MO DOT

[colson04]

When I was in my teens I had a friend much older than me, left US Forest Service career to dairy farm in Wisconsin. He was obsessed with protein levels of hay. Found that best availability, and price of top quality hay was in Canada. By 1976 he had bought three cab over IH road tractors & trailers, hired two drivers, and a herdsman. He turned his focus to importing hay. Offered me a job, but at the time CDL required you to be over 21. He talked at length about how much protein was lost if hay gets rained on before it is baled. These were dry, rectangular bales, hauled under tarp, and kept under roof.
As round bales took over, I wondered what the different handling practices did to the quality of the hay.

There is top notch hay made in all shapes and sizes these days all over the country, and mediocre/junk hay made right beside it. Biggest factor is cutting at the right stage of growth, and getting it put up and stored properly as soon as possible.

 

[Old Doug]

Renters run a 5x6 Baler, bales come out tighter than Dick's hatband, they stated closer to 1800 lbs. when fresh rolled than not Do not like to waste Wrap making more bales that do not weather well.

Most of whats baled here is hard to get a stabber in to and they unroll it so the cows can eat it other wise its hard to pull any off the bale.

 

[DMiller]

Watched a Great Brome patch get left get seedy and was pollenating as they cut it, looked like a dust bowl or forest fire, was more stem than grass with much of the nutrient lost. Our brome field gets cut Just Once a season, resumes growth at a nominal rate where they allow the critters to munch upon it as a graze fodder the second go round, then it winters pretty well.

 

[mitch504]

Considerable less, it is sitting outdoors, fully wrapped drawing moisture and fermenting they gain weight. Uglier part of bigger rounds is the mold, many will be black at center where the cows eat around it, horses will sicken from it.

That's one thing about the hobby horse market, everything is baled only in dry weather and put under a shed the same day. The customers would be in hysterics at one handful of mold. Anything not perfect is sold to the cow hobbyists.

My sister owns an 85 stall, high-end show horse operation. All the hay she uses is premium alfalfa, trucked in from a producer in the midwest.

 

[DMiller]

Horse folks here pay premium dollar for Brome square bales

 

[Willie B]

There is top notch hay made in all shapes and sizes these days all over the country, and mediocre/junk hay made right beside it. Biggest factor is cutting at the right stage of growth, and getting it put up and stored properly as soon as possible.

The bale shape wasn't a concern. I see hay being baled 4 hours after being cut, then laying on the ground days until they find time to wrap it. The majority lays in the field until it is needed for feed.

Here, I suspect the change in what animal eats it explains. This state was once a dairy farm state. The Federal "Whole Herd Buyout" in 1985 signaled the beginning of the end of Vermont dairy farms. These days it's beef or horses eating hay. Dairy cattle need protein for milk production. Beef, you want them to eat more hay to grow faster.

 

[Truck Shop]

Icicle River.

https://komonews.com/news/local/semi-crashes-into-river-along-us-2-near-leavenworth

 

[DMiller]

Always some jamoke trying to be Speedy Gonzales at the wrong time.

 

[terex herder]

There is top notch hay made in all shapes and sizes these days all over the country, and mediocre/junk hay made right beside it. Biggest factor is cutting at the right stage of growth, and getting it put up and stored properly as soon as possible.

I gotta disagree with that. The biggest factor in making good hay is the weather. What are you going to do when the alfalfa will be ready to cut in two days, and the weatherman says we have 5 days of rain coming? Can't put it up until you get it knocked down. The best alfalfa is grown in the desert under irrigation.

As for losses, again depends on the weather (location). Low rainfall, you can store twine big rounds outside for a year and only lose 5-10% dry matter. East of the Mississippi river, same bale may lose over 30% dry matter.

Weight depends on the type of hay, baler, operator, and weather. Alfalfa big rounds with a newer baler can top 2500#, while the same baler may only make 900# wheat straw bales. Brome or prairie hay would be in the 1400# range with the same baler.

 

[colson04]

I gotta disagree with that. The biggest factor in making good hay is the weather. What are you going to do when the alfalfa will be ready to cut in two days, and the weatherman says we have 5 days of rain coming? Can't put it up until you get it knocked down. The best alfalfa is grown in the desert under irrigation.

As for losses, again depends on the weather (location). Low rainfall, you can store twine big rounds outside for a year and only lose 5-10% dry matter. East of the Mississippi river, same bale may lose over 30% dry matter.

Weight depends on the type of hay, baler, operator, and weather. Alfalfa big rounds with a newer baler can top 2500#, while the same baler may only make 900# wheat straw bales. Brome or prairie hay would be in the 1400# range with the same baler.

I agree, weather is the key to all successful crop production. I don't think my statement is wrong. If you dont harvest at the appropriate stage of growth, you'll never make quality hay, whether it be grass or alfalfa variety. Sometimes it doesn't get cut at the right stage due to weather, other times it's negligence on the farmer. If the farmer doesn't cut when they need to, weather permitting or not, they'll never make quality hay.