Pics of wrapped silage/balage

[slowzuki]

Just some pics from a friends farm, his father runs one of the few self sufficient and successful local farms. Business activities include hay, silage, straw berries, logging own land, firewood processing and sale.

This pic is of the unsold silage halfway through haying season. I could only get about half of it in the pic. I think his son said there were 400 bales from the first cutting and 50 unsold from last year. The hay is stored inside a barn, they usually put up 100 bales or so.

He will do small squares on contract but not off his own land. The rounder is a New Holland Sillage Special, not sure of the chamber size, bigger than 4x5 though.

 

[slowzuki]

Next pics is just a couple of his tractors sitting around. Ford 8610 and a 5610 2wd.

 

[HayDR]

New Holland has 3 balers that are silage specials. 4x4,5x4, & 6x4. Most individual wrapped haylage bales are 4x4 bales because of the weight. Many of the wrappers can not handle bales over 2000 LBS. A 4x4 bale at 40-50% moisture will weigh about 2000 Lbs. This farmer may have a 6x4 baler but at most he will bale a 5x4 bale in haylage. In dry hay he will bale a full bale. I wonder what brand of wrapper he has? New Holland has dropped their wrappers. This is per one of my dealer customers for McHale wrappers that could no longer get the wrappers. I wonder if this farmer puts 6 wraps of plastic on his haylage bales because he does not know how long it will be before the bale will be fed?

 

[slowzuki]

I believe the wrapper is a custom built unit by a local outfit, Thomas Equipment. They make skidsteers and things too.

I don't know how many wraps there are but they are dilligent in checking the bales regularly and taping tears. I can't think of what damages them though.

They are sold transport loads at a time usually to Nova Scotia.
They use a tubular grab to move the wrapped bales.

 

[glover]

thats weird how come u guys wrap them individually up in ontario we have long rows of balles wrapped together

 

[slowzuki]

They are wrapped together when staying on the farm. Hard to sell a 300 m long tube of bales without ruining the ensiling.

 

[HayDR]

The best way to sell silage is when it is in $1.60 Lb feeder calves.