Bale loss by making hay rather than silage

Tomjim

Guys if each year you normally get 100 bales of silage off a 10 acre field (grass is wilted for 1 day), how many bales of hay would you get. ie what is the % loss expected by drying out the grass to make hay assuming that all other variables remain the same

Sam Kade

If the silage is 35% DM and hay is 85% DM it means that you will have 50% less water in the crop. You will have less bales with hay but you should have the same amount of feeding. I suppose you would have around 20-30% less bales.

Figerty

And a huge saving in costs.. about €3/per bale in plastic (+ disposal costs later) and the fact you have 20% less bales to pay for.

All good if you have a place to put it in.

Tomjim

this time of year is a bale of well made hay better than a bale of silage

Sam Kade

Tomjim wrote: »

this time of year is a bale of well made hay better than a bale of silage

It would be the same but as mentioned above it would be cheaper to make hay if the weather is right. There's way on the way though

dzer2

Sam Kade wrote: »

It would be the same but as mentioned above it would be cheaper to make hay if the weather is right. There's way on the way though

I cut Monday baled friday savage saving and sold off the field no comparison why with all this fine weather are you waiting until now to make your hay. I have all mine done and I am doing it myself. I have done 2 fields at a time and have had time to frequent the beach and go to the hurling games and have done it at my pleasure.

Sam Kade

dzer2 wrote: »

I cut Monday baled friday savage saving and sold off the field no comparison why with all this fine weather are you waiting until now to make your hay. I have all mine done and I am doing it myself. I have done 2 fields at a time and have had time to frequent the beach and go to the hurling games and have done it at my pleasure.

Good for you, just to let you know I have my hay baled as well. The beach is not my style neither is hurling.

Farmer Pudsey

dzer2 wrote: »

I cut Monday baled friday savage saving and sold off the field no comparison why with all this fine weather are you waiting until now to make your hay. I have all mine done and I am doing it myself. I have done 2 fields at a time and have had time to frequent the beach and go to the hurling games and have done it at my pleasure.

Sam Kade wrote: »

Good for you, just to let you know I have my hay baled as well. The beach is not my style neither is hurling.

May cattle are eating after grass after cutting silage in early June. Yes hay is as good as silage this time of year and this year you are saving. Last year it was hard to get hay and silage made in late July/August is no comparison to silage made in late May early June. And I have cattle on after grass now or have taken a second cut off Hybrids/RVP and reclosed for third cut. Also will have to feed stores little or no meal over the winter.

How many farmers had silage that the DMD was in the fifties last year,

farmers think hay is cheap it is the year you get it. If you fail to get it or if it is cut very late you lose the value of the feed and the after grass. Over 10 years it works out no cheaper than good baled silage.

nashmach

Figerty wrote: »

And a huge saving in costs.. about €3/per bale in plastic (+ disposal costs later) and the fact you have 20% less bales to pay for.

All good if you have a place to put it in.

I have never seen a haybob go on fresh air though or indeed a shed for storing hay cost nothing....

dzer2

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

May cattle are eating after grass after cutting silage in early June. Yes hay is as good as silage this time of year and this year you are saving. Last year it was hard to get hay and silage made in late July/August is no comparison to silage made in late May early June. And I have cattle on after grass now or have taken a second cut off Hybrids/RVP and reclosed for third cut. Also will have to feed stores little or no meal over the winter.

How many farmers had silage that the DMD was in the fifties last year,

farmers think hay is cheap it is the year you get it. If you fail to get it or if it is cut very late you lose the value of the feed and the after grass. Over 10 years it works out no cheaper than good baled silage.

All hay made here was grazed up until middle of may then topped and slurry and 1&1/2 bags of cut sward applied. First cut silage was made end of May early June. All the early first cut silage after grass is now grazed and the cows are back on the pasture for the 3rd time this yr. The late first cut silage silage is now growing at a rate that will leave me with second cut mid Aug. I dont need second cut as I got enough on first cut so this will be sold hopefully standing and let someone else have the expense. I have buyers for the hay every yr and it is sold off the field. If I have to store it I charge.

Hay is not cheap on an average yr this yr is different as there is very little work with hay. At 30 euro a bale its a help in the middle of the yr.

Sam Kade

nashmach wrote: »

I have never seen a haybob go on fresh air though or indeed a shed for storing hay cost nothing....

It won't be costing €3/bale on diesel unless you are driving the haybob with a TW 35.

Sam Kade

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

May cattle are eating after grass after cutting silage in early June. Yes hay is as good as silage this time of year and this year you are saving. Last year it was hard to get hay and silage made in late July/August is no comparison to silage made in late May early June. And I have cattle on after grass now or have taken a second cut off Hybrids/RVP and reclosed for third cut. Also will have to feed stores little or no meal over the winter.

