Our cows are fed a very specific and well balanced ration. High quality ALFALFA is an important part of that diet. A field of alfalfa is usually made into hay or haylage. Hay is in a much dryer form and is stored as a small bale or a big bale. Haylage has a higher moisture level, is chopped into a particle size of a few inches, and is stored in bunkers, silos, or bags. A big part of any dairy farmer's summer is preparing and storing the feed that the cows will eat all throughout the year.
Well, so what? Big deal. It is a big deal! How and when you make your haylage in the summer can determine the milk production and health of your cows throughout the whole year! It has to be cut at a certain time in the maturation process - it cant be too "young" or too "old" or the vitamin, nutrient, and energy levels will not be ideal. Its kind of like harvesting your garden. Think of strawberries -- you cant pick them too soon or too late, or they wont be good. And, hopefully this lines up with our friend the sun - which needs to shine for a few days!! Most of the time we are done with hay by the end of May, but because of all the rain we havent been able to get into the fields. Usually we get 3 or 4 "crops" or harvests off of our alfalfa fields. 28 days after each crop the field can be harvested again.
For "1st crop," we are going to be chopping all of our hay and storing it in large, white bags. It's quite a process, and involves a lot of team-work and cooperation. Here are the basics of chopping hay on our dairy:
1. First, we cut the hay with a discbine. This machine cuts the alfalfa and places it into thinner "rows."
2. Second, after the sun has dried the hay a bit, we merge or rake the rows together.
3. Next, the chopper will pick up the hay and chop it into smaller particles. An "arm" on the chopper will move the "haylage" into a wagon that will take it back to the farm.
4. Finally, the wagon will drive the haylage to the farm to be "bagged." The haylage will be placed into a long white bag, which is vaccuum sealed to ensure that it will not spoil.
Here is a video that I put together of ALL the steps of making hay.
Katie,
ReplyDeleteI am an Appraiser Trainee with Badgerland Financial in Janesville. Carl Liegel (another appraiser with Badgerland out of Madison) shared your blog with me (I can't remember how he knew you or what the connection was). Anyway, I did not grow up on a farm, and I just wanted to let you know your blog has helped me IMMENSELY with understanding how different things on a farm work. You give so much detail, and I especially loved the video on how haylage is made, because I never really understand it if someone explains it to me; I have to see it for myself! Please keep up the good work! I've loved everything you've posted so far, and everyone that I've told about where your milk comes from loved that website as well!
-Becky Grogan
Thanks so much for the nice comment, Becky! I'm so glad that you are enjoying my blog. I am truly enjoying sharing my farm and cow experiences with everyone. Please let me know if there is something that you have ever wondered about or having questions -- I would love to video blog about it! Good luck with Badgerland. It's a great company filled with top notch people. :)
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