The dry or loose dirt will weigh around 76 lbs per cubic foot while moist loose dirt will have more weight averaging 78 lbs per . 0000015041 00000 n why not hay. The good parts and the not so good parts come together, so lets look at some of the pros and cons of both haylage compared to hay. High density bales are made with whats called a High Density Bale Compression System (bale press). Round bales, also called rolls of hay, started showing up in fields about 40 years ago. (If you find any errors please contact us). Introduction Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. When purchasing baleage, it is always recommended to either weigh the bales or have a rock-solid moisture test. The catch with haylage is that being baled is just step one, it must be wrapped ASAP, no joke. Haylage is forage that is cut, baled moist and wrapped in plastic to ferment. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Volume of hay in round stacks The rules or formulas used for oblong stacks do not apply to round stacks. The bad news is procrastination is also easy and completely within your control. Formula: Density - pounds of grain, forage or liquid contained in one cubic foot of storage space, Bushels = Pi x diameter x diameter x average depth of grain (all in feet) x density, or In vertical silos, bulk density is close to 20 pounds per cubic foot (lb/ft 3) at the top and 60 lb/ft 3 or more near the base. Size: 3 ft. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Large square bales have been around for about 40 years. 50 (ft) x 30 (ft) x 12 (ft) = 18,000 cubic feet 18,000 cubic feet x 40 lb/cubic feet = 720,000 lb silage Thanks for stopping by! This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. No. Let's look into it. Mono-Slope Beef Barn Air Quality Research Project. If you live in a dry area, then this is not a big deal. This is because legumes such as alfalfa will make a denser bale than a grass species. If loads are always filled to a uniform height in the forage box, an average height measurement can be used. 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. DM per cubic foot Silage Storage Safely minimize shrink and preserve quality in storing silage. If you cut the netting sooner, you may not be able to move the bale, especially if you are using a spear instead of an unroller. Iowa State University 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. 0000018104 00000 n Then we went out and moved the bales out of the field close to where we wanted them to be put once they were wrapped. Small two string bales can be easily handled by most people without special handling equipment. Wed love to hear from you if you have any questions! Bushels = ( circumference / Pi) x ( circumference / Pi) x average depth of grain (all in feet) x Pi x density Finally, there are many models of balers of differing ages. Square hay bales come in two size groups, small and large. Plant maturity is another factor that impacts bale density and ultimately bale weight. With the weather being wet in the summer lately, we decided to make our own haylage, instead of hoping to catch a dry week. The plastic cuts off the air, leaving the baled forage in an anaerobic (no air) environment. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". For round bins you may use the top line in Table and multiply by height in feet. You have a hay bale that weighs 100 lb. Once the forage is cut, you watch to see how it is drying down. The two main plant types are grasses and legumes. Haylage is fermented moist hay. Frequently it would be useful to know the weight of forage harvested from a field. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Square hay bales come in two major size groups. In this study, the average density was measured as 5.0 lbs DM/ft. Data was summarized by crop species and cutting number during the season. It is a bit different than this haylage in appearance and our reasons for making it. Haylage is made by baling the forage when wet (45-55% moisture) then wrapping it to get proper fermentation by excluding air. Hay bales can weigh from 40 lbs to 2,000 lbs (18 kg to 907 kg). See what youve got at 6 weeks. 0000004973 00000 n the total you get after multiplying the three dimensions together) by 1728. Circumference - distance around a round structure Bale density is measured in pounds per cubic foot.. Wed love to hear from you if you have any questions! Since this was already after dark, after 9 p.m. we were glad to get it done! There are two standard guides for determining the weight and volume of corn silage. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Multiply by .515 if ground ear corn. For a while is very vague I know, but this again depends upon the weather, the moisture of the haylage and the size and density of the bales. The catch is to make the dry hay you (or the person you are buying hay from) need to have the break in the weather that will permit making dry hay. 0000043584 00000 n For us, north central Ohio, this hay making window is at least three days of clear weather. If you must re position the bales you need a grabber. Haylage is baled at 40-60% moisture, it is essentially a wet bale of wilted forage. 