Haylage vs Round Bales

[travlnusa]

What to put up for next winter?

I live on a older dairy farm. I have silos, unloaders, conveyers, etc.

I also have a large pole barn to store round bales in.

Either choice I make will require I have a custom guy to come into put it up.

Lets assume the cost to harvest either method are close to the same.

What are the pros and cons of either method? I see the round bales being easy as I just drop out a few in the field and put a ring around them.

I see Haylage being easy, as I throw a few switches and have a wagon feeder loaded to go.

What am I not considering with either method?

 

[Jogeephus]

I use both. Haylage to me is heavy, bulky, nasty, and creates a lot of wasted plastic to dispose of. Also, in Wisconcin I suspect it would freeze solid due to the amount of moisture in a roll. Here it is heavy and wet and I always get babtized in beer mash when I cut the rolls. That said, I love the feed value of the haylage and I also love the flexibility it gives me when I bale hay. To me, its a hard call as either is good.

 

[travlnusa]

If I were to choose haylage, it would be put up in a a vertical stave (cement) silo, as that is what I have on site. All of the equipement to load/unload is still present and working.

I should have made that more clear in my first post. Sorry about that.

One other fact I need to bring up. The reason I am thing about haylage is my fields are now (2008) in their 3 yr of alfalfa. My renter who put it in has retired. I could find another renter, but franky, I want my own feed source. I am thinking I could let it go past 50% bloom, get more tonnage, but more stems needless to say. By making silage, I see the stems being more paletable to the cows.

Whenever I have a "great" idea, i rely on others to let me know all the other stuff I have not considered.

 

[Jogeephus]

My bad. I was thinking baleage. Eyes aren't what they used to be. In that case, I would lean toward the haleage myself. Heck, you got everything in place to use it seems like a waste not too. JMO Besides, its great feed.

 

[dyates]

Alfalfa makes sorry roll hay unless you store it inside or wrap it. It won't shed water like grass, so by feeding season, half of your rolls will probably be rotted. Having said that, go with haylage. I would also think you would need more roughage than alfalfa haylage would provide, so you will still have to have some grass hay of some sort.

 

[farmguy]

Alfalfa keeps very well in round bales stored inside or out. I think if you have storage problems other issues must be involved. Farmguy

 

[travlnusa]

Storage is not the issue at all. I can store 100's of bales inside, or chop and store 100's of tons of silage.

My question is, if I let the field, which is 95% alfalfa, overmature, get more tonnage. By chopping and putting it in a stave (upright concrete) silo, will that make the stems more paletable due to the shorter partical lenght and fermentation process?

If I bale at an early (dairy style) bloom, I fear it will to to much protein for the cows.

 

[bigbull338]

Storage is not the issue at all. I can store 100's of bales inside, or chop and store 100's of tons of silage.

My question is, if I let the field, which is 95% alfalfa, overmature, get more tonnage. By chopping and putting it in a stave (upright concrete) silo, will that make the stems more paletable due to the shorter partical lenght and fermentation process?

If I bale at an early (dairy style) bloom, I fear it will to to much protein for the cows.

youd be better off selling your dairy quality hay to a dairymen.an buying back stock cow hay.or letting the hay mature for stock cow hay.an get more overall tonnage when baliong the hay.

 

[travlnusa]

If I were to choose to let the hay mature and then bale, what % bloom would I be looking for?
I know it will be over 50% bloom, but how much over?

Thanks

 

[dyates]

Alfalfa keeps very well in round bales stored inside or out. I think if you have storage problems other issues must be involved. Farmguy

Doesn't it rain in Minnesota? Alfalfa will not shed water like grass when kept outside. When rolled in late May/early June with our normal rainfall, you will experience at least a 30%loss, usually more. The rain runs right down into the rolls and they rot. We have cranked up the pressure on the roller to tighten up the rolls; they still don't shed water.

 

[TexasBred]

Storage is not the issue at all. I can store 100's of bales inside, or chop and store 100's of tons of silage.

My question is, if I let the field, which is 95% alfalfa, overmature, get more tonnage. By chopping and putting it in a stave (upright concrete) silo, will that make the stems more paletable due to the shorter partical lenght and fermentation process?

If I bale at an early (dairy style) bloom, I fear it will to to much protein for the cows.

More palatable yes...more digestible no. But you'll have more of it.

 

[farmguy]

Alfalfa keeps very well in round bales stored inside or out. I think if you have storage problems other issues must be involved. Farmguy

Doesn't it rain in Minnesota? Alfalfa will not shed water like grass when kept outside. When rolled in late May/early June with our normal rainfall, you will experience at least a 30%loss, usually more. The rain runs right down into the rolls and they rot. We have cranked up the pressure on the roller to tighten up the rolls; they still don't shed water.

All I know is what I know. I use a 554XL Vermer baler. I think that is the number as baler is in the shed. Yes it does rain in Minnesota. This is my experience and obviously yours is different. No need for snide remarks. thank you Farmguy

 

[travlnusa]

Thanks to all that offered quite a few thing for me to consider, most I had not thought of myself. That is why I come here.

To FarmGuy, yes it does rain in Minnesota. In the winter we get what we call snow. That would be forzen rain. I see that you are from Minnesota, so I am happy to help out someone else here in the midwest understand how moisture falls to earth.

It is time for this thread to end.

 

[shorty]

You will probably end up with better feed doing it as haylage. If costs are the same and ease of handling is the same I would do haylage. If you have more than you think you need , make the extra as hay so you can sell it.