Value Added Webinar

Livestock Update Series 6-26-2020

Farm Finance Options for the Historically Undeserved

How Your Milk Comes to You

Racial Justice in the Food System

The VT Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation warmly invites you to participate in our summer Learning Circle Series:  Racial Justice in the Food System.  This virtual series is for anyone who wants to explore the intersections of food, agriculture, and racism in our society.  As an Extension-focused Center, we look forward to working with our Extension, outreach, and service provider colleagues for this important dialogue.  This series is also designed to help build anti-racist practices in our everyday lives. We encourage participants to join for the entire series, though we also welcome people who can only attend one or two sessions.  Please read below and in the attached flyer to learn more about the series and how to sign-up.   Many thanks.  

Sincerely,

Kim Niewolny

Director, Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation

Pesticide Applicator Updates

Please find the following below: From VDACS Guidance Updates: 1) Dicamba Registration Status: Virginia Pesticide Safety Educators Workshop 2)EPA Releases Guidance on Pesticide Safety Training Requirements During COVID-19

1) An update to Dicamba's registration status from Liza Fleeson-Trossbach:

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a cancellation order for the federal registration of XtendiMax with Vaporgrip Technology ( EPA Reg. No. 524-617 ) , FeXapan ( EPA Reg. No. 352-913), and Engenia ( EPA Reg. No. 7969-345).  This action follows the Ninth Circuit for the U.S. Court of Appeals decision on June 3, 2020 to vacate the federal registration of these Dicamba products.  EPA’s cancellation order addresses all uses of these products and includes requirements for the sale, distribution, and use of existing stocks of XtendiMax with Vaporgrip Technology, FeXapan, and Engenia.
 Effective June 3, 2020: 
1.  Growers and commercial applicators may use existing stocks that were in their possession on June 3, 2020, the effective date of the Court decision. Such use must be consistent with the product’s previously-approved label, and may not continue after July 31, 2020.
2. Distribution or sale by the re

gistrant of all existing stocks of the products listed above is prohibited effective as of the time of the order on June 3, except for distribution for the purposes of proper disposal.
3.  Distribution or sale of existing stocks of the products listed above that are already in the possession of dealers, retailers, or any other persons is permitted only for the purposes of proper disposal or to facilitate return to the registrant or a registered establishment under contract with the registrant. 
 Questions regarding the return of stocks of these products should be directed to the product registrant or distributor/retailer.
Thank you.

LFT

2) A message from EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs:
Agricultural workers and pesticide handlers directly support the nation’s agricultural production and food supply and EPA is committed to ensuring they are protected from workplace hazards.
EPA has released guidance regarding the annual pesticide safety training requirements outlined in the Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) that offers flexibility during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The Agency is aware that COVID-19 may make it difficult for agricultural employers and handler employers to provide WPS pesticide safety training or hire agricultural workers and pesticide handlers who have been trained in the last 12 months, as required by the WPS.
In response, the guidance aims to inform agricultural employers and handler employers of flexibilities available under the WPS to allow continued protection for employees and agricultural production:

·          

• EPA encourages in-person training if workplace protections to maintain a healthy work environment are able to be implemented. For example, an employer may be able to provide pesticide safety training outside, in smaller than usual groups with well-spaced participants.
• Alternatively, WPS training can be presented remotely, provided all WPS training requirements are met.
• The employer is ultimately responsible for ensuring the training meets all requirements outlined in the WPS. For example, the training must still be presented in a manner the trainees can understand, in an environment reasonably free from distractions, and cover the full training content using EPA-approved training materials.
• Once the training ends, the employer must document successful completion under a qualified trainer.

To read the guidance in full and to learn more about EPA’s Worker Protection Standard, visit our webpage.

Virtual Field Day at the Shenandoah Valley Research and Extension Center

Top Things to Think about Before Buying Hay

When purchasing hay, there are a number of things that you can consider.

Evaluating hay quality

When purchasing hay, you can get a general sense of its quality with a visual evaluation. Look for the following characteristics:

Maturity - High quality hay will have a high percentage of leaves in the bale, with few or no coarse stems or seed heads.

Condition - High quality hay will contain little dust or mold.

Color & odor - High quality hay generally has a bright green color and a sweet, fresh odor. Brown or dark coloration, a bleached appearance, or musty odors usually lower quality.

Debris and Foreign material - The hay should be free of foreign objects (trash, sticks, tree leaves), and weeds. Be on the lookout for poisonous plant species in the bale.

