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The
Differences Among Hay Conditioners
by Fae Holin, Managing Editor, Hay & Forage
Grower
If you're in the market for a new hay cutting machine,
here's a crash course from Dan Undersander, University of Wisconsin
extension forage specialist, taken from his presentation at the National
Alfalfa Symposium in early February. He discussed the available
conditioning options and also talked about wide swaths, other haying
equipment and ways to reduce ash content in forages.
"There are two major types of conditioners," he explained. One is a
flail/impeller and the other uses rubber/steel rolls. "The big argument
is over which is better. The impeller creates a stripping action; the
rubber rolls create a crushing action. The impeller tends to have higher
leaf losses and the roll may leave strips in the field if you have light
crops."
Flails/impellers are "definitely better for grasses," he said. But for
alfalfa, he would vote for conditioners with rubber rolls. Research
shows that flail conditioners lose 2-4% more alfalfa dry matter than
conditioners with rubber or steel rolls, Undersander said.
"But whether it's a flail or a roller, it's the adjustments that are so
crucial. I've seen time and again where machines came from the dealer
that had not been adjusted as they should have been. You should really
take charge of that yourself and pay attention to it," he warned.
Adjusting the amount of tension will depend on the amount of hay going
through "and you will need to adjust that for each field."
The spacing of the rollers is another area that needs attention, he
said. "Generally, the spacing should be about the thickness of a
quarter. The easiest way to check that is to go into your kitchen and
take a sheet of aluminum foil and roll it up into an inch roll. Then
feed it through your mower-conditioner's rollers.
"Now, my safety people tell me I need to remind you to shut the mower
off first," he said. "Then you put that roll through and look for thin
spots (where clearance is more or less than a quarter)."
"We find that the real difference (between the two types of
conditioners) is in the adjustments, the management of the machines. So
either can do a good job in terms of drying rate."
For "more severe" conditioning, growers may want to research
superconditioners or macerators, Undersander said. "The difference
between the superconditioner and a regular conditioner is that the
superconditioner completely crushes the alfalfa stems instead of simply
breaking them in a few places." Superconditioners don't strip off the
leaves, either.
"They really do work, but you have to decide how much you need that
extra drying time. There have been numerous trials of these products and
the superconditioner always did dry a little bit faster. In a day it
made about seven to eight points of dry matter difference, so we're
seeing maybe three to five hours difference in drying rate."
Superconditioners can cost $15,000-20,000 more than regular
conditioners, he added.
Macerators fracture hay stems, Undersander said. Hay is crushed first by
two rotating rubber rollers, then by a set of steel serrated rollers,
rotating at a slightly different speed. "In addition to smashing the
whole stems, it just scrapes off the wax, really enhancing the drying
rate." Developed at the U.S. Dairy Forage Research Center, Madison, WI,
the macerator is being marketed by a Canadian company.
"The original model could pretty much get alfalfa hay dry in the Midwest
in a day for haying. The challenge was, it was a very slow process. With
the macerator that is on the market, we still have the problem that it
is slower than our mowing and conditioning although we speeded up the
haymaking by macerating less. The unit on the market does work, it's
just important to remember that it doesn't macerate as much as the pilot
unit did.
"It is an expensive unit, and we need to decide if we really need that
three or four or five or six hours in terms of increased drying time
over conditioning."
For a recap of Undersander's entire presentation, entitled: What's New
In Forage Equipment: Manipulating Hay Swath To Speed Drying, visit hayandforage.com/alfalfasymposium/coverage.
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The
Right Alfalfa Companion Crop Can Increase Profits
Current market prices for wheat and barley make those
crops potentially profitable options as small-grain companion crops when
establishing alfalfa, according to recent University of Minnesota
research. Wheat's current value should give growers extra incentives to
choose it over the more commonly used oat crop when starting new alfalfa
fields, says Craig Sheaffer, an agronomist at the university. The
research showed that alfalfa yields were higher the year following
seeding when the crop was established with wheat as compared to oats,
barley, field peas or annual flax. Alfalfa yields were the lowest when
seeded with field peas. "The peas have good weed control early on, but
the weeds gain a foothold later," Sheaffer explains. "The flax did not
compete well with the weeds during our trials."
Make sure the companion crop does not overwhelm the alfalfa, he says.
