Both feature a similar rotor design for processing the bale. Today there are two basic styles of bale processors. If you’re still interested, what kind of processor should you look for?
This reduces the average cut length down to 2 to 4 inches before it enters the TMR. Some processors can now be equipped with a final cut option, which includes an additional cutting stage to further reduce processed hay down to the optimum precut material size for better digestibility and feed efficiency in a cow’s rumen. However, this advantage is offset by the buildup of manure around the feed ring and the limited access some cows may have in finding a spot at the “table.”*ĭo you prefer the economy and flexibility to process and mix your own feed rations and the freedom to do it according to your schedule versus that of an outside supplier? When hay was stored outside and covered, the loss dropped to 13 percent, but hay stored in a building reduced the loss to about 5 percent.Īverage waste for either ground feeding method was about 18 percent, but feeding in some type of structure was about 5 percent. Studies have found an average dry matter loss of 28 percent for hay stored outside without a cover. Of course, the biggest factor of hay waste still happens during storage. In fact, studies conducted in 2011 by three universities demonstrated a 16-pound weight gain advantage during a 60-day feeding period. Operators have the ability to control and monitor consumption by processing and windrowing bales in the field (compared to simply unrolling them in the field), cows consume more hay and waste less. Why? Because it helps effectively eliminate most of the dust, mold and mildew that accumulates in a bale before the hay enters the digestive systems of your cows and it reduces the amount of sorting, waste and manure that typically takes place around the feed ring.įrom a feeding and bedding standpoint, it’s a much easier, faster and more efficient way to distribute your hay, especially during the middle of winter. In other words, using your processor to distribute a consistent layer of straw to reduce erosion and reclaim land in new commercial and residential developments, or along roads and interstates.Īnother reason? Processing hay makes marginal hay more palatable and average hay better. Or even repurposing it as a different type of tool and making it a new profit center – such as contracting out your services to developers and contractors in land reclamation projects. For example, the ability to process everything from hay to cornstalk bales the ability to process round bales or square bales the flexibility to perform all kinds of tasks – laying down windrows in the field, bunk feeding, right-sizing hay material for total mixed rations, blowing bedding into shelters or forage into storage bunkers. When you visit with owners and operators, one of the biggest reasons they prefer processors is the versatility it gives them. So let’s start with what we do know and what many owners and operators have told us. The real answer to, “Does a bale processor make sense for your livestock operation?” probably depends what you hope to get out of it by the way you use and manage it in your operation. ‘It gets in your blood …’ Anderson family operation turns A.I.
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