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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

silage vs bale costs on farm

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diggerdave

11-01-2005 07:05:47




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Hi All- first let me preface this with "im not a farmer".. Curious if Im comparing apples to oranges so to speak. For this thread Im talking about alfalpha. Some guys cut it for silage which involves using a tractor with a cutting head and a Miller-Pro wagon. Additionally they seem to be running a team of at least 2 dumpers to take the silage back to the farm where you have a 4th guy running the tractor to push it onto the pile and compact the air out. All this adds up to some $$ Im sure. Just wondering why others seem fine with cutting and rolling it into the large bales you see sometimes wrapped. Then they spear them and load maybe 8 to a cart and haul them to the farm. To my INEXPERIENCED eye it would seem that is the cheeper route. Could this be a funtion of herd size?? Or a "functional use" difference?? Agian I may be trying ot compare apples to oranges here.. just wondering with the price of fuel where it is... thanks

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barnrat

11-01-2005 19:07:18




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 Re: silage vs bale costs on farm in reply to diggerdave, 11-01-2005 07:05:47  
I chop everything and put it into upright silos. Both grass silage(we can't grow alfalfa round here) and corn silage. Depending on the size of the operation will determine the best harvest method. Smaller operations are more profitable with the silage bales(lower equipment and harvest costs), if they are set up for it. My operation is not set up well for silage bales. Demand for high quality forage has put dry hay out(I only use it for bedding), especially here in the northeast.

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Farmall Teen

11-01-2005 17:45:59




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 Re: silage vs bale costs on farm in reply to diggerdave, 11-01-2005 07:05:47  
In my parts, we put chopped hay into stave silos. Then we put chopped corn in bunker silos along with stave silos. We also bale hay also to feed along with the silage. The only thing I say to go along with the other statements is that silage keeps better. It does not mold as fast and yet again, it makes a better milk produceing feed.



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RodinNS

11-01-2005 14:18:23




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 Re: silage vs bale costs on farm in reply to diggerdave, 11-01-2005 07:05:47  
To some degree, a function of herd size. To some, a matter of preference.
Generally, with precision chop silage/haylage, you can expect a higher quailty feed due to superiour ensiling characteristics. It is generally easier to produce a consistent quality feed. Opening a wrapped (ensiled) round bale is often like Christmas morning every day. Every one is a surprise, and every one is different in feed quality. You must also pay a good deal more attention to the plastic as the bales sit in storage. Any rupture will often lead to the loss of the bale. The rest of the equation is largely about economies of scale. Given that you have a large enough operation to equalise the fixed costs of each system, the bunker silo will come ahead in overall costs per ton. Less labor, less plastic (a very big factor), and generally higher speed leading to putting up higher quality feed at the correct time give the upper hand to bunkers. Dry hay will bring all the problems that Paul has pointed out. I've baled a lot of hay, a lot of haylage (wrapped) and currently am chopping. Chop is my preference.

Rod

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caseyc

11-01-2005 10:45:07




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 Re: silage vs bale costs on farm in reply to diggerdave, 11-01-2005 07:05:47  
paul hit it on the nail (as always!) we always refered to silage as chopped corn and haylage as chopped hay(alfalfa) spent my first 18 years on a dairy farm in eastern WI. whole nother ball game out here in the drylands of the dakotas!

casey in SD



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paul

11-01-2005 09:33:45




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 Re: silage vs bale costs on farm in reply to diggerdave, 11-01-2005 07:05:47  
The rain factor.

You can put up quality, high-protien alfalfa as silage almost any time - need about 24-36 hours rain-free.

Hay, you need 3-4 days rainfree. Catch a bad time, & your whole cutting is ruined, or made so late your protien is all shot.

Feeding the feed through a TMR is a little easier with silage as well, it sticks together, mixes well, leaves don't blow away....

Dependable, quality product, which is what you need for max milk production.

Us beef people can be a lot more flexable, and use a bit more volume of lesser quality. So we make more hay.

--->Paul

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Can't even use my name

11-01-2005 20:45:02




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 Re: silage vs bale costs on farm in reply to paul, 11-01-2005 09:33:45  
Round here we only need about 28-30 hours from mowing till it is ready to bale, depending on weather of course. If it lays for 4 days it pretty much turns all brown and becomes beef cow hay. Of course I see a lot of our neighbors taking 4 days to bale their hay but I guarantee those horse people aren't buying it.



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