Harvest & Storage

Spring 2019 has been challenging to say the least. Hayfields have disappeared due to winterkill, and small grains matured before we could make hay. Making the forages that you have at the highest quality possible will be key.

The most fundamental hay and forage fact is that quality losses begin at cutting. It’s impossible to preserve all the quality found in a standing crop. Once mown, the impact of metabolic and weathering losses can significantly impact crop quality.

Baleage is a fermented forage in a large bale package that allows producers an opportunity to harvest high-quality forage at greater moisture levels than dry hay.

Low-quality forages can seem like a lost cause. However, with the help of a few seasoned experts and anhydrous ammonia, producers can recover some of the lost value in low-quality forages.

When we have excess forage and want to preserve it for future use, we really have only three practical choices. We can let it remain in the field as standing dry vegetation.

Research trials in the eastern U.S, in which large round bales are stored outside without protection for six months or more, found dry matter losses of 30 percent or greater to be common.