hay processing

[csutton]

I read in a magazine some years ago about a stationary small square baling operation. They would round bale all there hay in the summer, and then in winter unroll it into the square baler under a big covered area. Anybody ever heard of or done any of this? If so, pro's con's? suggestions? I think it would be nice for resellers that way theres not so many man hours in loading unloading truckloads of hay. It could be bought in large bales and then converted if needed for squares. Sound to wild? Sometimes I like to just think outloud.


csutton

 

[CattleAnnie]

Not to play devil's advocate here, but wouldn't you lose a lot of the leaf and therefore nutritional content by re-baling it?

Take care.

 

[Bez!]

I read in a magazine some years ago about a stationary small square baling operation. They would round bale all there hay in the summer, and then in winter unroll it into the square baler under a big covered area. Anybody ever heard of or done any of this? If so, pro's con's? suggestions? I think it would be nice for resellers that way theres not so many man hours in loading unloading truckloads of hay. It could be bought in large bales and then converted if needed for squares. Sound to wild? Sometimes I like to just think outloud.


csutton

Aside from CA's valid comments - transport costs, re-baling costs, additional handling costs, and a whole bunch more.

Bale it once - sell it or feed it.

Bez!

 

[csutton]

All the above is true, like I said, I like to think outloud sometimes. I trust that everyone on this board will put me back in my place and back down to reality.


csutton

 

[CattleAnnie]

Not knocking you for the idea, CS. Just typing out my thoughts here as well.

There's probably some good points to doing the double-baling, too.


Take care.

 

[csangus]

I probably have that article somewhere in my house.I'll try to find it.I thought it was somewhere in Georgia maybe?

 

[NorCalFarms]

This happens all over the place. Reason? Plain old money. Round bales are cheap, big squares are cheap, etc. Little small bales are expensive (per ton) and it is easier to make a bunch all at once, that can go right onto pallets, trucks, or shipping containers. There is a company in Salem, OR that makes a machine that slices 3x4x8' bales into around 30 small 50lb bales. Another farm in Utah grows all there own hay, puts it up in 3x4 bales, then when needed, those get trucked to a facility where they are sliced into small bales, strapped back together and then shrink wrapped. I think they sell mostly to feed stores, but I know they export some. We also ourselves ship alfalfa to a 'press', that compresses the bales, loads them into Sea-Land containers and ships to the Pacific Rim countries.

It is amazing what people will do with such a comparatively low value commodity. But, they are lots of people making just a buck or two/ton processing hay, just takes lots of volume.

 

[Beefy]

every year we unroll a few bales of bermuda and peanut hay to rebale as square bales for our own use. we use it to feed the bulls, horses, or sick cows or occasionally to take to a new, hiding pair. its comes in handy for the horses and bulls and less is wasted that way i think. sure you lose a little rebaling it.

 

[hfd9341]

Heres one on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/AG-WAY-Bale-Process ... dZViewItem

 

[farmer4620]

makes since even in your own operation...you can roundbale faster than small square thats a given been around it for along time...if rains comin and the hays ready you can get it up and inside quicker and then in the winter run it through bale processor and rebale it

 

[Beefy]

yup..
plus its easier/quicker to haul down the motorspeedway. i mean our little country road.

 

[Herefordcross]

That's where compressed bales come from, at least what I've seen in south dakota. There's a father/son team out there that has two of everything. They bale their behinds off all summer and then break 'em down in the winter and truck em out as compressed bales.

 

[HAY MAKER]

I read in a magazine some years ago about a stationary small square baling operation. They would round bale all there hay in the summer, and then in winter unroll it into the square baler under a big covered area. Anybody ever heard of or done any of this? If so, pro's con's? suggestions? I think it would be nice for resellers that way theres not so many man hours in loading unloading truckloads of hay. It could be bought in large bales and then converted if needed for squares. Sound to wild? Sometimes I like to just think outloud.


