“Hay Day” Management Nuts & Bolts of Making Hay and Silage

Bob Schultheis Natural Resource Engineering Specialist

Thanks to Rob Kallenbach, State Forage Specialist,

for some slides used in this presentation

“Just be glad you're not getting all the government you're paying for.” -- Will Rogers

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Can you afford to spend $2 to get $1 back?

Can you afford to think this way in the hay business?

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Storage -35%

Harvesting -14%

Feeding -30%

Field curing -26%

30% Left

Typical Forage

Harvesting Losses

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Storage -5%

Harvesting -8%

Feeding -8%

Field curing -12%

70% Left

Optimum Forage

Harvesting Losses

Important Factors for Quality Hay

Forage species Cutting - stage of maturity at harvest Baling - moisture content at baling Handling Storage conditions Feeding methods

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Best Forage Cutting Stage

Tall fescue / Native WSG = boot Orchardgrass = blooms emerged Bermudagrass = every 28 days Caucasian bluestem = late boot Red clover = 1/4 to 1/2 bloom Alfalfa = 1/10 bloom, then every 28 days Lespedeza = 30% bloom Cereal crops = boot to milk

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Stage of Growth Affect Intake

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The leaves contain about 2/3rds of the plant nutrients

Forage Moisture Affects Dry Matter Harvest & Storage Losses

Garbage Zone

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Hay and Silage Making Losses

Mechanical handling

losses

Leaching losses

Respiration losses

Mechanical Handling Losses

Mowing Raking Tedding Baling or

Chopping Handling

Mowing & Conditioning

Losses

Type of Mower% D.M.

Lost% Leaves

LostSicklebar mower only 1 2Sicklebar mower, fluted rolls 2 3Disc mower, fluted rolls 3 4Disc mower, flail conditioner 4 5

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Sickle vs. Disc

Clean cut Slower Low horsepower

Close cut (too close?) Quicker Higher horsepower Cumbersome to mount

Use Wide Swaths

Maximizes solar drying capacity Can reduce drying time by 50% Gives hay a more even color

Mechanically Condition Hay

Stems and leaves dry at nearly the same rate Breaks cuticle or waxy layer Can reduce drying time 30-50%

Flail (Impeller) Mowers

Faster drying the first day – breaks vascular tissue Works best for thin-stemmed grasses over thick

stem and leafy forages

Photo credit: Dennis Hancock, Univ. of Georgia

Raking & Tedding Losses

Raking Tedding Moisture Content

% D.M. Lost

% Leaves Lost

% D.M. Lost

% Leaves Lost

70% 2 2 1 2 60% 2 3 1 3 50% 3 5 3 5 33% 7 12 6 12 20% 12 21 12 21

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Use a Tedder EARLY in the Process

Best used on legumes within 4 hours of cutting

Use the morning after cutting

Be sure hay is not too dry before finishing

Can reduce drying time 20 to 30%

Leaching Losses

Can remove 40% of the nutrients in a single event Dramatically reduces the marketability of hay Minimizing drying time is the key

Baling Losses

Pickup + Chamber Forage Moisture Content

% D.M. Lost

% Leaves Lost

25%, with preservative 1 2

20% 2 3

12% 3 4 19

Large Round Bales

1200 lbs. ÷ 142.5 sq.ft. = 8.4 lbs./sq.ft.

Small Square Bales

60 lbs. ÷ 21.3 sq.ft. = 2.8 lbs./sq.ft.

Shape Dictates Moisture Content at Baling

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5.5’ x 5.5’

Effect of Moisture Content on Hay Quality

Forage Moisture Testing

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Photo Credit: www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/publications/ID-172.htm

Microwave $50 - $100

Prices as of January 2014

Electrical conductance

moisture meter $450

Photo Credit: www.enasco.com/product/C16283N

Reference: Determining Forage Moisture Concentration http://pubs.ext.vt.edu/442/442-106/442-106.html

Heater/fan dryer (Koster® unit)

$365

Photo Credit: www.enasco.com/product/C08633N

Maximum Hay Moisture Content (%) at Baling

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Perc

ent M

oist

ure

Con

tent

Reference: MU Guide G3151 Using a Microwave Oven to Determine Moisture in Forages http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G3151

22%

18% 16%

Final Moisture Content of Baled Hay, %

Relative Humidity, %Temperature, °F 30 50 70 80

70 10 13 21 3980 8 12 20 3885 7 10 18 37

95 5 8 16 36

24 At a given temperature and relative humidity, there is a corresponding moisture content below which the hay will no longer release moisture.

Minimize Ash Content When Harvesting Forages

Internal and External Ash External – Dirt and Dust Normal Internal

• 8% for legumes • 6% for grasses

Typical amounts found = 9-18% 18% ash means 1 lb. of “dirt” is fed out

of each 5 lbs. of hay or silage fed!

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Tips to Minimize Ash Content

1. Use flat knives on disc mowers 2. Raise the cutter bar of a disc mower 3. Avoid harvesting lodged forage 4. Keep the windrow off the ground 5. Keep rake tines from ground contact 6. Windrow mergers keep hay from

being moved laterally 7. Store hay off the ground 8. Store silage piles on concrete

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Practical Ways Producers Can Speed Haymaking

Use weather forecasting to minimize exposure to rain

Dry hay in wide swaths as opposed to narrow windrows

Mechanically condition hay Ted hay in the morning ~ 65% moisture Use a preservative Make silage or baleage instead of hay

Silage

Low harvest losses Totally mechanized handling Less dependent on weather

but….

High capital investment Less marketable than hay

Big Baleage

Lower initial cost than a conventional silage system

Lower harvest losses than hay

Easier to market than conventional silage

Flexible harvest options

Key Factors

Quality at time of harvest Baleage only preserves -- does not

really enhance forage quality Suitability of forage for ensiling Harvest and preservation

techniques Storage methods

Making Good Silage

KEEP THE OXYGEN OUT!

