By Patrick Gunn, Sherry Hoyer
Baling wet or rained-on hay or using outdoor hay storage can contribute significantly to reduced forage and feeding quality of that hay to cattle. And with forage expenditures accounting for the greatest proportion of feed costs, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach cow-calf specialist Patrick Gunn said cattle producers might benefit from using different forage harvest practices such as baleage.
“Changing one’s established practices can cause uncertainty, and we developed this publication to offer insight, suggestions and cautions to people considering such a change,” he said. “‘Making the Switch to Baleage’ is a new resource that looks at the advantages and disadvantages of baleage and how it differs from traditional haylage.”
Moving from dry large, round bales to baleage may reduce the amount of dry matter loss during storage, limit waste at feeding and partially alleviate other disadvantages of first-cutting dry hay such as reduced nutritional quality.
“Because the desirable moisture content for baleage production is 40 to 50 percent dry matter, baleage often can be made within 24 hours of cutting,” Gunn said. “When there’s less need for dry weather for making hay, the use of baleage lends itself to earlier and more frequent cuttings of vegetative growth, increasing the overall quality of stored forages for the year.”
Although baleage production offers earlier and more frequent cuttings, the higher moisture content means bales are heavier and a producer’s existing machinery might not be able to handle that extra weight. In addition, higher moisture means more bales than dry hay, and that means a larger storage area will be needed.
“Producers also need to consider which type of bale wrapping is better for their operation, the capacity of their animals to consume the amount of baleage produced, and the availability of labor and proper equipment,” Gunn said.