In the simplest quality test for hay, the perfect bale would have a Relative Feed Value over 185, Crude Protein over 22%, and Total Digestive Nutrients over 56%.
Hay for those kind of numbers would pretty much have to be pure alfalfa. There are plenty of good arguments for having grass in your forage, but quantitively speaking would dilute your quality numbers (of this subject).
Assuming that you have grown a top quality stand (which is a subject all its own), you have to first decide on the timing of the cut. The plant reaches maturity at bloom. Cutting before bloom maximizes nutrition. The trade off is reduced yeild and stand longevity.
The best accepted compromise for quality, yeild, and longevity is when the stand is at 10% bloom. This is our first subjective, artistic opportunity: how do you accurately determine that timing? It's not practical to count every plant. You have to settle for how you see it.
Having decided that it is time to cut, brings the next decisions. How are you going to cut? What time of day? How short? What pattern? Are you going to condition the stems?
There are so many different ways to proceed cutting. My preference is to cut with sickle instead of rotary, and leave four inches. I don't condition stems for the belief that stem moisture makes the feed more palatable. And I cut at the time of day that maximizes carbohydrates. It's my philosophy to maximize all available nutrients in a package of preserved forages.
If you make it so far that you have layed the field down according to plan, your next round of options is available. The most controversial may be to rake or not to rake. I am in the school of rakers for two reasons: 1) it halves the number of turns that the pto driven baler has to make 2) it allows for a more uniform dried windrow.
The biggest drawback of raking is leaf loss. All three of the quality numbers that we started with are highly dependent on leaf retention. Timing your raking to minimize leaf loss is very important.
Since the leaves start out flexible and well attached and they only fall off after they get dry and brittle, why not rake while it's wet? The rake doesn't work until it's dried a bit. It tight ropes wet windrows trapping excess moisture inside.
I prefer to wait until the windrow needs another full day before baling. That's hard to put a number on because it is dependent on so many things: the ground moisture, the temperature, humidity, bulk, wind speed and direction. I usually rake a little later than convention dictates, but I compensate by moving slow.
Other farmers are laughing at me creeping along at a snail's pace trying to conserve leaves. I only go fast enough to turn the row over one and one half turns. That's it. I try to leave the rows as wide as will still fit in the baler, and I like a little air space between the two into one formation.
Now comes the next step. When to bale? It's universally agreed that avoiding the hottest time of day is best for leaf retention. But your target moisture can be a source of discussion. I like to try for 15%. When it gets close, I monitor conditions every few hours. I'd rather be early than late because you can't put the right amount of moisture back. Many times I have jumped the gun. I have learned to make a couple of bales, stop, evaluate, and if need be - shutdown.
Once again, the big time operators will be laughing at me. They trust in their on board analyzers and hay preservatives injectors.
My ways are slow, methodical, and sometimes painstaking. They are necessary for creating the best possible product with what I have.
The art of haymaking is a step dependent, challenging process. You can only stack as good as you bale. You can only bale as good as you have raked. You can only rake as good as you have cut. And you can only cut as good as you have grown.
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