventually rank well for certain keyword phrases, and as a result, your website will gain an additional level of niche SEO authority overall, bringing you even more traffic over time.

So don’t overlook the internal link building aspect when building your website and pages. A little strategic planning in your internal design will go a long way from an SEO perspective. Now you know why it takes time to rank well and build authority on the site, but at least now you also know part of the equation to get there.

Relationship

Teen party at casino night

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The best way to organize a teen party that stays under control is to offer an activity that fully engages and attracts the kids. That way, they are not interested in doing the things you don’t want them to do. Of course, they need to socialize, but within the parameters of your planned activity. A Teen Casino Night party works and does it well.

Casino games are so much fun and people enjoy playing them, which is why casino nights are so often used as fundraising events. And this applies to teens as well as adults. The fact that the theme of a casino night seems like something very “fancy” helps to get the kids involved in the party activities from the beginning.

Card and dice games are not and do not have to be the equivalent of gambling. Make it clear up front in your invitation that “Only fun is allowed, no gambling is allowed.” You can use poker chips to keep track of the score, or your counters can be pennies, M & Ms, matches, anything. Involve the kids even more in your party by encouraging everyone to “Dress for Vegas”; fancy clothes can equate to better behavior in children’s minds.

Borrow plenty of game tables and chairs, but you can have more children than seats to allow for that socialization when there are no games available to play. To keep the dice contained instead of flying to the ground, make some trays of dice using the low cardboard trays from the beer or soda shop. You can paint them, contact paper, or leave them as is. You will need enough cards and dice for each game.

Set up a buffet table to encourage grass. Make it easy with store-bought frozen meatballs, store-bought or homemade chicken wings with gravy, salad, and / or a 6-foot hero. It doesn’t have to be fancy food, it just looks good with a few dice, jokers and picture cards, and poker chips scattered around the buffet table for themed decor. Have a large tub of soda and bottled water with ice for the children to drink when needed. Background melodies will keep the mood festive.

In addition to the ever popular poker and blackjack games, you can find a variety of appropriate and fun dice games online. If you have the room and the budget for it, I highly recommend that you include a game of craps in your nightly casino schedule. A dice table cover can be purchased for $ 20- $ 30, so it’s not out of sight. Craps is by far the most fascinating and complex of the dice games, and many would argue that it is by far the most fun. If you’ve ever been to a casino, you know it’s always the loudest with laughter and screaming. It will definitely challenge children to learn to play all the variations contained in a dice game and think about the different probabilities of each.

And there’s another advantage to including a game of craps: You’ll need a dealer to run the table who understands the game, and no teenage guest will want to stick with that job all night. So your dealer must be an adult, who then becomes an adult presence in the room. And this is good. There is a lot of help online to learn how to play the game for your dealer to get up to speed so that he or she can, in turn, teach the children and run the game.

A casino party is not difficult to hold and everyone will have a lot of fun. Games will keep teens busy competing to do well and do better than the next boy (or girl). You can end the night with a silly prize or two for the night’s ‘big winners’. While teens are harder to please and play games than younger kids, it CAN be done, and casino games will. The more engaged they are, the less likely your teen gathering is to get out of hand and turn into activities you don’t want to happen.

Health Fitness

Exercises and workouts: running is not always ideal for losing fat

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It’s true; exercise is good for you. Physical activity will lower your blood sugar level and is good for your heart. But what do you think is the best way to lose body fat? Is it for a long career? Many people hold this notion. Also, it is quite understandable considering that many realize they lose weight; you have to burn more calories. What better way to burn calories than to go for a run?

However, there are some factors that you may be overlooking that could prevent you from seeing the results you expect. Let’s see what these are so you can see why it may be time for you to reconsider long-term benefits …

1. Run and lose muscle mass. The first point to keep in mind is this: running is not especially good for preserving lean muscle tissue. Because there is no resistance at play, this will mean that your body sees no reason to maintain lean muscle mass and will therefore burn a combination of fat and muscle.

If your main goal is to get lighter and slimmer, this may seem like a good thing. However, think again. The problem here is that when you lose lean muscle tissue, your resting metabolic rate will slow down, leading to difficulties maintaining fat loss in the future.