The most important information for many livestock owners could be in a forage analysis report where you might find the following useful information:

·       Dry matter - Everything in the sample other than water, including protein, fiber, fat, minerals, etc. The dry matter of a forage contains all of the nutrients.

·       Crude Protein (CP) - an estimate of the plant protein in the feed based on its total nitrogen content. Expressed as a percentage of dry matter.

·       Neutral Detergent Fiber (DF) - total plant fiber in the feed, comprised of hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin and expressed as a percentage of dry matter. The higher the NDF, the less an animal will eat before its stomach is full. Ruminant animals (cows, sheep, and goats) have the ability to digest some plant fiber as a source of energy.

·       Digestible Nutrients (TDN) - The sum of digestible protein, starches, sugars, fiber, and fat, expressed as a percentage of dry matter.

·       Net energy values, expressed as megacalories of energy per pound of dry matter (Mcal/lb.)are important to producers raising livestock for meat or milk: ü energy of maintenance (NEm) refers to the fraction of a forage’s energy content available to keep animals alive. ü energy of gain (NEg) refers to the fraction of energy available for animals to gain weight. ü energy of lactation (NEl) refers to energy available for milk production.

·       Relative Feed Value (RFV) - an index for ranking forages based on their digestibility and intake potential. Generally, the higher the score, the higher the quality, but a score of 85-90 is still high quality for animals fed for maintenance or light production.

·       Minerals - Expressed as percentages of dry matter, or in the case of microminerals, parts per million, the content of various minerals in a forage will vary with soil fertility and crop management. Because mineral excesses or deficiencies can cause health problems in livestock, you need to know the mineral content of your hay when planning a feeding program.

Questions to Ask

1. What kind of bales are available (small or large square bales and/or round bales)? What is the average weight of the bales?

Not all hay suppliers have each type of bale available for sale. Similarly, not all hay buyers are properly equipped to feed all bale types. With your preference in mind, make sure to ask hay suppliers how much of each bale type is available.

Ask about the average weight of bales.  This will help you calculate the best value for your dollar.  Buying50-pound bales at $6 each which works out to $240 per ton is always is a better buy than 35-pound bales at $5 each which works out to $286 per ton.  Delivery fees or distance can be added to the cost per bale

2. What species are present in the hay?

What type of hay is it? Is it grass?  Mixed grass? Grass and Legume? Legume and grass species have very different nutrient values, which are both important in a balanced diet.  Legumes, like alfalfa, tend to be higher in crude protein, energy, and calcium, and lower in nonstructural carbohydrates and fiber values compared to cool-season grasses.  What are your nutritional needs?

3. How mature is the hay?

Energy, fiber and palatability matter. Maturity is the main driver in forage quality. More mature forages have larger stems and flowers (legume species) and seed heads (grass species) which normally reduce protein and energy availability to the animal.  Less mature forages tend to be better for animals with higher nutrient needs while growing, lactating, or experiencing higher activity levels and caloric requirements.

4. Was the hay rained on?

Nutrient leaching, possibly mold and potential storage issues can develop if not baled in a timely fashion or improperly.  Rained on hay can actually be a good choice for horses with metabolic problems, as it tends to be lower in nonstructural carbohydrates. Although, hay that receives excessive rainfall is usually not a good option for horses in general.  In general, rained on hay is safe and usable but can be of lower quality.

5. Was the hay stored inside or under cover after baling?

Proper storage helps to preserve the quality of the hay and prevent a loss in volume. Hay that is uncovered is more susceptible to mold and bale deterioration.

6. Was the hayfield fertilized and/or sprayed for weeds?

Field that are kept in proper fertility or that have been fertilized show good management and likely produce a more uniform quality hay with fewer undesirable plants. The hay should be of higher quality and more nutritious.

Weed control is very important, too, considering that hay should have less than 10% nontoxic weeds; there is zero tolerance for poisonous plants in hays planned for certain animals.

7. Where was the hay harvested? Or on whose land was it baled?

This question can help you confirm that the hay was not harvested from unkept fields, road sides, which can contain garbage, and weeds.  Can also tell you if the seller is re-selling the product.

8. Have you sold hay before? How much hay do you have or bale each year? Do you have References?

Asking how much hay a farmer grows can help you ensure that they can be a consistent supplier. Farmers that regularly produce quality hay know what can cause nutritional or health issues and try to prevent them through improved management.

9. What is the price? Do you have an official nutrient analysis of the hay that is for sale?

Knowing the price of the hay you intend to buy is important for many reasons. As stated earlier, comparing prices can save you a significant amount of money when buying in bulk. Inquiries about bulk and cash discounts are other ways to save a few dollars. Additional payment options may include monthly installments or other plans to be discussed between you and the hay supplier.

