# Alfalfa preservative appliers



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I am having trouble loosing alot of color in my 'new to me' alfalfa. Seems I can just look at it and it fades. So....maybe I need a preservative spraying rig on my baler. What do you recommend....can you cut early one day and bale the next with preservative under good drying conditions? What maximum moisture % can you bale at with preservative and feel good about the situation? What other tips and nuiances are there in using a spraying rig on my Square baler. How many bales does a typical tank of preservative cover? How do you gauge the amount of preservative needed? Can you come and do it for me if I call?







..... just joking.

Regards, Mike


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I'm wrestling with the same issue myself. I would like to have that rich, dark green that they get out west, but it's hard hereabouts because of sun-bleaching.

I have both my square and round balers (Harvestec applicators) set up to apply 4 lbs acid/ton for 16-20%, 8 lbs for 20-25% and 16 lbs for over 25%. The gotcha is the tons/hour that I'm baling--it's kind a SWAG.

I experimented with my last cutting by applying a steady 4 lbs/ton to see if I could stack BR's immediately without heating -- so far, so good.

I don't know if preservatives will save a day on a regular basis because I just not brave enough to try it. But I did bale some small squares a few years ago that were running 30% moisture when bad weather was on the horizon. I only had two bales out of 300 that turned moldy on me. The acid cost of $1/lb means adding up to $.50 to the cost of a small square, so I use it as an emergency saver.

I figure the cost of fuel and time in moving BR's a second time is worth $4/ton.

Ralph


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> I experimented with my last cutting by applying a steady 4 lbs/ton to see if I could stack BR's immediately without heating -- so far, so good.


I always used to apply acid no matter how dry the hay for the very reason you mention. Now that I'm using hayguard and I know the whole field is baleable I'll set the applicator for 1lb on anything below 18% to 14%. Leave it at 2lbs for 19%-21% and 3lbs for 22%-24%.


----------



## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

I set my applicators at just under 4lbs/tonne and only use it if the moisture exceeds 18%. I have found that anything over 22% makes for a slightly eggshaped bale that is a real turnoff to myself and my customers, everyone wants a good looking bale. Seriously 2 1/2 wraps of JD's green netwrap is the best way to have green looking alfalfa bales everytime. I baled several hundred squares one year at 30% to see the results, the quality was fine but the bales were so soft and deformed after stacking i would never try it again.


----------



## Bob M (Feb 11, 2012)

Mike, I run acid on all my hay. I think I am correct that the acid will actually fade the hay a little more. The product we use has 65% Prop, 5% citric acid, citric acid is supossed to help with color. Using acid has a learning curve. You can push higher moisture on alfalfa and can push higher moisture with dew moisture vs stem moisture. If ground has been wet and there are more molds in the enviorment prob can not push moisture as high. I think your biggest benefit will be keeping leaves on vs green color. I would not bale hay with out preservative, and think you would be very happy with a unit.


----------



## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

I am having trouble loosing alot of color in my 'new to me' alfalfa. Seems I can just look at it and it fades

IT seems to me that most fade (in the windrow) is caused by dew and humidity. Using preservative won't really correct that, but it might take a day off the time that the hay is in the feild. I feel comfortable baling hay (2x3 mid size squares) up to 25-26 % moisture, starting preservative at 19%/2lbs per ton, up to 8 or 10 lb per ton at 25%. We use buffered proprionic thru a Harvest Tec 465 automated system.


----------



## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

Keeping the Green color.
About the only way I have heard of to put up hay in the desert climate.
That or do as was described on these pages a few years ago. Use oven heat to cure the hay down in a few minutes. Then rehydrate to keep the leaves going directly to a baler. They trucked green cut hay to the drier.

I believe the fuel cost per ton of hay ran the price for the hay up a good bit.

Usually the "Pretty Green"** color is easier to accomplish in the irrigated desert states.

The effect of the surface dew evaporating appears to be a major contribution to the bleaching.

As for preservatives, one of the effects is a darkening of the hay some times called tobacco hay.

The application of a preservative can be as complicated as you wish to make it. The simplest system is a tank and a 12v pump with two or three spray nozzles in the pickup part of the baler. The amount of acid is first preset by the pressure and nozzle types. Then you adjust the amount of hay going past the nozzles by adjusting the rate of hay going into the baler. This is accomplished by maintaining the Engine RPM's and changing gears.
There is a Company that builds a system that adjust the pressure on the go, allowing the tractor to more or less bale at a constant ground speed.
Just remember the higher the moisture level at baling the more preservative needed to prevent mold, and or heating.
Yes 22% moisture is about the upper limit for economically preventing heating &/or mold.
*BUT* consider this. If the 22% moisture is a uniform moisture you are "ok" **. But hay does not cure uniformly. The leaves dry quickly while the stems dry more slowly. It is possible to have stems at 30% moisture and leaves at 10% moisture. In baling most of those leaves will be shattered off & you end up with a bale of high moisture stems.
Ideal is to have the stems dried down to that 10% moisture and the leaves rehydrated to 30% moisture. This way you retain most of the leaves and have little or no sweat.

Now that wonderful drying conditions in the irrigated desert states is not a wonderful blessing. There the humidity at night may never go above 50% and the daytime humidity may be less than 10%. Sure makes it difficult to bale hay and retain the leaves. The same company that sells a preservative system also sells a rehydration system for the arid states.

Hay quality has nothing to do with color. In fact color is not considered in national hay contest. It is possible to have a nice green alfalfa that is maybe 16% CP and a 115 RFV. It is also possible to have a hay that test 26% protein and 200 RFV that is nice dull brown.
Horses do not see the color green but the buyer sees color and seldom notices quality. ******* ******* *******

* Indicates sarcasm. Ross Kooiker


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Well, I guess I'm screwed as far as making semi-green alfalfa becuase my dew is heavy(grown in river bottom) and my humidity is the pits. Seems like if its not one thing its another with this alfalfa....bugs, humidity, fungals(been spared so far), loss of color, leaf shatter....heck fire....its a whole lot easier to grow Timothy and horse people love it. Yield is good on Timothy and Orchard grass....and I get a 2nd cutting on the Orchard grass. This alfalfa has to have its hand held and baby sitted here in the Southeast....and the yield so far is nothing to write home about. I always loved the beautiful emerald green alfalfa along the front range of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming....mine looks like cow crap compared to it. Guess if I want to grow alfalfa, I just need to move to Buffalo or Sheridan....I do like the dry air in that country.

Regards, Mike


----------



## carcajou (Jan 28, 2011)

About 1/2 of my acres are in a timothy/alfalfa mix. They compliment each other very well.


----------