csutton

csutton,if that magazine was progressive farmer,I have a neighbor that bought that equipment and has it under his barns in Comfort TX,claims its the same equipment anyway,he round bales alot of costal in the summer,and small square bales it in the winter for the horse folks,he has it rigged up with conveyors so that all he has to do is sit a round bale in place on some sort of unroller and conveyors take it to one of two small square balers.
I did'nt pay much attention to it as I was there dealing on some round bales for cattle that had got showered on,it must work ,he has been doing it for a few years..........good luck

 

[cowtrek]

I saw a rig a guy built to rebale rounds into little squares in FARM SHOW magazine here while back. You can probably find it archived at http://www.farmshow.com . It was a pretty slick homegrown setup that used a homemade unroller (sorta looked like a manure spreader with the tongue end wall removed, tipped up at about a 45 degree angle, so the bale rolled downhill on the floor as the chains slowly pulled the hay up to the high end and dumped it into the baler pickup via a sheet metal chute) A guy could probably build one out of wood or metal framing and wood flooring like a manure spreader and use old combine feederhouse chains, manure spreader chains, or an old New Holland chain/bar baler chain. Wouldn't seem all that difficult or too terribly expensive, unlike buying some sort of machine to do the same job. Since the bales are being unrolled on a floor and raised by chainslats to drop down a metal chute into the baler, I don't think you'd lose as many leaves as you might think, some to be sure, but probably not a lot.
The guy that built it said that he does it so he can sell smaller quantities of hay to horse people who only want small squares without the headaches of trying to find labor to pick up and load bales out of the field, into the barn, out of the barn and into trucks/trailers. Using a round baler lets him get it off the field and into the bale in a more timely way, which improves the quality, makes moving and storage easier, and allows him to feed and sell rounds as well. He doesn't have to stack and store tons of small squares that might not sell, he can simply make em as he needs em to fill an order.
Rolling it out on the ground and rebaling it is another option, though I'm certain a guy would lose a lot more leaves and hay that way, but if you don't need a lot of small squares, that's the most cost effective way of doing it. Good luck! JR

 

[cowtrek]

I saw a rig a guy built to rebale rounds into little squares in FARM SHOW magazine here while back. You can probably find it archived at http://www.farmshow.com . It was a pretty slick homegrown setup that used a homemade unroller (sorta looked like a manure spreader with the tongue end wall removed, tipped up at about a 45 degree angle, so the bale rolled downhill on the floor as the chains slowly pulled the hay up to the high end and dumped it into the baler pickup via a sheet metal chute) A guy could probably build one out of wood or metal framing and wood flooring like a manure spreader and use old combine feederhouse chains, manure spreader chains, or an old New Holland chain/bar baler chain. Wouldn't seem all that difficult or too terribly expensive, unlike buying some sort of machine to do the same job. Since the bales are being unrolled on a floor and raised by chainslats to drop down a metal chute into the baler, I don't think you'd lose as many leaves as you might think, some to be sure, but probably not a lot.
The guy that built it said that he does it so he can sell smaller quantities of hay to horse people who only want small squares without the headaches of trying to find labor to pick up and load bales out of the field, into the barn, out of the barn and into trucks/trailers. Using a round baler lets him get it off the field and into the bale in a more timely way, which improves the quality, makes moving and storage easier, and allows him to feed and sell rounds as well. He doesn't have to stack and store tons of small squares that might not sell, he can simply make em as he needs em to fill an order.
Rolling it out on the ground and rebaling it is another option, though I'm certain a guy would lose a lot more leaves and hay that way, but if you don't need a lot of small squares, that's the most cost effective way of doing it. Good luck! JR

 

[Bobg]

There are a number of people I know that do this. The reason being that they can't get the hay baled with small squares between rain storms. They then store their hay in a barn and then during the winter rebale into small squares since they bring more money from horse people.

Bobg

 

[HAY MAKER]

There are a number of people I know that do this. The reason being that they can't get the hay baled with small squares between rain storms. They then store their hay in a barn and then during the winter rebale into small squares since they bring more money from horse people.

Bobg

I think the biggest reason its done around here is labor savings,one man can round bale and move alot of hay outa the weather,then square bale under roof,that's quiet a savings because the going rate around here is about a dollar a square baled moved from field to barn,if you can find someone to do it............good luck