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. Tons of dry matter = Pi x diameter x diameter x depth of (all in feet) x density / 2,000, for corn silage or haylage We (my husband and I) are life long animal lovers and full time livestock farmers in Ohio. 0000021954 00000 n Small Square Hay Bales - 3 Types: 2 String, 3 Wire and High Density. We weigh grain, feed inputs, crop inputs, calves, cows, and milk . We use a mower conditioner, commonly called a haybine, that cuts the grass then smashes the stems in a set of rollers so the forage will dry faster. Grass forages were less dense and averaged 4.6 lbs DM/ft. 0000001610 00000 n 0000043684 00000 n Density = 6 to 8 pounds per cubic foot for straw It often ranges from 9 to 12 pounds per cubic foot. Some sellers consistently weighed their bale loads, which made my life easier, while others always sold their wares by the bale. Size: 18 wide x 14 high x 36 long. Still looking freshly cut? document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) All rights reserved. 0000012306 00000 n It is also difficult to build a secure load with enough weight to keep the shipping cost reasonable. How A Square Hay Baler Works - With Animation, Tractor Operator Making Large Round Bales - Cab View Video, Copyright Hayforks.com -- Haylage is a 40-60% moisture content hay that is preserved by fermentation. (20 lbs / 100 lbs) = 20%. Given the choice, I prefer a wet year to a dry one. When raising sheep, you occasionally get a sick one. Use Table 5 to adjust for other moisture levels. First cut alfalfa haylage and red clover haylage were denser with loaded wagons averaging 5.6 lbs DM/ft3. 185 0 obj << /Linearized 1 /O 188 /H [ 1610 727 ] /L 239078 /E 44700 /N 24 /T 235259 >> endobj xref 185 49 0000000016 00000 n Unrolling works well on frozen ground and okay on soft ground. 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). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Ames, IA 50011-1054. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. This work is supported in part by New Technologies for Agriculture Extension grant no. This way the lambs can spend the summer outside with their moms, eating grass and enjoying the sunshine. link to Why Do Farmers Have Lambs In The Winter. An EEO/AA employer, University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension provides equal opportunities in employment and programming, including Title VI, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requirements. If you want to put in the whole bale into a feeder, you will need to check it to see that your stock are eating it fast enough, so that it doesnt heat up. That is also called haylage since there is no grain in it and it is made from a hay type forage. The plastic wrapping of the bales keeps out all the weather, freeing up barn space. Conversion Chart This is a conversion page for density units. It is important to determine the fill height for each load so that the correct volume is computed. Forage species also affects bale weight. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, large rounds are often sold by the bale based on the buyer or sellers estimate of weight. The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes. Depending upon the day, the flock and the nutritional value of the haylage we may not need to feed the whole bale. Around here the common options for haylage are wrapping individual bales or making one long tube per batch of haylage. 518 Farm House Lane The latter accounts for the largest change. 0000002795 00000 n 0000039989 00000 n 0000011521 00000 n Most hay bales stabilize at about 8% to 9% moisture content. There are a few cautions to be taken here: haylage does not move well and a puncture to the plastic will result in spoilage. Grass bales generally will weigh less than legume-based bales of similar size. The forage used for haylage is cut the same as it would be for will for dry hay, the difference is in the timing of baleing. Bale density also plays a rather large role in final bale weight. Don Hofstrand, retired extension value added agriculture specialist, agdm@iastate.edu, Department of Economics If you want to use the haylage soon, rather than waiting until the winter, youll still need to give it time to cure. Time of purchase impacts bale weight in two ways. Haylage is made wet and comes out of the bale wet there is no dust (when it is made and stored correctly). You need the stems of the grasses to stay long! The list of factors that can influence the weight of a large round bale include: Forage maturity (percent leaves and stems). One day I asked one of the sellers whom I knew pretty well why he didnt scale his load. Round bales, also called rolls of hay, started showing up in fields about 40 years ago. 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. Errors please contact us ) wide x 14 high x 36 long and red clover haylage were denser loaded... 5.0 lbs DM/ft list of factors that can influence the weight and volume corn. Grasses and legumes about 40 years ago stabilize at about 8 % to 9 moisture. Safely minimize shrink and preserve quality in storing silage major size groups is to. Rules or formulas used for oblong stacks do not apply to round stacks rules. Quality in storing silage forages were less dense and averaged 4.6 lbs.... Cubic foot silage Storage Safely minimize shrink and preserve quality in storing silage wrapping it to get it!! Is because legumes such as alfalfa will make a denser bale than a grass species a bale! Farm House Lane the latter accounts for the cookies in the forage is,... Frequently it would be useful to know the weight of a large round bale:... 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