The slower your metabolic rate, the less food you can eat each day and maintain or lose weight. If you like to eat, this is an unworkable situation.

2. Running and metabolic rate. Another problem with running is that it doesn’t help much to increase your resting metabolic rate. With high intensity interval training or weight lifting, for example, your metabolism will be higher for hours after completing your workout. You will see that the fat continues to burn long after your workout is over.

However, when you run, when you stop running, you stop burning calories. Then you are back where you started. You will only continue to lose fat if you keep working.

3. Running and eating food. Last but not least, running tends to make people hungry. It is not unusual to find people feasting on bagels, pasta, or other carbohydrate-rich foods after a race because they cannot control themselves and feel like they have “earned” it. If you do that, you will be facing weight gain, not weight loss.

You don’t want to spend a lot of time running and then wipe out all the benefits it gave you. Keep these tips in mind and reconsider the long term. There are much better ways to burn fat.

Legal Law

What Interfaith Law Enforcement Chaplains Have in Common with Law Enforcement Officers

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Learning to understand the culture of law enforcement and the unique pressures officers experience on a day-to-day basis is an important part of being an interfaith law enforcement chaplain. At first, it may seem that the culture of law enforcement and that of religious communities have very little in common. However, members of the clergy may have more in common with law enforcement officers than is immediately obvious. These similarities provide the foundation on which to build a relationship of understanding and trust.

“On” all the time

Members of the clergy understand something of what it means to be on duty all the time. You could be shopping in the produce section of a supermarket and unexpectedly find yourself in a conversation with someone in your community about an important life topic. Members of the clergy cannot disconnect with “I am not on duty at this time,” because doing so would likely be against their nature and possibly cause irreparable damage to their relationships in the community. Law enforcement officers have a similar life experience throughout and cannot easily step out of the problem-solving role that members of the public may project onto them. Family, friends, and neighbors may also have a difficult time seeing an officer out of duty. Being “active” all the time is a source of stress because it does not allow the individual, outside of their professional role, to have experience. When a chaplain understands this, he can help the chaplain to be present for an officer without contributing to the demands that have already been placed on him. Being “active” all the time as a law enforcement officer comes with added stress, that of being constantly on the alert for potential danger. Not being aware of this can cause a chaplain to misinterpret an officer’s normal hyper-alert behavior as distant or unapproachable.

Advice

  • Do not be overly casual or overly friendly when communicating with law enforcement officers. Let the officers set the tone and therefore let you know what is appropriate for your interactions.
  • Be courteous, friendly, and professional.

Set aside

Some clergymen wear garments that distinguish them from the public and even those who do not wear any particular identifying clothing or symbols of their office may experience being cut off from society. This may be in the form of expectations the public has of the clergy: to have an impeccable personal life and impeccable demeanor at all times, and never to deviate from an inhuman standard of perfection. Similarly, law enforcement officers appear to be under constant scrutiny. Their insignia, uniforms and weapons make them stand out from a crowd that expects perfect courtesy and impeccable demeanor. Sometimes the individual behind the uniform gets lost in all expectation. The pressure to present yourself perfectly can have the effect of dehumanizing a person and causing a deepening gap between their on-call personality and who they really are. When a chaplain understands this about an officer, he can help the chaplain be present for the person behind the uniform with patience, letting the officer lead with instructions, conversation, and requests, and most of all, have a great ability to listen to the officer. with the least possible judgment.

Advice

  • Avoid expressing personal opinions on issues of social behavior.
  • Listen, often and carefully

Professional, not personal

Regardless of an officer’s opinion of local laws, private faith, political parties, or personal preferences regarding social trends, he or she has to apply the law with sustained professionalism toward everyone. Officers interact with people from all walks of life and mindsets and beliefs, and must be able to function fairly and equanimously in this diverse environment. An interfaith law enforcement chaplain will undoubtedly have a strong conviction of personal faith and deep spiritual practice. Regardless of the chaplain’s private faith, he or she will be serving officers and members of the public from all religious or non-religious traditions; at no time should you proselytize. An interfaith law enforcement chaplain has to apply compassion and service with sustained professionalism to all.

