# Alfalfa Demand



## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

I am thinking about planting 500 acres of Alfalfa this spring and am expecting to produce 3 to 4tons/acre. I live in southern Missouri and I was just curious as to how hard it would be to find a market for 3000-4000 bales. Will I have any trouble moving it for around $180/ton? Thanks for your comments


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Do you have enough machinery and help to put up 500 acres of QUALITY Alfalfa? Plus the storage for it afterwards?


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

What is the crop currently occupying the 500 acres? Putting in a nurse crop?


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

Teslan- I do have enough Machinery and Help. I have grown alfalfa in the past on a smaller scale for my own personal use on a beef cattle operation.

Hillside Hay- The current crop is just cool season grasses. I plan to spray those off and heavily lime the ground. I will be planting a round up ready variety.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

What's your market? Dairies, cattle or horses?

500 acres would be a back-breaker for me. I would be curious as to what kind of equipment you have that would let you handle that much ground.

Then, with that much hay, would you be saturating the market in your area?

Also, since the ground is in cool season grasses now (what kind?), would you be ahead of the game by drilling alfalfa in to get a mix? The mix would probably give you better tonnage and maybe a broader market.

Just thinking.....

Ralph


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## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

That's about enough to supply one large sized (1200 cow) dairy, assuming you get it all harvested as dairy hay...
Explore your markets a bit first, and make sure you can put it up in a package that they find acceptable. Your price expectation sounds reasonable unless the drought fires up again, then you could likely get more for the hay.
Why do you only expect 3-4 ton per acre? I aim for seven here, with a much shorter growing season than you have.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

IAhaymakr said:


> That's about enough to supply one large sized (1200 cow) dairy, assuming you get it all harvested as dairy hay...
> Explore your markets a bit first, and make sure you can put it up in a package that they find acceptable. Your price expectation sounds reasonable unless the drought fires up again, then you could likely get more for the hay.
> Why do you only expect 3-4 ton per acre? I aim for seven here, with a much shorter growing season than you have.


 Maybe he means first year?


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

If your soil tests call for a heavy dose of lime, it will take awhile for it to do its thing after you apply it. Just another consideration.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

IAhaymakr- Thanks for the response! I was basing my tonnage on an average. We do get fairly dry here through the summer so I figure that will reduce my production and I was also planning on 4 cuttings? should I plan on more than that? Would dairies be willing to contract any of my hay with an agreement of a minimum RFV?


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Maybe make some small squares?


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

Yes, i know the lime will take awhile, but I plan to use pelletized lime to start with which breaks down much faster. That is also a reason for expecting lower production rates and I plan to try to cut at early bloom to produce higher quality.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

ThankAFarmer said:


> IAhaymakr- Thanks for the response! I was basing my tonnage on an average. We do get fairly dry here through the summer so I figure that will reduce my production and I was also planning on 4 cuttings? should I plan on more than that? Would dairies be willing to contract any of my hay with an agreement of a minimum RFV?


I wouldn't contract based on RFV. Because say if you get a couple cuttings ruined by rain and that RFV goes down past the minimum you are going to be on the hook to go find quality alfalfa. Do any of the dairies in your area do green chop and have their own harvesters? Many in my area do.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

ThankAFarmer said:


> Yes, i know the lime will take awhile, but I plan to use pelletized lime to start with which breaks down much faster. That is also a reason for expecting lower production rates and I plan to try to cut at early bloom to produce higher quality.


This is from a guy that can't even spell alfalfa (<spell check did that) so take it for what it's worth, make sure to explore the market in your locale. Contracts would be awesome. Those people are probably accustomed to handling a certain type of package, do you have the package requirements they need, and additional customers as well? Storage & Price? is that out of field or after storage, ie. do you store or do they store.....makes a big difference. How long are you planning on growing alfalfa, is it a short term gig or a long term plan? From what I hear on this forum, your price seems on target, perhaps a bit low, in so far as tonnage, I have to defer, I have no idea what to expect. Whatever you decide to do, remember that this damn hay market is a bit different, buyers ain't lining up, you gotta find em. In your case I believe the market is dairies....the closer the better. Get out and do some elbow rubbing and see what's happening in your neck of the country, what size bales they prefer and use, how they currently buy, etc.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do with your land, and welcome to Haytalk ThankaFarmer, you started in a good place....


