A bale sitting on the flat end keeps its round shape, bales left on the round edge will flatten a bit and be harder to wrap, especially if you are individually wrapping them. Frequently it would be useful to know the weight of forage harvested from a field. Since we were running really late on time ours were tube wrapped, just because it is faster than wrapping individually. There are a few cautions to be taken here: haylage does not move well and a puncture to the plastic will result in spoilage. Care should be used when interpreting the results of a shrink calculation. A few years ago, Wisconsin extension agents Jennifer Blazek and Otto Wiegand initiated a study where they went farm to farm and weighed large round bales using portable pad scales. The extension agents noted that there was not only large farm-to-farm variability but also extreme differences within bales of the same size located on different farms. Bale density is measured in pounds per cubic foot.. Measuring alfalfa or corn silage yield is necessary to adjust management practices, to maintain crop inventories, and for crop reporting purposes. Their handling and transport advantages led to them becoming the most popular bales today. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. In this study, the average density was measured as 5.0 lbs DM/ft. Table 1 shows the average silage density of each forage species. Then we would do the baling in the afternoon of the third day. But Table 2 (pages 4-5) gives the volume of round stacks when the circumference is between 45 and 98 feet and the Data was summarized by crop species and cutting number during the season. 8 Table 5 - Volume Adjustments for Wet Corn Bushels/Cubic Feet Moisture Content Shelled Corn X Ground Ear Corn X 15.5 .800 .515 16 .794 .510 17 .787 .508 Forage Species We count on any hay or haylage we harvest to make a big dent in the amount of purchased forage we need for the winter. Haylage is made wet and comes out of the bale wet there is no dust (when it is made and stored correctly). The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Here's an example. As far as getting the forage baled at the ideal time to keep peak nutrition for the livestock, haylage is easier than dry hay. Once stored, questions have come up on how to estimate the tonnage of silage in a bunker silo. Haylage also requires plastic to wrap the bales. Short distance transport is done with special wagons and trailers. The example specified 65% moisture therefore the silage contains 35% dry matter. Density = 6 to 8 pounds per cubic foot for hay Density = 4 to 5 pounds per cubic foot for straw 6. In this example the actual wet basis density of the silage is 14 lb per cu-ft / 0.35 = 40 lb /cu-ft. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. Moisture content can affect bale weight by as much as 25 percent. Typical hay bale density is 9 to 12 lbs per cubic foot. Once the forage is cut, you watch to see how it is drying down. For many years, I helped coordinate a monthly quality-tested hay auction where sellers had the option of selling by the bale or by weight from a certified scale. 6 / 12 = .5 feet. 115 lb/ft. Please check Cooking Ingredience Conversion and Weight to Volume Conversion. Two string bales were the most common hay bales for many years. Sometimes this is accurate, other times it is not. Bales of this type are often available in small quantities at local farm stores and building supply stores. It has timing issues as well. Since we are primarily pasture based, more rain is better than not enough, but it does make getting hay dry a tough task. 2020-41595-30123 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Tons of dry matter = 0.000393 x diameter x diameter x average depth of silage (all in feet) x (8.0 + (0.15 x depth)) for corn silage These numbers will vary slightly depending on the moisture content and length of cut at harvest. These numbers will vary slightly depending on the moisture content and length of cut at harvest. Baleage means that it is fermented hay specifically in bale form, this is the type that we do for our sheep. Dont use anything that will pierce the plastic. Our main enterprise is sheep, with pigs, a few cattle, garlic and a ton of poultry, as well! 0000039989 00000 n Density = 0.8 bushels per cubic foot for corn or soybeans Their handling and transport advantages led to them becoming the most popular bales today. Wed love to hear from you if you have any questions! Haylage is a 40-60% moisture content hay that is preserved by fermentation. &== bfi:2q~~q8]_Bb2. What can it do for your livestock? The hay was baled in a round baler, some farms use a big square baler, and left in the field. Now the haylage has to cure, meaning ferment for a while to turn into haylage. Normally, there is enough of a dew on the grass in the morning that waiting until early afternoon to start raking, the prebaling step, is very normal. If you must re position the bales you need a grabber. 0000038442 00000 n The first tractor is on the baler and the second is either running the wrapper or tipping the bales up onto the flat side to sit. Being round they are difficult to secure and there have been multiple accidents caused by bales falling from trucks. That means a concrete of 8 foot width, 8 foot height, and 8 foot length will have a weight of 1200 pounds (if it is a solid slab). Multiply by .4 if ear corn. You know, from the information above, a cubic foot of concrete weighs 150 pounds. To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Hay bales can weigh from 40 lbs to 2,000 lbs (18 kg to 907 kg). The pounds of silage in the silo is calculated by multiplying: Length (ft) x width (ft) x depth (ft) x density (lb/cu-ft) at the final moisture content. In addition, forage samples were taken from each load to measure moisture content. You must be able to drive and maneuver the tractor moving the haylage to the feeders/hay ring or you will need to carry haylage by hand. Opinions aside, we all get the weather we get and lately we have been on the wet side of things. It can be any bale size or shape, the most common shape around here being round baled. From the time you mow the forage until the time it is