"Whenever you interseed two crops, you have to be really on top of what
you are doing." He recommends selecting earlier-maturing and
shorter-stature companion-crop varieties, reducing the seeding rate, and
promptly removing straw so alfalfa is not smothered.
"Another option is to plant a small grain in the spring without the
alfalfa underseed, harvest it for grain in the summer and by August 15,
seed the alfalfa," Sheaffer says. "This approach eliminates the early
season competition, and timely rainfall in late August supplies moisture
for germination."
Contact Sheaffer at 612-625-7224.
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Wisconsin
Grower To Lead NAFA
A Wisconsin producer has been elected chairman of the
National Alfalfa & Forage Alliance (NAFA). Tom Braun of Reedsville will
take over the duties from Mark Wagoner of the Washington Alfalfa Seed
Commission, who will remain on the board as a director. Braun has been
an alfalfa and forage grower for close to 40 years. He has also been
active in the Wisconsin Forage Council and Midwest Forage Association.
Established in April 2006, NAFA is a hybrid of the former National
Alfalfa Alliance and other industry organizations. It was formed to
serve as an umbrella organization of forage and alfalfa interests. NAFA
offers a forum for consensus-building in an effort to be an effective
advocate on behalf of the alfalfa/forage industry on a national
level.
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Whether you're looking for
proven performance in a package that offers exceptional value or a
tractor that gives you the latest electronic conveniences and push
button simplicity, the new T6000 Series tractors from New Holland are
built for you. T6000 tractors are a natural choice for haying operations
and heavy loader work. To learn more, see your local New Holland dealer
or call 1-888-290-7377. www.newholland.com/na
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Nebraska
Weed Management Guide Available
The 2008 Guide for Weed Management in Nebraska
is a comprehensive publication that can help growers make weed control
decisions based on unbiased, research-based information. It includes
herbicide options and efficacy tables by crop, specific recommendations
for "difficult to control" and noxious weeds, pointers on sprayer
calibration and maintenance, pesticide safety and more.
The guide features an updated herbicide dictionary and updated crop
rotation interval and plant back timing information for commonly used
herbicides. The 204-page book is available for $5 or can be viewed at www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/live/ec130/build/ec130.pdf.
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Minnesota
Hay is hard to find in parts of Minnesota and sales
activity and prices have continued to be high throughout the state, says
Paul Peterson, University of Minnesota extension forage agronomist.
"Most of the state has been under good snow cover this winter, which
helps reduce winterkill concerns," he adds. "Many parts of the state had
good moisture in the fall." However, when soils go into winter fully
saturated, alfalfa doesn't harden as well and there also may be heaving
problems in clay soils, says Peterson.
Contact him at 612-625-3747.
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healthier stands. The result? More profit from your alfalfa acres -
whether you feed it or sell it. www.nk-us.com
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Oklahoma
High demand keeps dairy and beef hay moving in
Oklahoma, reports Brandon Drinnon, owner of Drinnon Hay, Taloga. "Prices
for dry-cow hay have been around $80-90/ton, while good hay is bringing
$125-145/ton," he says. "We have been moving around 25 loads per week at
those prices." He sells to feedlots and dairies in New Mexico and buys
from western Oklahoma, Kansas and into western Nebraska. He also grows
some of the hay he sells. "Last year was a good production year in terms
of tonnage, but not great as far as quality early on. The later quality
was pretty good," he says. "We haven't had a hard time finding hay, but
a lot of the people we deal with are looking at reducing their hay acres
this year."
Drinnon is switching to live-bottom trailers to backhaul manure from his
New Mexico clients to his area. "There seems to be demand for it (the
manure), especially with high fertilizer prices. We plan to take 24 tons
of hay out and bring 24 tons of manure back and sell it at a price that
at least covers our fuel costs."
Contact Drinnon at 580-328-5635.
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Organic
Farming Conference Is Feb. 21-23
Emphasizing practical workshops for beginning,
transitional and experienced organic farmers, the Upper Midwest Organic
Farming Conference will be held Feb. 21-23 at the La Crosse Center in La
Crosse, WI.
Registration starts at 5 p.m. on Feb. 21, but earlier that day,
intensive day-long sessions on specific topics in organic agriculture
will be offered under the title "Organic University." A new feature this
year: an Organic Research Symposium that allows researchers from
universities and other institutions to present organic crop production
research results. A trade show will feature more than 130 exhibitors,
including resource groups, certification agencies, buyers, processors,
cooperatives and suppliers in the organic industry. The conference is
being organized by the Wisconsin-based Midwest Organic and Sustainable
Education Service (MOSES).
