farmerjan
Well-known member
We are feeding some 3 yr old hay that was stored outside. Losing about 1/3 the bale to rot etc., but that is fertilizer/organic matter going back onto the ground and improving the pastures so not a "loss" except for some feed value. The cows are really digging through these old bales though. We would like to put up a hay shed and it might get done this next year. The demand for small sq bales is increasing, and we can do more of them and fewer round bales and make more. It might mean decreasing the cow herd a bit. If cattle prices rise as I expect them to do in about 3-5 years, we will be ahead to sell down cow numbers and do the small squares. Have a friend that has an accumulator, and we may try using it for hay that gets sold out of the field. What we are looking for is more storage for wagons loaded with sm sq bales since many times we can't get it made and get the wagons unloaded. NO HELP is one problem. So a few more wagons where the hay can sit on them under roof is part of it... plus being able to store the better 2nd cutting rolls under cover.
Prices look to be about the same here this coming year at this point. But if it gets dry, all bets are off.
We are also going to put about 15 acres into corn for silage; part to sell and part for us. Have a dairy farmer that is looking for more land for silage so are working out a deal and will get ours chopped and bagged in the deal. This is ground we want to put back into hay so it will help having the corn in the rotation. Have some johnson grass moving into this field and some weeds, so it was either corn, or grain sorghum and I think he is still going to do some grain sorghum and then we will get the corn too. Will probably wean and hold the calves, as they will be born a little later this spring, and we may wait to wean until after the new year and sell in Mar/April. So the silage/haylage will be good. The calves we held and will sell in the next couple weeks, have done decent on the grain sorghum silage and it is alot cheaper to put in than corn. But we will get the benefit of the corn silage in this deal with the dairy farmer.
We will have to make a decent amount of hay to make sure we have enough for the winter though. We'll see how the weather cooperates.
Prices look to be about the same here this coming year at this point. But if it gets dry, all bets are off.
We are also going to put about 15 acres into corn for silage; part to sell and part for us. Have a dairy farmer that is looking for more land for silage so are working out a deal and will get ours chopped and bagged in the deal. This is ground we want to put back into hay so it will help having the corn in the rotation. Have some johnson grass moving into this field and some weeds, so it was either corn, or grain sorghum and I think he is still going to do some grain sorghum and then we will get the corn too. Will probably wean and hold the calves, as they will be born a little later this spring, and we may wait to wean until after the new year and sell in Mar/April. So the silage/haylage will be good. The calves we held and will sell in the next couple weeks, have done decent on the grain sorghum silage and it is alot cheaper to put in than corn. But we will get the benefit of the corn silage in this deal with the dairy farmer.
We will have to make a decent amount of hay to make sure we have enough for the winter though. We'll see how the weather cooperates.
