[Ag-eq] Hay balers

Sat Jul 4 03:13:34 UTC 2015

Jewel:

Yes, there was a flash flood in my area last week and I heard lots of hay got
washed away.

They usually start getting the hay in June; it really depends on the weather. 
They can cut 2 or 3 times, again depending on the weather.

I like the smaller square bales; I can actually move and stack them by myself.

Nella
Quoting Jewel via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:

> I have never seen a small square bale of hay:  only rectangular, roughly 18
> wide and thick by 40
> inches in length.  I don't know what the dimensions of a large hay bale is.
> As for baleage, the
> large rounds are huge having a diameter of 48 inches or thereabouts and a
> height of about the same
> or a bit more.  Minnie rounds are made, but, unfortunately, not by anyone in
> the Gore area.  I did
> get some minnie rounds a couple of winters ago from a smallholder in
> Invercargill, but he sold up
> and I haven't been able to find any since.
> The large round was ok when I had cattle, but now that I have only sheep, it
> goes moldy before I can
> get through it.
> Did Nella say that there was a flood in her area a little while ago and a
> number of people lost
> their baled hay?  If that is so, farmers arounnd whereshe lives must cut and
> bale a long time before
> it is customary to do so in New Zealand where hay-making is a late
> summer/early autumn activity.
>           Jewel
>
>  inches wide by 36 long9aai.
>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Zach Mason via Ag-eq" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 04, 2015 3:54 AM
> To: "'Agricultural and Equestrean Division List'" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "Zach Mason" <zmason.northwindsfarm at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Hay balers
>
> I know more about the end product than the process of hay production. The
> three bailing processes I'm most familiar with are small square, round, and
> large squares. Small squares tend to be in the ball park of 40 Lb when at an
> optimal moisture content. Rounds range because the diameter of the bail can
> be adjusted. I think our New Holland bailer can make from 40''-60'' diameter
> bails. Our good 60'' rounds weigh about 450 Lb. large squares are made
> mostly in the mid-west to west because, less manual labor goes into making
> them than the small squares, and the square shape allows for more tons of
> products to be shipped per load than rounds. I don't have first-hand
> knowledge of the weights or dimensions of the large squares, but I've read
> on the web weights from 600-1800 Lb.
>
> Keep in mind this explanation is a gross simplification of hay bale sizes.
> Within these three categories are sub sizes. Depending on which side of the
> fence you're on, bail size may refer to the volume of the bail, or the
> weight. Increasing the moisture content of the bail increases the weight,
> not necessarily the nutrient value or bang for your buck.
>
> Depending on what the feed is being used for, I'd recommend testing hay for
> its nutrient value. Mulch hay, for a garden or landscaping purposes doesn't
> need to be high quality. Feeding lactating dairy cows, in my opinion, needs
> to be tested so you know what you're getting. There's nothing worse than
> killing livestock because of noxious weeds, mycotoxins, or because the feed
> just didn't have enough protein or energy to keep them healthy.
>
> I'm always happy to look into the matter some more and answer questions.
>
> Zac
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella Foster via
> Ag-eq
> Sent: Thursday, July 02, 2015 7:34 AM
> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Hay balers
>
> Jewel:
>
> I think you're on the right track, but not sure.  I should be able to
> remember;
> my Dad and Grandpa used to bale the hay every summer.  I know it is mown
> first
> and then raked.  There may be another step, but can't remember.  The raked
> hay
> is in rows.  I do remember that the baler was always breaking.  You have to
> have the tention set just right.  The equipment is probably better than what
> we
> had 40 years ago.
>
> Everyone is doing the hay around here.  It's been a difficult year due to
> all
> the rain.  We had a flash flood last weekend and a lot of hay got washed
> away.
> Fortunately the flood just went across one corner of my field and nothing
> was
> damaged, not even my fence.
>
> Nella
>
>
> Quoting Jewel via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
>
> > How do they work?  I looked it up on WikiHow, but learned nothing.
> > When I had my sight, eons ago, I think that I may have seen one at work.
> > What I imagine happens is that the baler collects up the dried grass into
> a
> > hopper, and then a
> > mechanical hand picks up a clump of grass from the hopper, drops it into a
> > box the size of a
> > bale,and that grass is compressed, and then another and another and
> another
> > clump is compressed
> > until the box is full at which point, somehow or
> > other, the twine is tied around the bale, the bottom of the box opens and
> the
> > completed bale drops
> > onto a conveyor belt which then dumps it  on the ground ready to be
> stacked.
> > How does that sound?  Is it anything like what, actually, happens?
> >
> >            Jewel
> >
> >
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