For more information, visit www.mosesorganic.org/. Or,
contact MOSES at P.O. Box 339, Spring Valley, WI 54767. Phone:
715-772-3153.
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Calendar
Feb. 21 -- Kentucky Alfalfa Conference, Cave
City Convention Center. View the program at www.uky.edu/Ag/Forage/. Contact
Garry Lacefield at 270-365-7541, ext. 202.
Feb. 26 -- Illinois Forage Institute, Holiday Inn, Mount Vernon.
For a program agenda and registration form, visit web.extension.uiuc.edu/rockfordcenter/downloads/9878.pdf.
Call 618-244-0773, ext. 3.
Feb. 26 -- Southwest Missouri Spring Forage Conference,
University Plaza Hotel, Springfield. Call 417-862-8085.
Feb. 26-27 -- Idaho Hay And Forage Conference, Burley Inn,
Burley. Call Glenn Shewmaker at 208-736-3608.
March 4-6 -- Pennsylvania Professional Crop Producers Conference,
Penn Stater Conference Center at Penn State University, State College.
Contact Marvin Hall at 814-863-1019.
March 6 -- Michigan State University Forage Technology
Conference, MSU Kellogg Center, East Lansing. Visit web1.msue.msu.edu/fis/workshops.htm.
March 7 -- Kansas State University Cattlemen's Day, Weber Hall,
KSU, Manhattan. Visit www.asi.ksu.edu or call 785-532-1281.
March 8 -- 2008 Georgia & South Carolina Hay Production School,
Extension Office, Burke County Office Park, Waynesboro, GA. Program runs
from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more at www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fieldcrops/forages/hayps08.html.
Call Dennis Hancock, University of Georgia at 706-542-1529, or John
Andrae, Clemson University, at 864-656-3504.
March 19-20 -- 2008 Central Plains Dairy Expo, Sioux Falls
Convention Center, Sioux Falls, SD. Visit www.centralplainsdairyexpo.com
or call 218-236-8420.
March 28-29 -- Northeast Grasstravaganza 2008, Holiday Inn Arena,
Binghamton, NY. Call 607-334-3231, ext. 4, or visit the Central New York
Resource Conservation and Development Project Web site at www.cnyrcd.org.
April 10-13 -- Ohio Equine Affaire, Ohio Expo Center, Columbus.
Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
April 18-20 -- Midwest Horse Fair, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit midwesthorsefair.com.
April 25-27 -- Minnesota Horse Expo, Minnesota State Fairgrounds,
St. Paul. Visit www.mnhorseexpo.org.
June 6-8 -- Western States Horse Expo, Cal Expo Fairgrounds,
Sacramento, CA. Call 800-352-2411 or visit www.horsexpo.com.
July 11-13 -- North Carolina Equine Extravaganza, North Carolina
State Fairgrounds, Raleigh. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
Sept. 17-20 -- National Hay Association Convention, Oak Brook
Hills Marriott, Oak Brook, IL. Contact Don Kieffer at 800-707-0014, or
visit www.nationalhay.org.
Sept. 30-Oct. 4 -- World Dairy Expo, Alliant Energy Center,
Madison, WI. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com.
Oct. 31-Nov. 2 -- Virginia Equine Extravaganza, Richmond Raceway,
Richmond. Learn more at www.equineextravaganza.com.
Nov. 13-16 -- Massachusetts Equine Affaire, Eastern States
Exposition Center, West Springfield, MA. Visit www.equineaffaire.com.
Feb. 15-16, 2009 -- Southwest Hay And Forage Conference, Ruidoso
NM. Contact Gina Sterrett at 575-626-5677 or Justin Boswell at
575-840-9908.
June 21-23, 2009 -- American Forage & Grassland Council Annual
Conference, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids, MI. Call
800-944-2342 or email info@afgc.org.
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Send Questions & Comments
To...
Lora Berg, Editor,
eHay Weekly,
hfg@hayandforage.com
For information on Hay & Forage Grower, contact:
Neil Tietz, Editor, ntietz@hayandforage.com
or
Fae Holin, Managing Editor, fholin@hayandforage.com
For specific information from past issues of eHay Weekly and Hay &
Forage Grower, click on hayandforage.com, and use the search
function in the upper right-hand corner of the homepage.
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