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

ThankAFarmer said:


> Yes, i know the lime will take awhile, but I plan to use pelletized lime to start with which breaks down much faster. That is also a reason for expecting lower production rates and I plan to try to cut at early bloom to produce higher quality.


 Would pelletized lime not be cost prohibitive to use? Here it is like 3 times more expensive. If your ph is very low it could prevent the alfalfa from establishing. If this is the case you may have to plant something else that is more tolerant of low ph until the lime has time to raise the ph enough for alfalfa.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Welcome to Haytalk.

What kind of bales would you be making? Large squares?

I am asking because that will help determine your market.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

somedevildawg said:


> This is from a guy that can't even spell alfalfa (<spell check did that) so take it for what it's worth, make sure to explore the market in your locale. Contracts would be awesome. Those people are probably accustomed to handling a certain type of package, do you have the package requirements they need, and additional customers as well? Storage & Price? is that out of field or after storage, ie. do you store or do they store.....makes a big difference. How long are you planning on growing alfalfa, is it a short term gig or a long term plan? From what I hear on this forum, your price seems on target, perhaps a bit low, in so far as tonnage, I have to defer, I have no idea what to expect. Whatever you decide to do, remember that this damn hay market is a bit different, buyers ain't lining up, you gotta find em. In your case I believe the market is dairies....the closer the better. Get out and do some elbow rubbing and see what's happening in your neck of the country, what size bales they prefer and use, how they currently buy, etc.
> 
> Good luck with whatever you decide to do with your land, and welcome to Haytalk ThankaFarmer, you started in a good place....


My plans are definitely long term. I would prefer to sell straight out of the field to eliminate the storing issue on my end. Dairies are certainly my primary market. There are a lot of dairies in this area and very few alfalfa producers, so I would think their would be a good demand. Thanks for your comments.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

FarmerCline said:


> Would pelletized lime not be cost prohibitive to use? Here it is like 3 times more expensive. If your ph is very low it could prevent the alfalfa from establishing. If this is the case you may have to plant something else that is more tolerant of low ph until the lime has time to raise the ph enough for alfalfa.


The pelletized lime is high here as well, but the pH isn't that low, so I believe the lime requirements will be low enough that I can afford it in order to achieve faster results. I have considered holding off a year and planting another crop as well if pH tests come back worse than I am expecting.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

Tim/South said:


> Welcome to Haytalk.
> 
> What kind of bales would you be making? Large squares?
> 
> I am asking because that will help determine your market.


I would prefer to be producing 1000lb rounds. I know the demand is greater for the squares, but no one around this area produces large squares and its hard for me to justify the $80,000 price of one. I have a silage baler and would like to be able to possibly produce the first cutting in baleage, to eliminate the rain issues in late april and early may. Not sure though yet if the dairies would be interested in the baleage?


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

I buy alfalfa out of the Missouri/Illinois area yearly and have it shipped to me in Texas, if you are selling locally rounds might be fine but if you ever have plans of shipping out of state I would be using a 3x3. Just my .02 cents


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

ThankAFarmer said:


> I would prefer to be producing 1000lb rounds. I know the demand is greater for the squares, but no one around this area produces large squares and its hard for me to justify the $80,000 price of one. I have a silage baler and would like to be able to possibly produce the first cutting in baleage, to eliminate the rain issues in late april and early may. Not sure though yet if the dairies would be interested in the baleage?


I am a big believer in working with what you have. Most of what I know about Alfalfa I learned on this forum. That is why I asked what type bales you would like to make. Large squares seem to be what markets the best.

If I wanted to make rounds then I would try to find a local market. As Lewis Ranch stated, shipping rolls can be a challenge. Large squares are so much easier and more efficient to ship and also store.

There has also been some past discussions about more leaf loss in rounds as compared to squares. I have never grown or baled alfalfa and am just tossing out some speed bumps you may face down the road.

I hope you find a way to make it work for you. 500 acres would be a lot of work and expense. It should also bring home a nice check.

There will be others who chime in with advice. They have been growing alfalfa for years and have tweaked their operations to fit their local.


