# Getting the Most Out of Round Bales



## ZB (Apr 1, 2008)

Round bales of hay are fed to cattle across the country and represent the largest cost to many livestock producers. This article will examine some ways farmers can reduce the losses in the field operations, storage, and feeding of round bales.

*In the Field*

The most challenging part of hay making is timing the cutting and harvesting of the hay. Experience as always is the best teacher, but some practices can make learning how to make hay less painful and costly.
Cutting the hay at the right plant maturity for the market is the first step to make quality product to sell or feed to your animals. In most cases the late vegetative to early reproductive growth stage will be ideal-right before to just starting to flower.

Before you cut your hay you should watch the weather forecast for a window of 2-4 days without rain and temperatures at least 75 degrees. If a large number acres are grown a weather consulting service, such as DTN, may be justified. This is another place where a little experience and luck help-if nothing else pay attention to when an experienced neighbor starts cutting their hay and follow suit.

The drying time of the hay in the field can be influenced by a number management decisions. For more information, read "Reducing the Drying Time of Hay and Hay Silage in the Field" in the HayTalk Archives.

The hay swaths picked up by the round baler should be either half or nearly all of the pick-up width of the baler. If you cut wide swaths (70% or more of the cut width), rake two or three swaths together prior to baling. Bales should be made at a uniform density, about 10 pounds/ft3. Making uniform bales will make easier handling, storage, marketing, calculating costs.

*Storage*

Once the round bales are made, you need to protect them by storing them properly. Improper round bale storage often leads to low quality forage for livestock," Dennis R. Buckmaster Ag Engineer Penn State. Round bales should be removed from the field within the first 24 hours if not sooner-especially if rain is on the way. Many options are available to store round bales. Farmers need to weigh the cost of the lost of hay against the cost of storage to determine which method will work best for them.

_Cost of Hay Lost_

In table 1, from Big Bale Storage Losses; how different options stack up Craig Saxe UW Extension, outlines the dry matter losses in various storage systems.

















Besides the dry matter loss farmers need to consider the actual cost of losing hay. For example if a farmer had 100 round bales of hay and stored them uncovered on the ground, he would lose on average 33 bales of hay a year. This week's hay pricing report put Grade 1 (120 to 150 RFV/RFQ) Large Round Bales at about $60/ton. The average round bale weighs 1000 lb. So a quick back of the envelope gives us

33 bales X ½ ton per bale X $60/ton = about $1000 lost per 100 round bales

The lowest amount lost would be $165 per 100 round bales using under roof, plastic wrap or bale sleeves.

Use Table 1 above and Table 2 below to calculate your own loses based on quality and bale type.

*Table 2: Hay Prices Upper Midwest July 10, 2009 Ken Barnett UW Extension*

---- Price ($/ton) ---- Hay Grade Bale type Average Minimum Maximum Prime (> 151 RFV/RFQ) Small Square 163.33 120.00 210.00 Large Square 135.34 62.50 180.00 Large Round 97.25 60.00 130.00 Grade 1 (125 to 150 RFV/RFQ) Small Square 110.00 100.00 120.00 Large Square 72.37 40.00 145.00 Large Round 61.75 40.00 100.00 Grade 2 (103 to 124 RFV/RFQ) Small Square 50.00 40.00 60.00 Large Square 51.67 25.00 80.00 Large Round 38.13 17.50 60.00 
_Cost of Storage_

Round Hay Bale Storage gives a good outline of the cost of various storing hay options. The cost of storing hay in a barn is about $20/ton or $1000 to store 100 bales for a year. Group stacking the round bales is about $10/ton or $500 for the 100 bales for a year. Group stacking uses a base of three bales, two more on them, and one on top. The bales are stacked on about 4-6 inches of rock and covered with a tarp. Individually-wrapped bales costs between $10-15/ton and $500-750 per 100 bales. It is very important to calculate your own storage costs, but these numbers can help you ballpark different options.

*Feeding*

The most recent research in this area was conducted by Buskirk et. al 2003 at Michigan State University. They compared feed loss and animal behavior when feeding round bales out of four feeder types: cone, ring, trailer, or cradle (Figure 1). They found the most aggressive behavior in the cradle design. This will reduce the amount of hay submissive animals eat and will reduce profits. The lowest hay loss was found in the cone type (3.5%) feeder and the highest was found in the cradle type (14.6%). Cattle had to reach for the hay in the cone design and any design of feeder that encourages this will help reduce hay loss. Keeping the hay off the ground will also help reduce spoilage. If possible covering the feeder to keep the bales dry will also reduce hay loss from round bales.

A farmer also needs to consider ease of loading the feeder and the amount of hay the feeder car hold, but these things vary to farmer to farmer and need to be an individual decision.

*Figure 1. * Round bale feeder types: (a) cone, (







ring, (c) trailer, and (d) cradle.

From*Large round bale feeder design affects hay utilization and beef cow behavior* Buskirk et. al 2003

















For more information click on the links below.

*References*

Large round bale feeder design affects hay utilization and beef cow behavior

Buskirk et. al Michigan State University 2003

Big Bale Storage Losses; how different options stack up

Craig Saxe University of Wisconsin Extension

Weekly Hay Market Demand and Price Report for the Upper Midwest as of July 10, 2009

Ken Barnett, University of Wisconsin-Extension

Round Hay Bale Storage

Dennis R. Buckmaster, Associate Professor of Agricultural Engineering Penn State University


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