# Bills Forage Files



## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Relaunching this blog at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/
I just took a job with Cornell Cooperative Extension in western New York. I'll post here as new articles are posted. This one is titled "The Value of Increasing Pasture Numbers." Feel free to comment, suggest more topics, and offer your own experiences on the webpage listed above.

This post has been promoted to an article


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Glad to see you back Bill....don't be gone so long next time.

Regards, Mike


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

Ah Ha UpNorth you will have Free access to NRAES-6 *Silage and Hay Preservation *by R. E. Pitt 
ISBN 0-935817-47-6

On page 26 is Figure 12 is a graph that I have taken libertise with!
Copied it to graph paper, converted from metric to inches of Pan Evaporation and then built a table to estimate the time required before the hay will be ready to bale. 
Use forecast Pan Evaporation.
Works like a Champ.

Tons of other good information to boot.

Had to send off for a paper copy, as it is not available on the internet.

Rely the compliments of a Texas Hay Farmer, to past and present staff.


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

These are the first two publications that got me on the right track on harvesting hay. 
Please do a search on your own and report the little gems you find.

From WV.
PROPER HANDLING AND CURING OF HAY1
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/pubnwsltr/TRIM/5811.pdf

Virginia: 
Management Tips for Round Bale
Hay Harvesting, Moving, and Storage
http://counties.cce.cornell.edu/washington/Ag/Haymanual/Hay%20Manual/3-The-Hay-Making-Process/Round%20Bale%20Tips.pdf


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

If you are having difficulty drying hay quicklly look at this YouTube from NH






In our humid climate, we really want to have as much down hay as possible exposed to the direct rays of the sun. The idea is to have at least the leaves dried down to 42% moisture or less. This reduces the losses from respiration.

Now if you have a dry climate with less than 20% humidity and a reasonable breeze, say 20 mph or so, then you are in a different world.

I made this modification to my old NH 411 diskbine. There was a lot more local manufacturing in that modification.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

The latest blog is up, Reducing the Drying Time of Hay and Silage in the Field. It's been updated and revised from the previous version with some new images and links.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

The December 2012 blog is up, titled "Reducing Hay and Silage Harvesting Losses". Hope everyone had a great holiday season.


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## Will 400m (Aug 1, 2011)

In the artical Management Tips for Round Bale Hay Harvesting, Moving, and Storage they make mention of spraying chemicals on the field prior to cutting to desolve the wax on the stems to let moisture out easyer has anyone used something like that and how did it work?


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

Here is what I remember about Drying Agents. 
The stuff Works and the stuff is Calcium Carbonate or Potassium Carbonate at a rate of 30 gallons per acre for their proposed yield. If you expect a 3 ton/a cutting you will double that.
The spray tips are mounted on the Push Bar of a Mower Conditioner.

It worked on Mower conditioners but not on Disk Mower Conditioners. It probably could work on a disk mowing system but it will need a push bar to bend the alfafla over for good spray coverage.

When I say it worked it worked in Michigan and in New Mexico, but you need good curing condtions for it to work. To work requires full sunshine on the hay and really the hay should be spread out full width.
The sun heats the moisture in the hay, increasing it's temperature and increasing the vapor pressure in side the hay.

As you can figure this all worked better in New Mexico. Even though New Mexico's low humidity rules against laying the hay our in a full width swath. With the NM low humidity they do not have enough humidity to be able to rake the hay after much wilting.

DR A L Rotz, now at Penn State can give you the streight scoop from group. [email protected]
You can also run some searches on his work.

You also might explore wrapping high moisture haylage in plastic. Cut it today bale it tomorrow.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

The January 2013 post is up, Managing Forage Inventories.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Check out the latest blog entry, Winter Small Grain Silage Fertility


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

The latest blog post is up, Hay, Pasture, & Silage Fertility for Grasses and Legumes
http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

New content up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/

I am posting our weekly "Crop Alert" Extension updates to the blog in place of full articles for now. I've got most of July and June up and I will continue to put the older "Crop Alerts" in addition to adding the new ones for the rest of growing season.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

A couple of more Crop Alerts up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

This week's Crop Alert is up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

This week's Crop Alert is up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/

This week's Crop Alert discusses: Winter Malting Barley Seed is Now Available; Soybean Diseases, Insects, & K Deficiency; Corn Silage Harvest; Residual Herbicide and Cover Crops.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

This week's Crop Alert discusses Corn Silage Harvest and Cover Crops Following Corn Silage at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Check out this week's Crop Alert at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/

This week's Crop Alert discusses: *Small Grains in New Forage Seedings, Shredlage Harvest Recommendations, Corn and Soybean Drydown, *and *Clean Sweep NY Fall 2013. *


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Check out latested Crop Alert at

http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/

This week's Crop Alert discusses: The Effects of* Frost* on *Field Crops*, *Providing Health Exchange Notice by October 1, Time to Start Planting Wheat*, & *Weevils in Stored Wheat.*


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Check out the latest blog article on Fall Tillage Management at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

For this week's Crop Alert go to Bill Verbeten's blog at (http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/). It will be up athttp://www.nwnyteam.org/ next week.

Topics include: Toxic Fumes in Manure Lagoons from Gypsum Bedding, Planting Small Grains in October, Fall Silage Harvests, & Osprey Herbicide Reminders


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

An new blog entry discussing Soil Sampling is up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Corn Silage Gets Better with Age & Attention to Detail, up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

New blog post: Rain Wreaks Havoc on Corn Silage Quality in 2013 on http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Check out the latest blog entry, "Growing Malting Barley"  at Bills Forage Files

Also check out "Dealing with Extreme Winter Weather"


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Check out a couple of articles I recently authored for Dairy Business East Feb 2014. "Growing triticale silage in the Northeast" on pages 24 and 25 & "Fungicides on forage?" on pages 26 and 27, http://magazines.dairybusiness.com/dbefeb14/.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

Variable Rate Fertility Management article up at http://billsforagefiles.blogspot.com/2014/01/variable-rate-fertility-management.html


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

New blog post up at Bill's Forage Files Mapping Management Zones with Soil Conductivity


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

New article up at Bill's Forage Files, Evaluating Small Grains for Winter Injury. I am also now linking PDF versions of the articles to the blog. They are housed at www.nwnyteam.org under the appropriate topics.

"Evaluating Alfalfa for Winter Injury" will be posted the first week of March to Bill's Forage Files so check it out again in a couple of weeks.


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

New blog post up at Bill's Forage Files, "Evaluating Alfalfa For Winter Injury"


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## UpNorth (Jun 15, 2009)

New post at Bill's Forage Files, Crop Alert 3-26-2014: This week's Crop Alert discusses Reducing Small Grain Nitrogen Losses, Frost Seeding Forages, and Replanting/Planting Questions.


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