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## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Is there any horses hanging out down there? Maybe do some of small squares? Thats were the gravy is here anyway.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

If you think like me always have more than one outlet(market) for anything you produce on the farm. I always try to have at least 2 hopefully 3 or 4 different ways to sell any product and pick the the one that gives the best return at the time. Weather you sell to the dairies, or other livestock locally or look into shipping hay farther away. Look at all options. Your not always going to get top quality hay every cut. So you will need a way to sell this. Or maybe your like me and have cattle to eat this stuff. Before you jump into anything find out how you can sell it.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

With 500 acres in alfalfa if you are trying to hit a rfv requirement such as dairy you are probably going to need more than one baler. Of course you know how short the window is on alfalfa and how that gulf moisture can play heck with your plans. most of our 1st and second alfalfa goes into baleage for thedairy.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

Lewis Ranch said:


> I buy alfalfa out of the Missouri/Illinois area yearly and have it shipped to me in Texas, if you are selling locally rounds might be fine but if you ever have plans of shipping out of state I would be using a 3x3. Just my .02 cents


Thanks for your input. If I could find a solid market out of state and get a good agreement with them, so that I knew I would be able to sell my crop, I would consider going with the large squares. I agree the squares would be much easier to haul. Not to get nosey, but if you don't mind me asking, what does your freight run you per ton shipping from Missouri? Also, is the freight the responsibility of the buyer or does the seller line out and pay for the freight? Thanks


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

ontario hay man said:


> Is there any horses hanging out down there? Maybe do some of small squares? Thats were the gravy is here anyway.


This is a huge horse area, but I really would like to stay out of the horse business do to the risk of blister beetles.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

hog987 said:


> If you think like me always have more than one outlet(market) for anything you produce on the farm. I always try to have at least 2 hopefully 3 or 4 different ways to sell any product and pick the the one that gives the best return at the time. Weather you sell to the dairies, or other livestock locally or look into shipping hay farther away. Look at all options. Your not always going to get top quality hay every cut. So you will need a way to sell this. Or maybe your like me and have cattle to eat this stuff. Before you jump into anything find out how you can sell it.


That's what I would like to do as well. I always like a back up for a back up lol. Any advice for getting the highest quality cuttings each time (I know the weather will effect that most, but other than that...)


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

hillside hay said:


> With 500 acres in alfalfa if you are trying to hit a rfv requirement such as dairy you are probably going to need more than one baler. Of course you know how short the window is on alfalfa and how that gulf moisture can play heck with your plans. most of our 1st and second alfalfa goes into baleage for thedairy.


I have been considering baleage for my first cutting as well...how does the baleage sell as far as price compared to dry bales? I'm sure the price is much less do to the moisture content? Thanks


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

ThankAFarmer said:


> Thanks for your input. If I could find a solid market out of state and get a good agreement with them, so that I knew I would be able to sell my crop, I would consider going with the large squares. I agree the squares would be much easier to haul. Not to get nosey, but if you don't mind me asking, what does your freight run you per ton shipping from Missouri? Also, is the freight the responsibility of the buyer or does the seller line out and pay for the freight? Thanks


I take care of all the freight, I have my own truck but coming out of that area it is cheaper for me to hire it out. It runs anywhere from $2-2.50 a mile depending on the time of year. I try to get drop decks but flats are cheaper, the last load I got came in November and was $2.30 a mile @630 miles.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

Lewis Ranch said:


> I take care of all the freight, I have my own truck but coming out of that area it is cheaper for me to hire it out. It runs anywhere from $2-2.50 a mile depending on the time of year. I try to get drop decks but flats are cheaper, the last load I got came in November and was $2.30 a mile @630 miles.


What are most of your 3x3's weighing?


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

When we ran our dairy in SE Iowa, here are a few take aways from our operation/area. We almost never bought hay from IA/IL/MO/etc. High humidity areas are extremely difficult to bale dairy quality alfalfa. We had a few hundred acres of hay ground ourselves, but rarely baled for the milking cows. We bought it all in from primarily SD, also western KS and NE, some Colorado.

We bought it delivered. If we didn't like the look, we sent it back. If the tests came back lower than advertised, the seller came and picked it up. We held full payment until the forage analysis came back. We rarely contracted more than a few loads at a time.