A nutrient analysis can help you compare the feed value of the hay to other hays and or other feeds that may be available in your area.

10. Is delivery available? This may be critical to you?

If so, at what cost? Find out if onsite assistance will be available for unloading and stacking. These questions are often overlooked but are very important and can help you manage hay transportation.

Many people simply look to printed ads or word of mouth to source hay.  Others take what they can find and pay more for the product because they don’t ask questions. While some of these questions may not be first on your list to ask hay suppliers, none of these issues should be overlooked. More importantly, find a hay supplier who you can develop a good working relationship with from year-to-year.  Contact cchilds@vt.edu or your local Virginia Cooperative extension agent for additional information.

Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan Registrations Vacated. What now?

Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan Registrations Vacated. What now?

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Michael Flessner

The dicamba products Xtendimax, Engenia, and FeXapan had their registrations vacated June 3, 2020 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The EPA announced June 8, 2020 a final cancellation order for these products.

Existing stocks, in possession on June 3, 2020 (the date of the court’s decision), can be used by farmers and commercial applicators by July 31. Use of these products must be consistent with the previously approved label.

The EPA’s full statement is here:  https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-06/documents/final_cancellation_order_for_three_dicamba_products.pdf. Details on use of existing stocks are on page 11.

More background information can be found here

Tavium (dicamba + S-metolachlor) is also still legal to use. Tavium was not mentioned in the lawsuit making Tavium the only way to legally apply dicamba to Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans or Xtendflex cotton. This product is already in short supply and may be difficult to acquire. Tavium cannot be used on double crop soybean.

There are effective alternatives to dicamba. In RR2 Xtend soybean, I recommend Flexstar GT in place of dicamba. This product is not currently in short supply, but there is potential for that to occur. So I encourage farmers that plan to use Flexstar GT to go ahead and acquire it. Other alternative products can be found in Table 5.54 on page 5-182 of the Pest Management Guide. Additionally, information on controlling Palmer amaranth in soybean is here: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/2808/2808-1006/2808-1006.html and common ragweed is here: https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/content/dam/pubs_ext_vt_edu/spes/spes-143/SPES-143.pdf. In cotton, most varieties have the option of using Liberty, which is my recommendation in place of dicamba. But other alternative products can be found in Tables 5.112 and 5.113, starting on page 5-344.

Farmers should consider changing soybean herbicide traits for double crop acres or any soybean ground that has not yet been planted. LibertyLink, LLGT27, and Enlist are all good options in place of RR2 Xtend. Farmers may also consider a Roundup Ready variety as well, to potentially save tech fees compared to RR2 Xtend, but there are very few of these even before this announcement. I realize changing this late in the year may not be feasible and the best performing varieties may not be available. If farmers choose to change varieties, make sure that the variety has both strong yield potential and the herbicide trait of choice.

This ruling does not apply to dicamba products such as Clarity and Banvel, that are not labeled for use in Xtend traited crops, so these can continue to be used in pastures, corn, and other labeled uses. Dicamba products that are not labeled for use in dicamba-tolerant crops have been and continue to be illegal to use over-the-top of RR2 Xtend soybean and Xtendflex cotton.

This ruling comes at the absolute worst time during the season. There may be temptation to use dicamba illegally, but I strongly encourage us all to think about the implications of such actions on agriculture. These products have been and will continue to be under scrutiny from the non-ag public.

PTO Safety Demonstration

Hay Equipment Guide For the Small or New Farmer

This article was written by Pat Goodwin of Tractor Tools Direct. This article does not imply an endorsement of Tractor Tools Direct. However, this information is useful for small farm owners looking to invest in their own haying equipment.

Introduction

You operate a small farm, own a compact tractor and have decided you want to make your own hay. Maybe you're tired of paying high prices for hay. Maybe you're constantly disappointed by the quality of hay available. Maybe you're fed up with the contract hay baler who doesn't think your hay field is a priority.

Ultimately, you don't want to depend upon others for quality hay to feed your animals. You know you can do better but you've got a small tractor, and everyone tells you it won't be able to do the job. The key to success is selecting the right equipment for your tractor and your property. Here we take you through the step-by-step process of how to select the best equipment for your needs. Let's get started!

Selecting the Right Hay Equipment

Know Your Tractor

Before you shop for equipment, make sure you know the specifications of your tractor. Its horsepower rating and weight are the most important specs, but in some cases you may need to know the width or other details. Your tractor's manual should have this information.

