Green Feed.....money maker or not?

[AlbertaFarmer5]

That said, if you have a guaranteed market close by, putting up baleage or even silage is an excellent way to do it. But your economical market is limited to a much smaller radius.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

I should also add that most buyers seem to think that the feed market is more like a charity.

[AllisWD45]

Anyone have experience with making greenfeed using glyphosate to dry it down. Used to do quite a bit in another life when i farmed. Would apply chemical when it was ready to cut and let it dry down for 2-3 weeks. I cut it with a 25 Ft swather let it lay for a day or so and baled. Made some really good feed that tested up and the cows loved it.Made it much easier to work with weather problems. Barley or triticale worked best.So did red proso millet but you had to really pay attention to timing of spraying. Oats not so much as it tended to grow tall and rank and made poorer feed even with this system.

[farmaholic]

That said, if you have a guaranteed market close by, putting up baleage or even silage is an excellent way to do it. But your economical market is limited to a much smaller radius.

AF5, That's what I was going to suggest. Wrapped bales for silage if you can seldom get it dry. Make lemonade with lemons. But I bet it's a pricy way to put up feed. WTF do I know....

[helmsdale]

Sssssshhhh!!!!!!

All of sudden all the BTOs will be growing greenfeed.

Might be the only money maker out there this year....considering the weather .....

There is a shortage of straw right now in southern Alberta

Most guys around here are scrounging for bedding! Feed running short as well. Many guys are buying essentially weed bales that were unsalable to any discerning buyer this last fall/summer.

Otherwise, $200/mT seems a little high... In the worst of years here, it has peaked at around $150. At that, alot ends up being baled up past the point of "green feed", and usually ends up as straw with a little grain in it. Lots of fields are sold, essentially buyer beware at an agreed upon $/ac. 2015 some stuff traded hands at $200/ac with yield likely around 1.5mT/ac.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

AF5, That's what I was going to suggest. Wrapped bales for silage if you can seldom get it dry. Make lemonade with lemons. But I bet it's a pricy way to put up feed. WTF do I know....

Wrapping is Definitely more expensive, and labour intensive , but ruining good feed by getting it rained on is expensive too. Biggest issue is the freight, hauling small heavy bales with a short shelf life.

[grassfarmer]

Ssshhhheeeee!

Don't tell gasgrazers' neighbors. He won't be able to con them into delivering two cent a pound hay to his yard!

If that's referring to me dumbass I didn't con anyone. I offered a guy money for poor hay he was going to burn otherwise and paid to get it loaded and trucked here. It's called business - or is it only whiney little grain farmers that are allowed to buy their inputs as cheap as possible?

As far as greenfeed prospects this year feed inventories on cattle operations in the southern prairies are pretty low now. If there is another widespread drought there will be considerable demand for feed. On the other hand I would expect oat acres to go up this year anyway with the price oats have been and now the chance of later seeding dates. I wouldn't bank on getting more than 3c/lb for good greenfeed if it were me. Pit silage works if you have buyers within 5 miles, bale silage for sale is high risk - I don't think there are many cattle guys left prepared to pay what that costs to produce then truck, unless again the buyer is within 5 miles - in which they could make it in a pit for half the cost.

[malleefarmer]

Am i missing something greenfeed is hay?

[Sheepwheat]

Am i missing something greenfeed is hay?

Greenfeed is generally an annual crop put up as hay. Oats is most common, other cereals are used too.

[checking]

Hi, grassfarmer.

There is always more to the story! You misled a party who said they would never put up hay again, if they could get hay stacked in their yard for $40.00/ton.

Burning material! I guess there really is nothing like selling city clients a smokey flavored premium product. Yummy! LOL

[WiltonRanch]

Anyone have experience with making greenfeed using glyphosate to dry it down. Used to do quite a bit in another life when i farmed. Would apply chemical when it was ready to cut and let it dry down for 2-3 weeks. I cut it with a 25 Ft swather let it lay for a day or so and baled. Made some really good feed that tested up and the cows loved it.Made it much easier to work with weather problems. Barley or triticale worked best.So did red proso millet but you had to really pay attention to timing of spraying. Oats not so much as it tended to grow tall and rank and made poorer feed even with this system.

Yellowfeed you mean. Been doing that for years with good results. Oats makes lots of bulk but barley and wheat and triticale is higher tdn and more palatable. If I can make it work I like to seed barley on wheat stubble so I get some volunteer wheat. Spray 360 grams of glyphosate when grain is in soft dough. It’ll grow a week before it starts to die. It’s a minimum 2 weeks to 4 weeks depending how wet it is before you bale. Traditional greenfeed we cut it later cause if it gets rained on it doesn’t degrade as bad and it dries faster.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Surprised at how many people are suggesting oats. According to my cows, oat green feed is inedible. Can hardly force them to eat it as compared to barley. What is your secret?