Bale grazing vs Fertilize for Pasture Improvement

[Silver]

This is how I like my hay unrolled.

 

[RDFF]

This is how I like my hay unrolled.

Using a Hustler/Tubeline? Chainless? Nice... Looks like too narrow a swath to just have "unrolled" the bale directly, and I see your tracks off to the right of the swath, rather than straddling it like they would be with a rear 3 pt. or bale bed unroller, or one on the front like I have. I looked at those too, and liked them, especially the chainless one. Just decided I could build something that would work reliably for alot less. No moving parts on mine to wear out.

 

[Silver]

Using a Hustler/Tubeline?

Yes. Tubeline.

 

[RDFF]

Yes. Tubeline.

That gives you the "option" to unroll further/lighter... or heavier, just by driving faster or slower. Can't do that with a "drop the bale on the ground and drive" version. You have the chainless one? Trailer type or 3 pt.? How long you had it? Anything you don't like about it or wish they'd change?

 

[ClinchValley86]

I'm guilty of raking huge windrows***. I pick the bale up lot when unrolling. 15 foot then skip 10, 15 then skip 10. It does seem to help.

It's so muddy here that I busted the hay rings out yesterday.

 

[Silver]

That gives you the "option" to unroll further/lighter... or heavier, just by driving faster or slower. Can't do that with a "drop the bale on the ground and drive" version. You have the chainless one? Trailer type or 3 pt.? How long you had it? Anything you don't like about it or wish they'd change?

Mine is chainless, trail type.
Things I don't like: it's not super easy to open the shielding on the top roller to remove twine that gets wrapped up on the roller. Not a big deal but it could be improved.
I don't care for how the bale tub is hinged, Hustler uses pillow block bearings rather than the pipe in pipe method that Tubeline uses
Some of the bolts that keep the pins in place are a pain to keep tight.
I can't think of anything else right now, it's a good rig. I think I bought it in 2020, so I've fed over 10,000 bales with it. I've welded two cracks and broke the pipe the bale tub uses for a hinge.
I feel like it has more than paid for itself in hay savings.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

There was a trailed hustler for sale at auction but I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger if it would have been a 3pt unit I probably would have. I like how you can spread the hay out more evenly and narrow. But can't bring myself to spend 17k for one when my 30year old $500 unroller does the job.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

I'm guilty of raking huge windows. I pick the bale up lot when unrolling. 15 foot then skip 10, 15 then skip 10. It does seem to help.

It's so muddy here that I busted the hay rings out yesterday.

Geez! Now I see what you are saying. I couldn't figure out what in tarnation you were talking about when you typed "windows". I've slept on it since yesterday and now that I look at it again, you meant "wind-rows"! Makes a whole lot more sense!

 

[ClinchValley86]

Geez! Now I see what you are saying. I couldn't figure out what in tarnation you were talking about when you typed "windows". I've slept on it since yesterday and now that I look at it again, you meant "wind-rows"! Makes a whole lot more sense!

I'm a terrible typer on a phone's screen and the auto-corrections don't seem to work right. I do try to fix typos when I see them, but that one evaded me.

 

[WFfarm]

This is how I like my hay unrolled.
View attachment 52597

Put a strand of electrified poly line and step in post down the center of that row and the cows will waste a lot less. Our cows are too dumb to not step and crap all over what we lay on the ground.

 

[RDFF]

It's not waste... it's investment into the future of the pasture. The time and labor of putting a polywire down over that potentially 1/4 mile long swath, in the middle of winter (might be -20° and blowing out there!!!) wouldn't be worth whatever you might save. If you're feeding every day what they need, that limits dramatically how much they spoil (so consider that vs. how that would impact it when "bale grazing"), and the quality of the feed does as well.

If you want to make small changes, change the way you DO things... If you want to make BIG changes, change the way you SEE things!

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I tell people they need to rethink their definition of "waste".

 

[farmerjan]

I agree @chevytaHOE5674 .... waste is relative. I do hate to see cattle that walk all over some nice hay because they "just do".... and there are times that they "waste" perfectly good eating hay by peeing and pooping on it... but that is organic matter that either can get incorporated back into the soil right there, or scooped up and spread on ground where the manure mixed with the organic matter in the form of the hay or straw or whatever "carbon" material , will do a good job of feeding the microbes that break it down into healthy soil that will feed the next growing crop.... pasture or some other planted crop...
And we all know that some cows have to go from spot to spot to just find the place they want, only to go rushing to another spot because someone else might have something better... and some cows will go to one spot and start eating and will not walk all over everything but just stand there and eat quietly and efficiently... and lift their tail out behind them out of the hay and another will stand crossways right in the middle and crap all over everything....

