Ait— Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 24,1980
Vk7 Pipeline
\ \/|\ Glenn A Shirk
\ , J r Extension
V Da,r y
v ' Agent
A little extra effort and
attention devoted now to
harvesting top quality hay
and haylage will return big
dividends for the following
year.
Cows need top quality
forages for top production!
You spend only a few days a
year harvesting your hay
crop, but your cows continue
to harvest your hay crop
every day of the year when
they convert it into milk.
Remember, as a dairyman,
you are in the business of
harvesting hay as milk.
Cows cannot be expected to
produce more milk than the
quality of the hay crop
permits.
The time to harvest first
cuttmgs is upon us! So, now
is the time to focus your
efforts upon putting up the
best quality forage possible.
To accomplish this, it is
necessary to recognize
which jobs are most im
portant, and then per
forming those operations on
time easier said than
done.
For top quality, alfalfa
should be harvested in the
bud stage of maturity and
grasses m the boot stage. As
maturity progresses beyond
this point, feed value starts
declining rapidly.
Unfortunately, we seldom
have desirable weather for
curing forages at the tune
when first cuttings should be
harvested. This means we
usually have to take every
opportunity of breaks m the
weather when they occur.
These weather breaks are
free; we can’t buy them and
we can’t schedule them.
We need better weather
conditions for curing a hay
crop than we do for planting
com, working ground, etc
So when the weather is
suitable for making hay, it
will probably be more
profitable to make hay than
to plant com.
Remember, the quality of
your hay will affect your
cows milk production (your
profits) every day of the
year
Delaying corn planting
may reduce corn yields
slightly, but chances are it
won’t affect the quality of
the silage harvested. Fur
thermore, what you may
lose in corn yields you’ll
probably make up in ad
ditional hay yields, because
the early harvest will
probably result in an extra
cutting of nay
Haylage has enabled
many farmers to harvest
their first cutting on time in
spite of less-than-desirable
weather conditions
However, haylage does not
fit into every farm Situation
because of the high cost of
equipment, machinery and
storage units, the losses
resulting from damaged hay
crops may be less expensive
One word of caution when
harvesting alfalfa, it may be
necessary to compromise
between top feed quality and
life of the stand Continually
harvesting alfalfa in the bud
stage of maturity may
weaken the stand and
shorten its longevity. Thus
the first cutting of a new
seeding, or any cuttings
from weakened stands,
should be made in the bloom
stage of maturity.
To maintain their vigor,
stands that are frequently
cut in the bud stage must be
free from insects, weeds and
diseases, and they must be
well fertilized.
Moisture at tune of har
vest is also very important
for hay and for haylage, and
the only accurate way of
determining this is by using
a good moisture tester. They
will be mconvement to use
during the busy harvesting
operations, but they are a
very valuable tool to help
guide harvesting decisions
necessary for top quality
forages.
For less field losses, for
less heat damage to protein,
for improved energy use,
and for less secondary
fermentation and spoilage,
haylage should be ensiled at
about 55 to 65 percent
moisture (35 to 45 percent
dry matter), and hay should
be baled at about 20 to 22
percent moisture.
Moisture is constantly
changing m the windrow.
Thus, one will have to start
early, at the higher moisture
level, and work fast. When
the moisture falls to the
lower level, it may be
necessary to quit tem
porarily, waiting for the hay
to pick up more moisture.
Or, large quantities of water
can be added at the silo
How much water is
needed 9 To raise the
moisture content of one ten
of 45 percent moist haylage
to 55 percent moisture will
require about 56 gallons of
water.
To prevent excessive leaf
shatter and loss of feed
nutrients, hay should be
baled at about 20 to 22 per
cent moisture. At this level,
the bales should be loose so
they can dry down, and to
prevent heating and
spoilage. Above this level of
moisture, preservatives can
be relied upon to preserve
feed quality, to help prevent
spoilage and spontaneous
combustion
Raking should also be done
when the hay is damp
enough to prevent leaf
shatter
When ensiling a hay crop,
length of cut is also im
portant A 3/8 inch
theoretical cut is recom
mended for good packing
and for preserving, what I
term, the ‘forage factor” of
the forage This is necessary
for maintaining good rumen
activity ana good fat test To
achieve a uniform cut, sharp
knives are necessary Rapid
filling also prevents spoilage
and promotes better quality
Now that you have gone to
all the expense and effort of
growing the crop, harvesting
it, and preserving it for top
quality, lei s make sure your
cows will make the most
efficient use of the feed
nutrients you have “put up”
in storage.
Test those forage crops for
nutrient content at or shortly
after harvest time, while you
can get to them. Then, you
will be able to balance your
feed rations and have a
feeding plan in your hand
ready to use when you need
it. That enables you to get
maximum mileage (milk)
out of your forage, and out of
your cows.
Haylage, put up at 60 to 65
percent moisture, can be
sampled at filling time. Grab
samples from several loads
throughout filling time.
Immediately put them in a
moisture-proof bag and stick
them in a refrigerator or
freezer. When filling is
completed thaw the bags,
mix them together, and
submit a sample for
analysis.
Once you have been
feeding the haylage for a
while, additional samples
from the silo can be sub
mitted periodically for
further refinement of the
feeding program.
Hay can also be sampled
at baling time. Randomly
select bales from the wagon
and throw them aside for
sampling at a later time
after they have dried down.
A hay sampling auger should
be used to collect the sam
ple.
Identify the batch of hay
and note where it is stored m
the mow. Sample alfalfa or
alfalfa mixtures separately
from grass or grass mix
tures. Sinuliarly, sample
first cutting separately from
aftermath (second, third and
fourth) cuttings.
Lancaster DHIA
on page DIO
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