New technology has improved the hay production in many areas across the country. This has created a new demand for the equipment and labour needed to harvest and transport the bales to market. As more people are turning to self-sufficiency, these new markets are expanding as well. In this economy, any means to produce more at home is an excellent idea. The following tips can help you improve your hay production even if you live nowhere near a feed barn. Read on for more information.
Hay bales have made significant strides in hay packaging since their introduction to the country—however, a field filled with net-wrapped bales wrecks many hay bales programs. When you attempt to mow these fields, you’ll find many weeds sprouting up in the early spring where hay used to be fed.
Using both methods, you’ll find that net wrapping dry hay storing outside will increase your bale yields. This means that your herd can be better fed at the same time. It will also allow you to get more out of your current hay, improving your overall hay production.
There are several types of feeders that you might consider using in combination with net wrap @ SilageWrap. The best way to start is with a combination of twine and sisal twine. These products are made with human-made fibres, but sisal twine wraps more tightly than the human-made fibre pairs of twine. Using human-made fibre products will result in less feed absorption by your animals. So, while you’ll get a higher volume of bales out of the same area of land, it won’t be as consistent.
Using net-wrap and sisal twine is the best way to go if you want to encourage consistent and healthy bale yield. The bales are held in place by creating a solid surface, and sisal twine provides a secure, non-absorbent feeder surface. This keeps moisture trapped inside the net wrap and prevents bale droppings from leaking out onto your crops. And if you’re using a net wrap for overwintering, sisal twine can help keep the bales nice and dry on the outside, so you don’t risk dampening them and losing their nutrients
So, what are some other things to consider when it comes to baling losses? Well, there’s the less leaf loss issue mentioned above. Also, there’s your potential for birds to ingest fewer times throughout the year. Know that net wrap @ SilageWrap tends to absorb moisture faster than loose fibre, so fewer times of wetting from rain or dew and a reduced tendency to attract pests is another plus. Finally, net wrapping reduces the amount of hay that you need to provide to gain the same number of production pounds.
Many factors will influence how much hay is needed to gain the same number of pounds of production. For example, plants with a higher proportion of green leaves to height will require less feed to grow, while those with shorter leaves will require more feed. The net wrap can reduce some of these differences, but not completely. If you’re looking at net wraps for bale production, be sure to check the hay yield for the plant in question as well – if the number of hay grains is greater than the number of bales produced, you’ll probably be losing hay more often, which can affect your overall bale production.
