Haying trials and tribulations.

[Kathy]

We are getting close to two inches of rain a week.
Yesterday, another 9 tenths downpour which shut
down baling. We are playing a waiting game now
too, better leaving the hay standing than lying down
with these UNUSUAL downpours. I'm sure it will
improve. you know, last year, we were drier than a
fart until mid August, and then haying the ditches
all of September, into October. Cattle did very well
on this grass with some oats.

If you want to change a situation, change your
attitude.

[grassfarmer]

I often think that hay making is one of the great inefficiencies left in the Canadian beef sector. In 1985 Scotland had a record wet year in what is always a wet climate and it prompted the widespread adoption of silage making, usually in the round bale wrapped form. I know conditions are different here - more expensive machinery and custom costs relatively, bigger acres and distances but countered by smaller crops generally. Still I think once you make the move to silage you won't miss hay. The certainty of knowing when you cut a field that it will be cleared on a certain day to let the regrowth begin, to know you will get first class feed in almost any situation, to miss out on the wastage of hay stored outside, to be able to cut when the crop is at the right stage and of optimum quality rather than wait for "hay weather".
I sometimes get some funny looks from people because we often graze over mature grass with our cows and apparently "waste" some. Compared to the wastage of feed quality and yield you can get by making hay out of grass mechanically harvested off a tame, seeded pasture when the weather is against you I think I'm many dollars ahead.

[kato]

Silage requires a lot of money to put up though. Cash flow cash flow cash flow... At least you don't have to write a cheque to enjoy the aggravation of haying. LOL

We grow corn next to our yard, and we've done the math many times about whether to make silage out of it or not. We've come to the conclusion that it's better to just let the cows go out to the field and get it themselves. Saves using a lot of fuel on chores too. With silage, you're locked into starting that darn tractor every day.

I do think you're right about distance being an obstacle. We've got hayland rented that's ten miles from home. Not much you can do with that, except make hay. This is the price paid for raising cattle in an area where good grain land is jumbled up with good cattle land. Our neighbourhood has all kinds of different land and it seems to change every couple of miles. This means that everybody hauls something somewhere, whether it's moving cows or combines.

[ALLFARMER]

In the North East Peace it's been raining every 2 days. We have run 130 pairs 5 bulls made 470 bales on a half section this summer. This spring we were moving the herd every 2 days though.

[ALLFARMER]

Forgot to mention...One of the guys from Alberta ag once said at a meeting years ago to have your first cut done & baled by July 21st and we really try to stick by that. We seem to always get 2 good cuts and have had no winter kill problems...we cut at 10% bloom in the alfalfa.

[SADIE]

good reading thread. To those of you in the drought area of the Peace River---hearts go out to you as we all know it drought usually makes its rounds.

Cut pit silage--great way top put up feed, regrowth etc. In our area had custom done for a few years---but herds much smaller or diminishing--no work to keep crews going.

My haying because of knowledge from hay under irrigation. You have to have 4 pieces of equipment in the field.

1)haybine 2)inverter 3)baler, 4)picker. Depending on weather, temp, dew etch I often been on each piece for that day---never bored.

[grassfarmer]

Yes and no on the distance thing Kato - I bet you haul your hay home from the rented land 10 miles away. By the same token you could be hauling high dry matter silage in bales either in summer to wrap at home or to wrap in situ and haul in winter if you have more time there. All that might have to change is the time at which/in which you haul the product. Sure there is a cost to plastic but in my experience it could be the difference between feeding hay grain to yearlings or taking them through on straight silage. There are lots of ways to pencil these things out and every situation is different. I know I will never let grass spoil again in the pursuit of hay making.

[smcgrath76]

I think silage is a great option for
some but we don't do it. Lots of
reasons here...
Cost and high cash demands to put it
up...
Labour and winter feeding demands to
feed it out.
Land base mix of forage, anuuals,
perennials, native, tame, etc.
For the amount of feeding that we do
(very limited) the investment in silage
does not pencil out.

[burnt]

Another probable benefit from wrapping might be less leaf loss at both baling and feeding times.

There is definitely less shatter when baling higher moisture and again when we unroll bales on the snow during winter feeding.

The only thing I do not like about feeding on the snow is seeing the fines on the ground come spring. I know it isn't very much compared to what they eat and what we save in bedding costs by feeding in the field, but it is mostly the alfalfa leaf fragments that comprise the wastage.

So, it would seem that there should be a considerable savings in feed value by baling high moisture hay. Not sure how one would establish a value for that. It would not likely be all that high, but might offset the wrapping costs a bit.

[coppertop]

Another 1/2" of rain in the night here
in west central AB. Nice loud thunder
storm along with it. The rain is patchy
lately, this is the first rain we have
had n over a week, where other areas are
getting rain almost every evening.
Bail and silage wrap are getting more
difficult all the time to landfil. Our
County had to make special arrangements
with the local landfill to accept the
stuff. One farmer had shown up with a
truck full and was turned away and told
to go home and wash the stuff before
they would accept it.
The Ag Service Board got involved and we
were finally given PHONE assurance that
silage wrap, bale wrap and twine would
be accepted but as of yet we have had
nothing in writing from the landfill
contract operator.