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Interested as well -- not familiar with the plant -- looked up seed options and saw that the flowers/seeds can be toxic to cattle? (HERE is where I saw that)

How durable/effective are 3 point unrollers for carrying a 1,200 lb bale? The feeding area is generally within 1/2 mile of the storage location (across grass pathway and pasture). Or is it better to haul them with the loader to the feeding location and then grab with the 3 point unroller?

I believe it's common mullein. It's a native plant that returned up around here 3-4 years ago. Any chance you live near a railroad? A few years ago BNSF seeded via hellicopter native plants up and down the rail line. It worked really well -- I suspect that is where ours came from...

How did you seed the radish? Or rather -- would overseeding work? I can't get into the area with any equipment I currently have.

It shouldn't cause an issue. We used to put alfalfa silage in a silo and I pitched down essentially the last load to flatten the top for the silo unloader. At most that was being fed 24 hours after being cut with the swather -- but morel likely 8 or less.

Yes. I think it's more my calves than the cows. But I now make sure that I attempt to keep the connection out of reach (in another paddock or stretched taught/no slack).

Farmland went from 6K in 2019 to 8K in 2021 and now easily commands 10K. Many sales nearby this past fall for 15K. SW MN/Eastern SD. Although some inflation from investors much of the increase has been farmer on farmer violence.

I'd recommend reviewing some of the articles/videos from here: https://www.edenshalefarm.com/fence-line-feeders.html That is a joint partnership with Univ of KY and a cattle farm. They've tested some interesting things. Water and manure management should be considered when making your plans...

You are going to get strong opinions on balers. You should consider what dealer networks are nearby for parts/assistance. For my money -- John Deere balers are hard to beat. There are some proponents of Vermeer on here as well. Swather to me -- means self propelled windrower -- but if...

I use a twine only round baler -- untreated sisal should last 6 months if stored outside (often longer) and that is in the very seasonal conditions of MN. As others have mentioned -- a well made bale is key -- and a well made bale usually starts with a well-made windrow.

Use a spear to load the bale on the wrapper. Once wrapped -- we dump the bales in a fairly orderly row (dump bale, move tractor with wrapper ahead 10 ft) -- and often just leave them where they get dumped until we feed them in the winter. We do have a bale hugger and we do use it for...

We've had a similar wrapper since 2016. A couple suggestions -- use a bale spear -- works much better than a grapple. Don't let the hay get to dry. And wrapping individual bales is GREATLY aided by making uniform and tight bales. We make baleage out of alfalfa and grass mix...

I feed individually wrapped baleage year round in bale feeders (I don't have a TMR). During the summer it works best to match # of animals to bale size so that the baleage is eaten within 2 days. Obviously, there are times when that doesn't happen. To be honest, I've had baleage that I...

Nothing fancy -- I try to keep one in a bale feeder for free choice. We use stalks for bedding as well (cold in MN) and cows will eat 80% and lay on 20%. Weaned calves will eat more like 50% and lay on 50%.

The first couple years I fed straight baleage. It didn't appear to cause any issues. I now try and supply some roughage in another bale feeder (cornstalks).

As others mentioned -- if the weather is cool (<50 degrees F) I've found baleage doesn't really "spoil". In the summer, it can dry out and cattle may lose interest. Honestly, baleage that appears spoiled (poor wrap/unseen large hole) that I've put out as "bedding" gets eaten completely...

I got a quote yesterday for $100 per roll -- which is a 40.8% increase over what I paid in April. The quote was only good for the day.

In SW MN/E SD -- dock is fairly common. I have one grazing paddock that frequently floods out and the first thing to regrow is curly dock. Cattle tend to ignore it in my experience. In hay, I'd say the same thing, cattle pick around it. One site said cattle would need to eat 10-20 lbs of...

Steve -- was wondering how you were managing it -- how early do you cut your reed canary? (or do you just graze it?)

Steve probably has his own answer -- but in SW MN/ Eastern SD generally, reed canary probably is easier to manage than in the NW US. In my experience Reed Canary tends to have peaks and valleys -- expanding in wet years and being out competed in dry years. Haying and Grazing certainly can keep...