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Published March 14, 2008 12:44 pm - SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Experience has taught Gene Brockus that no two years are alike when it comes to knowing how much hay his cows need.
Bale or buy?: Farmers, experts offer tips on hay
By Mike Surbrugg
msurbrugg@joplinglobe.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Experience has taught Gene Brockus that no two years are alike when it comes to knowing how much hay his cows need.
To that end, the St. Clair County farmer keeps a two-year supply of hay on hand to get him through thick and thin years, he said.
Brockus was among those at a forage conference in Springfield on Feb. 26 for a session comparing buying and baling hay.
Justin Sexton, University of Missouri Extension beef nutritionist, said the nutritional value of hay can be the same regardless of where it is baled. Nutrition can only decline after hay has been harvested, he said.
Buying hay eliminates battling rain to get forages cut and baled and it also eliminates owning hay equipment, he said.
Buying hay also raises quality and transportation issues.
It costs about $14 to mow, rake and bale a 1,000- to 1,500-pound hay bale in Missouri, Sexton said.
Fertilizer value in a ton of hay can be worth $48.36, he said.
Leaving bales outside can increase waste, especially with smaller bales because most of the hay is in the outer eight inches of the bale, he said.
Storing hay inside and controlling how it is fed also reduces waste, he said.
The best outside bale storage site is at the top of a slope with boards, rocks or other materials used to keep bales off the ground. Bales should be butted end-to-end in north-south rows with a small space between rows, he said.
Leaving bales in a grassed waterway turns them into wicks to absorb a lot of water and putting them in the woods is a great way to grow mold, he said.
Producers also were told to give cattle only the amount of hay needed for a day to avoid waste, he said.
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