How many farmers had silage that the DMD was in the fifties last year,

farmers think hay is cheap it is the year you get it. If you fail to get it or if it is cut very late you lose the value of the feed and the after grass. Over 10 years it works out no cheaper than good baled silage.

This is turning into a I'm a better farmer than you thread :rolleyes:

nashmach

Sam Kade wrote: »

It won't be costing €3/bale on diesel unless you are driving the haybob with a TW 35.

If you were getting a contractor in four times to turn it and rake it that is probably close to 30 euro and you won't get 8 bales of hay to the acre too often.

Also what about the shed....

epfff

Will hay pack as much in chamber of baler?

Tomjim

my question really is I made 100 bales of silage last year on 10 acres which lasted me say 10 weeks. This year I made 80 bales of hay on the same 10 acres.

The question is will the 80 bales of hay last me the 10 weeks

Figerty

Tomjim wrote: »

my question really is I made 100 bales of silage last year on 10 acres which lasted me say 10 weeks. This year I made 80 bales of hay on the same 10 acres.

The question is will the 80 bales of hay last me the 10 weeks

Yes. I have the same type of arrangement. last year a bale of wet silage was lasting a day to a day and half. Good silage was a day and a half to two days.
Hay lasts two days to 2.5

Figerty

nashmach wrote: »

I have never seen a haybob go on fresh air though or indeed a shed for storing hay cost nothing....

I have a Ford 4000 and a MF35. Cut, Turned and rowed for 80 bales of hay for no more than €70 of diesel. I have the receipts as I buy in 25 litre cans,

Broke 4 tines on a borrowed haybob. Replaced them, add in grease and maintenance it still doesn't come anywhere near €3/bale.
80 bales at €6/bale + €1.50 other costs.
vs
110 bales (130 last year) at €12.50 bale

Drew in bales myself with 50 less runs this year. Neighbour put them up; he borrowed my digger this week.

Yes, you are also right about the shed. But I have a 50 year old hay shed that was more or less under used.

The 35 runs on fumes not fresh air.
The Ford is heavier, it runs on a dribble. I cut hay for a neighbour yesterday for five hard hours and I burnt about 30-35 litres. That was about 8 acres.

Richk2012

What mower do you have ????

Figerty

Lely Splendimo classic 165. Seems easy on the tractor.

simx

Figerty wrote: »

Lely Splendimo classic 165. Seems easy on the tractor.

lelys are extremely easy driven great mower imo, don't think the optimo range were as good

Farmer Pudsey

Sam Kade wrote: »

This is turning into a I'm a better farmer than you thread :rolleyes:

No it is not rather lot of farmers consider hay cheaper than silage they are not comparing like for like. If you have store cattle gaining 0.4-0.6kgs off good silage on minerals and a kg of ration compared to the same cattle on hay being maintained or gaining 0.2 kgs or using 3-4 kgs ration to gain 0.5 kgs poor silage. This year I have seen farmers try to get hay in June , fail and end up baling muck and then they consider silage expensive. Most farmers that consider silage expensive compared to hay are baling grass after they have failed to get hay.

Figerty

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

No it is not rather lot of farmers consider hay cheaper than silage they are not comparing like for like. If you have store cattle gaining 0.4-0.6kgs off good silage on minerals and a kg of ration compared to the same cattle on hay being maintained or gaining 0.2 kgs or using 3-4 kgs ration to gain 0.5 kgs poor silage. This year I have seen farmers try to get hay in June , fail and end up baling muck and then they consider silage expensive. Most farmers that consider silage expensive compared to hay are baling grass after they have failed to get hay.

Pudsey is bang on. for suckler cows overwintering hay is fine. For finishing I would agree with you that June silage is the business, not easily got around the west which is one reason we don't do much finishing along with trying to keep their heavy toes from poaching.

Bales hay for silage is a last resort and you know it isn't going to be quality,

The black bag has been the single greatest anti-depressant introduced into farming in Ireland! Saved many a farmers sanity... I remember 1985 being a disaster without the black bag.

Sam Kade

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

No it is not rather lot of farmers consider hay cheaper than silage they are not comparing like for like. If you have store cattle gaining 0.4-0.6kgs off good silage on minerals and a kg of ration compared to the same cattle on hay being maintained or gaining 0.2 kgs or using 3-4 kgs ration to gain 0.5 kgs poor silage. This year I have seen farmers try to get hay in June , fail and end up baling muck and then they consider silage expensive. Most farmers that consider silage expensive compared to hay are baling grass after they have failed to get hay.

In fairness not many feed hay to dry cattle as their main diet.

Farmer Pudsey

Sam Kade wrote: »

In fairness not many feed hay to dry cattle as their main diet.

In fairness a lot feed sh#t silage that they either failed to make hay with or left too long trying to make hay with.

dzer2

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

In fairness a lot feed sh#t silage that they either failed to make hay with or left too long trying to make hay with.

This is correct the amount of times that I have baled dirt for lads that tried to make hay is ridiculous.