Barry Yaremcio, beef and forage specialist, Ag-Info Centre, Alberta Agriculture and Food, Stettler, Alberta, provided this answer:

The moisture probes that you stick into bales or are in the chambers of square balers, obtain readings from the forage using an electric current differential. It measures the moisture on the exterior of the stem and leaves, and not what is in the inside of the stem. When you tested the hay after baling, the heat evaporated much of the surface moisture and you obtained a low reading. The next morning, after the moisture migrated out of the stem to the leaves and outer surfaces, you obtain a much more accurate reading.

If a hay crop is cut for only two or three days and is not properly cured, you will receive an artificially low indication of moisture content.

To determine if the hay is cured, take a handful of hay out of the middle to lower section of the windrow and hold it lengthwise as a sheaf in both hands with the cut end of the stocks extending out one hand and the leaf and heads out of the other hand. Grasp the hay somewhere in the middle of the stock, keeping your thumbs approximately 2-3” apart with palms downward, try to break the sheaf in two (no different than breaking a pencil). If the stems crack (audible to the ear), it is an indication that the hay is cured. If the hay bends and does not crack, it is not ready to bale.

Another test is to have the hay the same as above, with hands 4-5” apart, make circular motions no different than what your feet make when peddling a bicycle. If all the stems sever after four or five rotations, the hay is ready to bale.

To double-check your moisture tester, use the microwave to test 100 grams of product. The protocol is at http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/for4908.

Compare the reading you get from the probe to what the microwave test provides. For example, if the tester indicates 14 % and the microwave indicates 18%, then you know your probe is reading 4 % low. Adjust your hay moisture accordingly.

Remember, hay will go through a "secondary" sweat after it is baled. This will last for two to four days. After this period of time, the hay should be stable and moisture levels should not fluctuate. It is still important to have the moisture levels low enough at baling to prevent long-term problems.

Our Web site searching found that oats, at milk stage, contain a mliky substance in seeds. To confirm that, here's what we found from the University of Florida extension on harvesting small grains for silage, taken from its Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/DS155:

"There are typically three stages of identifiable plant maturities at which small grains are harvested - boot, milk, and dough stages. The boot stage is the time when the head is enclosed by the sheath of the uppermost leaf. The milk stage is when the grain head releases a white liquidy substance when opened. The grain head continues to lay down carbohydrates so that its consistency becomes more dough-like thus the label 'dough stage'."

Have you tried the Organic Seed Database (http://seeds.omri.org/index.php?List=Suppliers)? You can put in the crop you're interested in buying and get a list of suppliers. There's also a handy resource button on the left-hand column on the Web site's home page that offers other sites to find organic seed. Good luck on your project!