We also never bought round bales. Too much a PITA to tear the bales up so we could feed it by weight into the TMR wagons. We had 6 large commodity bays, we could cut strings on a big square, and just tear it apart with a grapple and fork on a skid steer. Round bales require processing, and lose more leaves. The few times we were forced to buy rounds due to short supply, the quality was never there, and we knew when it was put up, and who baled it. Good farmers, jsut not the right area for good alfalfa hay due to humidity.

Haylage is a good option, if you can find the market. When we sold the cows, we started selling forages, and sold a lot of haylage bales to Amish, especially those milking goats. Our nutritionist had a formula to establish a value on hayleage that takes into account the water. Biggest downside we had was distance to market. We just couldn't have it hauled very far, and a lot of our customers didn't have the unload equipment needed, so we had to bring that, as well. Downside of selling to the Amish, I guess.

Just a few ramblings, but I would be sure you have other markets than dairy. You are not in the best region to consistently feed that market. And 500 acres is a LOT of hay to put up consistently at pre-bloom that dairies require.

Aaron


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

aawhite said:


> When we ran our dairy in SE Iowa, here are a few take aways from our operation/area. We almost never bought hay from IA/IL/MO/etc. High humidity areas are extremely difficult to bale dairy quality alfalfa. We had a few hundred acres of hay ground ourselves, but rarely baled for the milking cows. We bought it all in from primarily SD, also western KS and NE, some Colorado.
> 
> We bought it delivered. If we didn't like the look, we sent it back. If the tests came back lower than advertised, the seller came and picked it up. We held full payment until the forage analysis came back. We rarely contracted more than a few loads at a time.
> 
> ...


Thanks for all the input! Good to here from a dairyman. Can you give me a little info on the value of the baleage? Thanks


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

ThankAFarmer said:


> Thanks for all the input! Good to here from a dairyman. Can you give me a little info on the value of the baleage? Thanks


**hear lol jst saw that typo


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

I'll see if I can dig that formula up. You might reach out to some of the nutritionists in your area, they may have a method for valuing balelage as well.


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## ThankAFarmer (Feb 11, 2014)

aawhite said:


> I'll see if I can dig that formula up. You might reach out to some of the nutritionists in your area, they may have a method for valuing balelage as well.


That'd be great!! I really appreciate your help!


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

We usually get 120 per ton on straight pre bloom alfalfa baleage . It would go a little less if we didn't have the cropcutter on the baler. With netwrap and cropcutter feeding the rounds out or into a mixer isn't too bad. We put 48 4x4 on a flat bed. As others have stated we don't ship them far about 150 miles and our customers spring for the shipping. My brother works for a local trucking company and they have contract runs out of auburn and Albany so we give the customers a huge discount on the shipping. Works for those two customers but that situation is the exception and not the rule.


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## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

aawhite said:


> We bought it delivered. If we didn't like the look, we sent it back. If the tests came back lower than advertised, the seller came and picked it up. We held full payment until the forage analysis came back. We rarely contracted more than a few loads at a time.
> 
> Just a few ramblings, but I would be sure you have other markets than dairy. You are not in the best region to consistently feed that market. And 500 acres is a LOT of hay to put up consistently at pre-bloom that dairies require.
> 
> Aaron


Why would hay sellers not get the forage test before sending the hay to you? I never let hay leave my place without money in hand, but I don't deal with dairies for the most part either. Also even here in Colorado it would be tough to put up 500 acres of quality alfalfa every time. Even if you did have 2-3 balers running at once. At least my idea of quality alfalfa anyways.


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

A lot of the time, we did get a lab report from the seller, but we learned the hard way to go off our own samples, not theirs. We have had sellers fax us lab analysis that showed great hay, 25% protein/etc.but have our own lab samples come back at 19%. It threw our rations off terribly. We had the highest rolling herd average in Iowa for herds over 100 cows for about 25 years straight, but when you are feeding to that extreme, even relatively small deviations can have a major effect.