Wilt forage to 50 to 60% moisture

Pack material tightly • Chop 3/8” to 1/2” length

Ensile as quickly as possible • Fast fermentation leads

to a more stable feed and more nutrient retention

Making Good Baleage

KEEP THE OXYGEN OUT!

Wilt forage to 50 to 60% moisture • upper end for grasses • lower end for legumes

Make bales as dense as possible • Longer fiber slows

fermentation Wrap as quickly as possible

• Within 5 hours of baling

Crude Protein - Alfalfa Baleage

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54 49 43 22 Moisture Content at Baling (%)

Cru

de P

rote

in (%

)

Pre-Storage Post-Storage

It’s all about moisture content at harvest and how fast it is put in an anaerobic

environment for fermentation to begin

Digestibility of Alfalfa Baleage IV

DM

D (%

)

Moisture Content at Baling (%)

-----------Baleage -----------

Hay

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

54% 49% 43% 22%

Red Clover Baleage

__________________________ Treatment CP NDF __________________________ --------%------- RC baleage 21.1 35.7 RC hay 16.3 49.8 __________________________

(60% moisture at baling)

Ryegrass Baleage Comparison to Hay

Replacement Heifers Gain – No additional supplementation Ryegrass hay received a light rain shower on it Unpublished data, Calhoun, GA, 2009, Dennis Hancock P<0.10

Treatment CP %

TDN %

RFQ ADG lbs/hd/d

Ryegrass Hay 14.7 b 62.4 c 133 b 1.26 b Ryegrass Baleage 16.3 a 65.9 a 174 a 1.94 a Bermuda Hay 16.1 a 62.9 b 116 c 1.56 b

Several Types of Wrappers are Available

Platform Wrappers

Features • Trailer or 3-point hitch • Round or square bales • Tractor hydraulics or

gas engine • Plastic $3.50 - $4.50 per

bale for 4 layers • Some have a loader arm;

most can be loaded with a front-end loader

Platform Wrappers

Concerns • Plastic cost • Labor per bale • Most only accommodate

4-foot wide bales

Square Bale Platform Wrappers

Other Wrappers

End-to-End Individual Wrap

Concerns • Labor • Plastic on bottoms

of bales

Baleage - Transport

Avoid handling if possible

If bales must be moved, use a grapple to avoid puncturing plastic

In-Line Wrappers

Features • Bales end-to-end • Less labor for

wrapping • Lower plastic

cost (1/2 or less)

In-Line Wrappers

Concerns • Uniformity of adjacent bales

(both size and density) • End of rows need to be

sealed by hand • A hole in the plastic can

spoil a large area • Feedout rate (need to feed

two or three per day to keep ahead of spoilage)

Baleage - Wrapping

Wrap with at least four layers of 1-mil plastic with 50% overlap. 8-mil total is ideal for long-term storage

Use high-quality plastic

Storage Treatment Consumption 2 layers 53% 4 layers 84% 6 layers 88% Hay 64%

Alfalfa Silage & Hay

Alfalfa silage & hay from the same field 2, 4, or 6 layers of stretch film - platform wrapper

2 layers Hay 4 layers 6 layers

Baleage - Storage

Store in a well-drained site Store bales where animals

won't damage them Weeds encourage rodents Storing on the flat side

prevents squatting Patch holes promptly

Crops to Wrap

Legumes • Alfalfa • Red clover • Soybean

Cool Season Grasses • Tall fescue • Wheat / Triticale / Rye • Annual Ryegrass

Warm Season Grasses • Forage sorghum • Sudangrass • Pearl millet • Immature corn

Legume-Grass mixes work best

Grasses vs. Legumes

Grasses tend to ferment better than do legumes – more water-soluble carbohydrates

pH near 4 for all grass treatments Much more acid production than in alfalfa silage

Alfalfa

Grasses

2

3

4

5

6

7

pH

When to Wrap

Wrap as soon as possible after baling Definitely on the same day – Start a

little on the wet side Delayed wrapping prevented

adequate fermentation as reflected in the higher pH value

Suggestions: • Hot, summer day – 2 hrs • Cool, fall day – 8 hrs

(Depends on weather and type of forage)

pH 4.5

pH 6.2

Other Tips

Do not use treated sisal twine. The treatment breaks down the plastic.

Inoculants are a good option if the moisture isn’t right – speeds up lactic acid formation.

Don’t wrap in the rain Bales should be fed within one

year of wrapping Wrapping area and storage areas

should be close

Key Factors

Cut at optimum maturity Bale between 50 and 60% moisture Make bales dense Use a minimum of four layers of

plastic Wrap A.S.A.P. after baling Patch holes promptly

Questions?

Robert A. (Bob) Schultheis Natural Resource Engineering Specialist

Webster County Extension Center 800 S. Marshall St.

Marshfield, MO 65706 Voice: 417-859-2044 Fax: 417-468-2086

E-mail: schultheisr@missouri.edu Web: extension.missouri.edu/webster

Program Complaint Information To file a program complaint you may contact any of the following:

University of Missouri MU Extension AA/EEO Office

109 F. Whitten Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 MU Human Resources Office

130 Heinkel Bldg, Columbia, MO 65211

USDA Office of Civil Rights, Director

Room 326-W, Whitten Building 14th and Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20250-9410

"Equal opportunity is and shall be provided to all participants in Extension programs and activities, and for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without discrimination on the basis of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or status as a Vietnam-era veteran. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or military organizations associated with the armed forces of the United States of America."

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Some slides in this presentation provided by: -- University of Arkansas Extension -- University of Kentucky Extension