wrapped (stored) is a shorter time period than it takes to make hay, since hay needs to be completely dry. Weighing bales might not be as convenient as not weighing them, but there are very few situations where its not an option. This is a big advantage for shipping and storage. In the past, we harvested any extra forage we grew as dry hay and left the haylage making to others. Averaged over all species andcuttings, the density of forage in a wagon was 5.0 pounds of dry forage per cubic foot (lbs DM/ft). This is one of those good idea, bad result things. Haylage is a fermented forage that is fed to animals like hay. Round bales, also called rolls of hay, started showing up in fields about 40 years ago. So why do you see some sheep with Hey there, Im Kathy! Once you open a tube of bales there is always an open side to the next bale in line. Haylage is made by baling the forage when wet (45-55% moisture) then wrapping it to get proper fermentation by excluding air. For cows to digest the starch in corn efficiently, the corn kernels in chopped and processed whole-plant corn must be broken into small particles. Mono-Slope Beef Barn Air Quality Research Project. x Round bales are usually handled with a tractor mounted front loader having a special spike attachment. Multiply 150 pounds by .5 feet and you get 75 pounds for a square foot of concrete that's 6 inches thick. You put it in a drying oven to remove all the moisture. 0000009027 00000 n Here is where haylage making veers off of normal hay making, you only want the haylage to dry down to 45-55% moisture. 9ft Single Slab Black Epoxy River Dining Table GTA. Circumference - distance around a round structure We also make Oatlage, which is a type of haylage made out of, you guessed it-oats. These bales are super heavy and do not roll, so a loader of some sort is required to get the haylage to your animals when you want to feed it. Hay bales can weigh from 40 lbs to 2,000 lbs (18 kg to 907 kg). It needs to dry out more. Short distance transport is done with special wagons and trailers. Tons of wet silage or haylage = tons of dry matter / (1 - % moisture), Tons = length x width x height (all in feet) x density / 2,000 The two main plant types are grasses and legumes. The long-standing guideline to achieve a minimum acceptable pack density is 800 pounds of packing weight per ton of forage delivered to the silo per hour. We truly appreciated their work, and they were fast and did a super job! It is listed in pounds per cubic foot or kilograms per cubic meter. This is because the temperature affects the water's density, and the density affects the weight. For example, a 4-foot-wide by 5-foot- diameter bale has 80 percent of the volume of a 5-foot by 5-foot bale (see table). Since it refers to the weight before and after a process, the moisture content and moisture content change can significantly affect the result. How can the total weight of a loaded forage box be estimated? Disadvantages of silage . Density = 0.515 bushels per cubic foot for ground ear corn Waiting to wrap is the potential Achilles heel of haylage. Bale density also plays a rather large role in final bale weight. Often, not even close enough for government work. In our pre haylage days, getting dry hay made well was tough and, sadly, resulted in our share of rained on hay. What the heck is haylage and why should you know about it? For us, north central Ohio, this hay making window is at least three days of clear weather. This is called custom work and needs to be planned ahead of time. The weight changes, however, when the temperature does. This compared to 846 pounds for grass bales of the same size. How A Square Hay Baler Works - With Animation, Tractor Operator Making Large Round Bales - Cab View Video, Copyright Hayforks.com -- For three years, station staff recorded the weight and depth of forage for each load of alfalfa haylage, red clover haylage, oatlage, and corn silage harvested at the research station. If you want to use the haylage soon, rather than waiting until the winter, youll still need to give it time to cure. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Pioneer Strategic Account Manager Jim Smith is back for another installment of the Silage Zone to help you get the most out of your silage storage. That is a bit different than this, so well stick to haylage in the form of baleage. 0000024189 00000 n The individual wrapper is handy for farms not using the bales very quickly. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. We have started making our own haylage and are glad we gave it a try! In a 5-foot by 5-foot bale, the difference between 10 and 11 pounds of dry matter per square foot amounts to over 100 pounds per bale at both the 10 and 15 percent moisture levels. Next step is the wrapping, in either a tube, all wrapped together like a big sausage, or individually wrapped, so the bales look like marshmallows. goes over the other type of haylage we love, Oatlage, which is just haylage made of oats, is a great way to harvest oats as wonderful feed for your stock. We will also look at the factors that affect hay bale weight, such as density, moisture content and hay species. Ames, IA 50011-1054. Brian Holmes, Professor Emeritus, UW-Madison 0000024051 00000 n 0000020091 00000 n This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Missing the weight of a bale by 10 percent amounts to some pretty significant dollars if multiple tons are being purchased. Compare that to dry hay, which is 18-22% moisture (University of Missouri). There are two types of wrappers, individual and tube. 0000004973 00000 n Large round or square bale baleage is more popular here, used mostly on dairy farms. Tons of dry matter = 0.000393 x diameter x diameter x average depth of silage (all in feet) x (5.90 + (0.1 x depth)) for haylage Not enough rain is really tough to deal with, especially for farms that rely heavily on grazing-low rain equals low rate of regrowth on the grass. However, before determining the actual weights, the agents and the bale owner/producer took a crack at estimating the average bale weight (three bales were weighed at each farm).
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