We would usually buy in 3-4 loads of 3x4 or 4x4 alfalfa at a time, and we pulled core samples from 1/3 to 1/2 the bales on the load. Our hay suppliers usually sourced hay from big operations, and we bought several thousand tons a year, so we had a little more leverage to set terms. If the hay was good, we were also willing to pay at the upper end of the market. We never price shopped if the hay was consistent high quality. Any suppliers who tried to sell us lower quality as dairy hay went on a list and we never bought from them again.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

So tell me. I can see getting different results if using a different lab and of course some guys will try to sample only the best bales. But if both you and I did random samples and sent to the same lab how much would the feed test differ by???


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

Depends on how you sample. If you chose the best bale of two from the entire load, its not a representation of the quality. If we are buying hay that they quote us as 24% protein and was tested by them. Then I would expect our lab analysis to be close. Coming back 19% is not close.

For us, a combined sample of several bales is needed, because the hay is mixed, whether thru our tub grinder, hay processor, or just torn apart. We usually processed 20-30 bales at a time, all into the same 3 commodity bays. A single forage sample from a single bale or two would have very little value if the seller is not being honest.

In reality, we only sent back a handful loads in all the years we bought hay, and all of them for the same 2 reason: sandburs (bought from a grower in NE, we never worked with him again), and protein/RFV not as high as they quoted us.

For us it was about finding reliable suppliers. The loads we rejected usually came from an unknown seller we had to use when our normal suppliers ran out of hay. We were big believers in an honest working relationship. Do right by us, and we wer extremely loyal buyers. We had one supplier that we essentially set up a price range. We didn't lowball him in the years hay prices dropped, he didn't gouge us in the years hay took off. Great way to do business, and we bought from him until the day he retired. His son was a different story, we dropped them as suppliers within 2 years do to a poor relationship when the son took over.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

hillside hay said:


> We usually get 120 per ton on straight pre bloom alfalfa baleage . It would go a little less if we didn't have the cropcutter on the baler. With netwrap and cropcutter feeding the rounds out or into a mixer isn't too bad. We put 48 4x4 on a flat bed. As others have stated we don't ship them far about 150 miles and our customers spring for the shipping. My brother works for a local trucking company and they have contract runs out of auburn and Albany so we give the customers a huge discount on the shipping. Works for those two customers but that situation is the exception and not the rule.


Curious what average moisture and weight per bale ,,just curious


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Right around 40% weight around 750-800 lbs. We figure 3 bales per long ton.


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## LeadFarmer (May 10, 2011)

Unless you are having problems getting the hay to cure, and don't have enough machinery, it should be no problem to make 500 acres of high quality hay. I do it several (3-6) times a year, sometimes with acreage up to 750-800. We run two swathers, two rakes and two balers, thats it.

My old man likes to cut about 120 acres a day, I prefer to cut about 80 per day. Either way, we usually have no problem getting the hay put up correctly. I'm normally cutting on a 27-29 day schedule. I prefer to do 28 days on everything, but sometimes I have to cut a day or two early if I see the alfalfa starting to bloom a bit. Except for our first and last cuttings of the year, we typically don't have any problems getting the hay cured quickly, and can almost always bale the complete 80-120 acres a day. Shoot, I've baled almost 300 acres in a day, last summer when the conditions were just right.

500 acres is a lot of hay, and a lot of work, but it's definitely not impossible to do it correctly.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Where you been leadfarmer, ain't heard from you in a month of Sundays.....


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## brandenburgcattle42 (Sep 6, 2012)

With a large square baler you could get a lot more baled in a day and really expend you market. I bale less that 500acres and I can cash flow one easy. Also if your making dairy quality hay it should be worth at least $230-$250 delivered and if you are close to them thats a huge money maker. I sell big squares by the semi out of the barn to horse buyers for $230 all day long. You would be lucky to get $150 a ton if it was in a round bale. If you cant sell it out of the field and its dairy quality it will have to be stored to keep quality and its a no brainer squares store more efficiently than rounds especially if you have to build a structure. I will never use a round baler again. We can put up so much hay so efficiently with our 3x3 its unreal. And probably already been stated most large dairy dont like handling rounds. That is my two cents. Good luck.