Advice

  • Do not bring anything into the conversation that has not been requested. Testimonies of faith, regardless of tradition, should not be included in the discussion with officers unless specifically requested.
  • Be respectful of what the officers want to talk about and follow their lead. Include in this the ability to respect an officer’s desire to speak on any subject.
Lifestyle Fashion

Making hay from Lucerne

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Good quality alfalfa hay is green, leafy, soft to the touch, sweet smelling, and free of mold, dust, weeds, or other foreign materials.

Hay size is reduced by any of the following factors:

  • Presence of weeds
  • Cutting alfalfa too late in growth
  • Overdrying in rows, causing leaf breakage, brittle stems and reduced green color.
  • Weather damage, which causes a decrease in color and nutrient leakage due to heavy rain or dew.
  • Uncured or damp hay packaging, causing heating, moldy raking, and mold. Raking is necessary to accelerate curing with the hay, as well as
  • Packed or raked at the wrong time of day, leading to breakage of leaves and stems. Cutting, conditioning, raking, and packing operations must be done carefully to minimize these losses.

Cutting height

Alfalfa is best cut at a height of about 50mm above ground level.

Cutting and conditioning

The leaves dry out much more than the stems. You can use conditioner to fracture the stem and make the stem dry faster, allowing easier drying of the stems.

Therefore, conditioning has the benefits of:

  • Reduce leaf loss as a result of excessive drying of leaves while waiting for stems to dry
  • Reduce the drying period and therefore the possibility of weather damage.

Alfalfa is often cut and conditioned from a single operation.

The pressure of the roller on the conditioner should be adjusted to separate the stems without damaging the leaves.

Alfalfa hay is generally spun with a mower conditioner. Windrowing improves drying time a bit, but is done in a way that can aid in raking, also to help reduce hay exposure to dew and sunlight and therefore minimize hay bleaching.

Conditioned alfalfa typically requires 3 to 4 full days of drying to cure in summer and up to seven days for early and late season cuts.

Chemical drying of alfalfa hay.

Sprinkling with potassium carbonate when cutting can help cure alfalfa. The substance breaks down the wax-like upper part of the stem, letting the moisture drain away.

This reduces the chance of weather damage by reducing the time between cutting and packing, especially in early spring and fall.

Potassium carbonate is somewhat corrosive; therefore, machines must be cleaned after use.

Minimize the amount of equipment that passes through the alfalfa during hay packing and transport.

Ideally, the rake will move the hay as short as possible to avoid extreme blade breakage. The rake should be adjusted so that the hay is never contaminated with soil debris.

Rake

Raking is necessary to speed up the curing of the hay, as well as to reduce the number of machine passes through the alfalfa during bale and transport of hay.

Ideally, the rake will slowly move the hay the shortest range possible to prevent the leaves from breaking excessively. The rake should be adjusted to ensure that the hay is not contaminated with soil debris.

Packed

Correct packing of alfalfa is a skill that develops with practice and experience. Packaging made with a regular moisture content between 18 and 20%. Below 15% humidity, the leaves and stems become brittle and severe breakage occurs. At moisture contents above 25%, hay can become moldy and catch fire due to spontaneous combustion.

The most effective guide to checking if your alfalfa is ready for packing is often to scrape a few stalks removed from the bottom of the row. Alfalfa is fully cured when no moisture is noticeable when scraping the stems. Once this stage is reached, baling should only continue at one point during the day if the hay has lost its brittleness and the leaves are not breaking. That’s why; Alfalfa is often packed overnight or during the day.

You must ensure that hay is never packed when it is wet from dew.

Once packed, the hay must be removed from the paddock immediately to avoid loss of quality.

Handling alfalfa hay during fall and winter.

To obtain optimal alfalfa yields, proper management in autumn and winter is essential. Regular mowing of irrigated alfalfa hay, even at the optimum stage, will cause some decrease in root food reserves in autumn.

Grazing in the fall and early winter is not suitable for alfalfa that has been irrigated and cut regularly during the summer. A rest period after the last cut of eight to 10 weeks allows the alfalfa root reserves to build up again and will result in better hay yields during the coming summer.