# Soybean Baleage



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I tried soybean baleage this year. Just finished Baling/wrapping it on Thursday. Pods hadnt filled yet, so it was plenty early. I planted the Tyrone forage variety. Has anyone have experiance feeding it? I just cant see how the cattle wont waste a lot of it. The lower stems are awefully "woody" and stiff. We did round bale and rotocut it, but even still I cant see that much of the stalk would be very palitable to the cattle. Am I wrong?


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

Never fed as balage we always let it dry down to bale it and the cows lick the ground clean when they are done.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Started feeing some of this baleage. Not real happy. Stuff was on the dry side, maybe 35% moisture. The thicker stems, the stuff the size of a pencil the cattle just pass over. I was feeding some oat baleage that was REALLY WET. It stank but the cattle ate it like crazy. Now I switched to the soybeans and the cattle are eating about 1/2 as much as on the oats...


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

PaMike said:


> Started feeing some of this baleage. Not real happy. Stuff was on the dry side, maybe 35% moisture. The thicker stems, the stuff the size of a pencil the cattle just pass over. I was feeding some oat baleage that was REALLY WET. It stank but the cattle ate it like crazy. Now I switched to the soybeans and the cattle are eating about 1/2 as much as on the oats...


How long did it take to dry to 35%?


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I dont remember..a couple days, but I didnt ted it...It was during one of those 2 week runs in the summer where it was mostly work and not much sleep...

I think it laid 2 days then I rolled it into a windrow to let the bottom dry, then baled the end of 3rd day...

Really disappointed on the consumption, but I am still on the first bale...


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

Are you feeding holsteins? What else do they have access to?


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Yup, Holsteins. Liquid molasses and whatever baleage I feed them.

I service the grassfed clients...


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

I bale my beans as dry hay and the first day we start feeding them the cows turn their noses up at it, come back the next day and they'll beat you to the gate. Hopefully it will work out with yours.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Lewis Ranch said:


> I bale my beans as dry hay and the first day we start feeding them the cows turn their noses up at it, come back the next day and they'll beat you to the gate. Hopefully it will work out with yours.


Do you have thicker stems like I have? Do they clean those up to?


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

PaMike said:


> Do you have thicker stems like I have? Do they clean those up to?


I'd say no stems over thumb size, you can hardly tell where the bale was they eat it like candy.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

What variety beans were they? I used Tyrone.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

PaMike said:


> I dont remember..a couple days, but I didnt ted it...It was during one of those 2 week runs in the summer where it was mostly work and not much sleep...
> 
> I think it laid 2 days then I rolled it into a windrow to let the bottom dry, then baled the end of 3rd day...
> 
> Really disappointed on the consumption, but I am still on the first bale...


This was my first year putting up bean baleage. Mine laid for 24 hours. I didn't check the moisture. The top of the windrows were starting to get dry but the bottoms were green as when cut. I cut this just as it was starting to bloom. I also had little bit of silage corn mixed in with it for some starch. It smelled some kinda good going into the wrapper. Haven't fed any of it yet. We'll see. Probably go to it next after I finish up the line I'm on now.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Did you plant it with a drill on 7 in centers of a planter on 15 or 30?


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I planted mine with a drill. I think that's how most do it, at least around here.


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

Yea, mine I drilled.


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## clowers (Feb 11, 2011)

Pamike have the cows started cleaning up the bean bales yet?


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Well if you do it next year there's two things that will give you thinner stems cut it earlier / younger or increase the seed population at planting .


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

They ate most of the good stuff but just like Sorghum Sudan there is stemy stuff left behind..

Endrow, I should probably up the population. That would probably do it. I had read some stuff on line that said cut it just before the lower leaves start turning yellow to get max dry matter. I did that....


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

What was your population?Beans will be huge stemmed if planted thinner.I've never planted beans for forage but the thicker you plant them the thinner the stems.IIRC seeding rate for forage beans is around 90 lbs per acre or 270,000 per acre.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

They recommended one bag/acre(140K). I put down 6 bags on 5 acres so probably 140K to 160K per acre. Sound about right??


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## Lewis Ranch (Jul 15, 2013)

PaMike said:


> What variety beans were they? I used Tyrone.


Not sure, bought them at the local feed store. Made around 3 tpa with minimal inputs and planted 50lbs an acre on 7"


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## aawhite (Jan 16, 2012)

We drilled ours about 20% heavier than Pioneer recomended. Don't know if variety would make that much difference. I think you may have baled too dry for good fermentation, either that or the bales needed to sit longer to ferment before feeding? Good fermentation is importnat to soften up the stems.

We were targeting 45% or better on moisture. We also used a silage innoculant to help promote fermentation (it was a Pioneer product, don't remember the name). We used this without fail. Did you use a conditioner? Cracking/crinmping the stems helps a lot. Cows loved it for us.

Frankly, we cut ours for chopping, baleage was a last resort if we missed our window to put in the silo or silage bagger. We usually put up between 50 and 100 acres/year double cropped behind wheat that was cut for silage.


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