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

brandenburgcattle42 said:


> With a large square baler you could get a lot more baled in a day and really expend you market. I bale less that 500acres and I can cash flow one easy. Also if your making dairy quality hay it should be worth at least $230-$250 delivered and if you are close to them thats a huge money maker. I sell big squares by the semi out of the barn to horse buyers for $230 all day long. You would be lucky to get $150 a ton if it was in a round bale. If you cant sell it out of the field and its dairy quality it will have to be stored to keep quality and its a no brainer squares store more efficiently than rounds especially if you have to build a structure. I will never use a round baler again. We can put up so much hay so efficiently with our 3x3 its unreal. And probably already been stated most large dairy dont like handling rounds. That is my two cents. Good luck.


You got me thinking'....This season I will be at 240 acres of alfalfa and alfalfa grass mixes compared to the previous 80 or so not including the custom circuit. I have had the idea of a big square in my head, but haven't done much looking or thinking on it. Iv'e never been around a big square baler. I don't think I can justify a new one. What is a good used one to look for? Have NH dealers close by. I can't see ever ditching the round baler because we do quite a bit of stock cow hay and corn stalks, but for the alfalfa I think a square might be the right answer. I like what I hear of Krone but don't have a dealer very close. Hesston is the same way. Have 2 NH dealers within 25 miles though. What do you think?


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## IAhaymakr (Jun 4, 2008)

My first LSB was a new holland 595. It had only made 1100 bales when I got it so it was really almost a new machine. About the only good thing I can say about it is after making ten thousand bales I got back out of it what I had paid for it when I traded for the new Krone. It had numerous failures that were often difficult to source repair parts for, and multiple serial number breaks for the same model that only added to the confusion. You have dealers close by, but do they frequently work on balers in southern MN? 
I am lucky here. The Krone dealer is ten miles away, and have more balers than I can count in their customer base. The machines aren't perfect, but are far superior to the nh I ran before.
Before you take the plunge, be aware that making hay this way is different. Feed that will keep in a round bale will burn down your barn in a big square. My experience has been that preservatives are sometimes ok, but not reliable enough for me to use consistently and have good results. 
The real solution to making good feed our climate is baleage. It will solve all of the previously mentioned problems and many others you hadn't thought of yet. Here, we individually wrap every bale. If growing, harvesting, and selling dairy quality feed consistently is your goal, then a bale wrapper needs to be as much a priority as the baler. I can count on one hand the number of days last season that were actually good for making dry hay. With the wrappers, the only time we aren't harvesting is when it is raining.


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## brandenburgcattle42 (Sep 6, 2012)

barnrope said:


> You got me thinking'....This season I will be at 240 acres of alfalfa and alfalfa grass mixes compared to the previous 80 or so not including the custom circuit. I have had the idea of a big square in my head, but haven't done much looking or thinking on it. Iv'e never been around a big square baler. I don't think I can justify a new one. What is a good used one to look for? Have NH dealers close by. I can't see ever ditching the round baler because we do quite a bit of stock cow hay and corn stalks, but for the alfalfa I think a square might be the right answer. I like what I hear of Krone but don't have a dealer very close. Hesston is the same way. Have 2 NH dealers within 25 miles though. What do you think?


 I picked my BB9060 3x3 up used with a crop cutter and auto acid tandem axles and 10000 bales for $65,000 very happy does everthing I want. Although we went from affording a new round baler to only affording a used big baler we decided with the amount of hay we were selling we couldnt afford to sell our hay the way round bales allowed us. We got $50 for a 1500# bale of grass now we are getting $50 for a 825# grass bale. Alfalfa went from $120 a tn to averaging over $200 a tn. I cannot speak for everyone but this has been a wonderful move for us. The only bad this is you have to be on the bales as the come out of the baler and be getting em in the barn. Good luck


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

I guess its not so much a matter of if, but when. Also a wrapper would really be an asset. I make some round baleage and can see that is a good way to make good forage in wet times. Thanks!


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## LeadFarmer (May 10, 2011)

somedevildawg said:


> Where you been leadfarmer, ain't heard from you in a month of Sundays.....


That's a good question. 

Winter is veggie season here, so while many guys get to take a break, we had quite a bit of heavy tillage and assorted custom work to get done. Things slowed down for a couple weeks, but when it's like that I'm actually in the office LESS. Which seems backwards to me, you would think I'd be sitting here on the internet when work is slow.

I am gearing up to begin my second cutting of alfalfa in a week or so. I will try to remember to get some pictures taken this time. Hope is well for everyone on HayTalk!


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