Device to measure the moisture of hay in a round baler

A hay baler having the capability of measuring moisture, based on conductivity, in hay as it is being baled, comprising:

• a. a baler including a housing including a pair of opposing side walls separated a predetermined distance, and a bale forming chamber disposed between the side walls;
• and
• b. a hay moisture measurement system for measuring moisture in hay as the hay is being baled in the baler, the moisture measurement system including:
• i. a powered sensor disposed on one side wall of the baler, the powered sensor including a conductive electrode and a nonconductive housing connecting the electrode to the one side wall, the powered electrode being adapted to directly contact hay moving in the baler;
• ii. a non-powered sensor disposed on the opposite side wall of the baler a predetermined distance from the powered sensor to permit conduction of direct current across moving hay, the non-powered sensor including a conductive electrode and a nonconductive housing connecting the electrode to the opposite side wall, the powered electrode being adapted to directly contact hay moving in the baler, and
• iii. a readout system including a voltage supply supplying between one and thirty volts of direct current to the powered sensor, a voltage reader, a display, and conductors communicatively connecting the sensors to the readout system, whereby electrical conductivity between the sensors across hay, contacting both the powered sensor and the non-powered sensor, moving in the bale forming chamber is a function of hay moisture content, whereby for a given voltage of direct current supplied to the powered sensor, an increasing voltage reading on the non-powered sensor represents increasing hay moisture content and a decreasing voltage reading on the non-powered sensor represents a decreasing hay moisture content.