 

[Twisted]

I'm a terrible typer on a phone's screen and the auto-corrections don't seem to work right. I do try to fix typos when I see them, but that one evaded me.

I speed read so read it as wind rows, never noticed the spelling. But when reading that way sometimes there are words that if misspelled they will pop and make me go back and analyze what I just read.

 

[cowman82]

I have a 3 point bale spinner and i can make a windrow like silver posted. only downside to this is if the bales are really tight or baled a tad wet they sometimes are hard to unroll. I've been using it for over 10 years. unrolling what they need I get almost 0 waste. I even unroll an alfalfa bale to them everyday in with the others.

 

[ClinchValley86]

I have a 3 point bale spinner and i can make a windrow like silver posted. only downside to this is if the bales are really tight or baled a tad wet they sometimes are hard to unroll. I've been using it for over 10 years. unrolling what they need I get almost 0 waste. I even unroll an alfalfa bale to them everyday in with the others.

Red clover bales... are they a decent substitute for alfalfa?

 

[Silver]

Put a strand of electrified poly line and step in post down the center of that row and the cows will waste a lot less. Our cows are too dumb to not step and crap all over what we lay on the ground.

That could be 1 to 2 miles of fence to put up every day on frozen ground

 

[bigbluegrass]

I am bale grazing to feed cows and renovate some land that was cleared a few years ago again this year. I have to feed the cows some place! This is heavy clay. The area was cleared and seeded a few years ago, but never grew much grass since then. I plan to seed a mix of clover and grass in the spring once the cows are off it. Worst case it doesn't grow much grass next year, which is where I am now. Based on past experience, I think it will grow a little more grass next year and really take off the year after. Partly depends on the spring we have.

I am using a bale ring now because of the mud. I wasn't using one a few weeks ago but it got so muddy they were just climbing up on the bales to get out of the mud and then of course they can't eat it once it has any mud on it. They were also pushing the bales down the hill and unrolling them. Once it was unrolled they would trample it into the mud and then not want to eat anymore. Given the chance they will "waste" about half and eat half. That is a bit more "waste" than I want. The bale ring fixed both problems.

From past experience here, I do believe bale grazing helps renovate land that is in bad shape. BUT if you have some pasture that is doing pretty good, it can actually have a negative impact. I normally pick the absolute worst spots to bale graze. Newly cleared land is the best. There is no grass so you have nothing to lose! It makes a difference. I have posted some pictures in the past.

 

[Twisted]

This is my experience with using hay for fertilizer: I bought a place a couple of years ago now and to say it was in bad shape is a gross understatement. It's still in bad shape but miles ahead of where it started. I didn't need lime, the PH is perfect for pasture, but it needed fertilizer. I toyed with the thought of dumping the rates recommended by soil test on the place but that is expensive and I just didn't see where fertilizing weeds and bare spots was going to produce anything above foreclosure.

What I brought with me to this place was basic knowledge of how to grow grass and many other plants that I gained through experience. I have fed hay in rings, grazed bales, and rolled out hay (by hand). Most all hay has seed in it and that seed will sprout given the right conditions but it needs water to grow. A hard packed bare knoll will not grow anything if it can't hold water. A thick layer of organic matter (hay) will not only hold water but makes excellent sun screen for the soil.

Someone already mentioned weeds in brought in hay. When you bale graze or feed whole bales, the weed seed is concentrated in one spot. The sprouted weed seed isn't a bad thing on bare ground because they will help you get to where you are trying to go. Just never let the weeds go to seed. If they are concentrated in a spot they are easier to clip and manage. I found that I can knock down weeds, spred thick spots of hay, and spred manure in one pass with my cutter in the spring after the weeds and grass seed has sprouted.

I spread chicken litter over the whole place last spring. It did absolutely nothing for the areas that were still bare and couldn't hold moisture. The areas where the soil was newly cleared and the areas where I fed hay bales to build organic matter, did wonderful and didn't show near the stress from the fall dry spell as the rest of the pasture. I personally wouldn't spend money on synthetic fertilizer, unless the organic matter is where it should be first. Our streams don't need it.

 

[cowman82]

Red clover bales... are they a decent substitute for alfalfa?

I'd say for brood cows they'd do just as good. In KY i'd use to make a lot of red clover bales and they cows always did very well on them.