Hay production requires a lot of time in the field, a fleet of forage equipment, and space to store the completed product hay bales, whether you’re running a custom hay business or generating for your own operation’s needs. Selling bales of hay to businesses and operators who need to feed livestock can help those selling hay develop profitable operations, but doing so requires an initial equipment investment.
Hay Equipment
Production of hay and forage requires a similar amount of equipment as it does manpower. A quality finished product requires numerous iterations across the field using a range of various tools. In addition to a small tractor, every operation also needs mowers, conditioners, hay rakes, balers, and occasionally hay tedders and bale wraps. Pay special attention to the horsepower requirements for each implement to be sure your tractor has the engine power to meet them.
Equipment is constantly evolving. Some of the newest bale handling equipment are the Caterpillar 930 Mag handler for stacking bales, the New Holland FR920 Mc Hale’s Orbital that can wrap up to 120 bales per hour, and Hesston’s WR9900 series windrowers that cut, condition, and plan hay.
Square or Round Baler?
Choosing between round and square bales is crucial before investing in a baler. Which type of baler you choose will depend on the region where your firm is located and which is often the most popular. There are various bale sizes to take into account as well. Forage growers have several economical options to choose from with the John Deere 9 series round bales thanks to a selection of straightforward, reliable balers. Less spoilage and better forage quality result from each baler being shipped ready to net wrap.
Building a custom hay business
All businesses that want hay must choose whether to bale it themselves or buy it from a professional baler. Producing hay for specific clients might bring in substantial, steady income. One Minnesota farming family maintains a bespoke hay business that supplies dairies in neighboring states in addition to growing a few conventional row crops. After feeding their own cattle, the family discovered they had extra hay to sell. Eventually, the business moved away from animals and into the production of custom hay. The Michaelsons’ farm family has discovered a solid market to sell to in the dairy business because they can constantly maintain the quality of their alfalfa and give quality feed.
Protecting Hay
Planning and routine monitoring are needed to maintain the quality of the forage once it has been converted into bales. The amount of moisture in the hay before it is turned into bales affects a lot of what could go wrong once bales are manufactured. Too-dry hay may result in leaf ʟᴏss and a definite ʟᴏss in quality. Too much moisture in the hay during baling could eventually create spontaneous combustion, which can start fires in storage facilities. Purchasing a moisture tester might be the key to preventing disastrous ʟᴏsses once baling is complete.
If you can’t store the bales in a shed, consider covering them with tarps to keep the weather out. In the event that neither of those options is available, stack the bales in north-south rows on a well-drained location. Stretch wrap plastic has also been demonstrated to be an effective ᴍᴇᴛʜod for shielding exposed bales from the weather.
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