If you don't have the manual, tractordata.com is a great website you can use to look up specs for almost any tractor.

Choosing the Right Hay Mower

Hay mowers come in all shapes and sizes, from mini sickle bar mowers to the largest trailed mower-conditioners and even self-propelled machines. For the sake of brevity, we will concentrate here on hay mowers that are meant to be mounted to your tractor's 3-point hitch. These machines cover the needs of 99% of people that have a compact or subcompact tractor.

Selecting the Type

There are three primary styles of hay mowers: sickle bar, disc. and drum. Each has Its advantages and disadvantages. In order to choose the mower that will work best for your situation, first fit the mower to the size of your tractor and then determine how you will be using it.

Sickle Bar Mowers

The sickle bar mower was the first mechanical mower and was originally pulled by horses. The design is much the same today as it was then. The mower works with a reciprocating action, moving triangular blades back and forth between stationary guard fingers. Each back and forth action shears off any grass or vegetation that is between the stationary fingers. The action is the same as a set of barber's clippers cutting hair. This type of mower can be used to cut hay as well as for other general mowing duties. The best sickle bar mowers currently being produced uses a double action where the guard moves in the opposite direction from the blades. This doubles the effective blade speed, and also greatly reduces machine vibration, making it quieter, more comfortable to use, and longer lasting. An example of this type of mower is the DCM ltalia 150, a 5 foot mower.

Though a sickle bar mower’s design is a bit antiquated, its advantages are:

• Requires little horsepower. If you have a very low power tractor of 15 horsepower or less, this option will really be your only choice. Though there are very small drum mowers, if you have an older compact utility tractor like a Kubota 5000 or 6000 series, a sickle bar mower will be your best bet.
• Lighter weight. If your tractor is very lightweight or has very little front weight, a sickle bar is the lightest weight hay mower and therefore your best (and safest) option.
• Angled mowing capability. If you are mowing ditch banks, sickle bars are the only hay mower style specifically designed to work well below (or above) horizontal. Some mowers even allow you to work in the vertical position for trimming hedges or trail edges.
• Less motion = less dust. While disc and drum mowers create a vortex of moving air across the blades, sickle bars have relatively little motion. As a result, less dirt will be cast into the air and your newly cut hay.

That being said, the disadvantages of a sickle bar mower include:

• Forward speed. A sickle bar mower's forward speed is much slower than disc and drum mowers. They can mow a wide swath, but maximum speeds are only about half of other designs.
• Clogging. They become easily dogged when working in very dense, lodged, or already cut material. Clogging is also more of a problem when blades begin to get dull.
• Blade repair. When blades become dull, sharpening or replacing them can be time consuming and expensive.
• Repair expense. Damage due to hitting an unknown obstruction can be expensive to fix.

Disc Mowers

Disc mowers were invented as a logical progression from the sickle bar design. Instead of blades moving back and forth on the cutter bar, they are mounted on several small discs that rotate at high speeds, mounted on top of the cutter bar. Generally there are two free-swinging blades bolted to each disc. The discs are driven either by a shaft or gears that are inside the cutter bar. Like with a sickle bar, the cutter bar essentially slides along the ground, which is what controls the cutting height.

The advantages of a disc mower are:

• No clogging. Disc mowers handle thick and lodged hay with ease.
• High cutting speeds. If you have the horsepower, there is almost no limit to how fast you can drive through the field. Speeds of up to 15 mph or more are feasible, though very few tractors can do this safely.
• Ease of transition. Hydraulic lift allows you to go from working to transport and back again without leaving the tractor seat. This is a time-saving feature when mowing several small fields.

There are some situations, however, when you might want to steer clear of a disc mower. Their disadvantages:

• Need for hydraulics. If your tractor does not have hydraulics, you won't be able to lift the cutter bar vertically to get through gates and other narrow areas. Until recently this one factor kept many people from choosing a disc mower. As of this writing, there is only one exception: the brand Galfre offers a 4-disc mower, the Model165, with a cutting width of 5’ 5” that does not require hydraulics to operate.
• Weight. You have the horsepower and the hydraulics, but your tractor is lightweight. This can be a safety hazard because of the much heavier cutter bar compared to a sickle bar mower. When the mower is in the vertical transport position it can tip the whole tractor over unexpectedly.
• Expense of repair. If you frequently mow in places where you might hit something solid like a boulder, old fence post, etc. Disc mowers, when damaged, can be extremely expensive to repair.

Drum Mowers

Drum mowers, though widely used in Europe for 40 years or more, are just recently becoming a popular choice in the us. Drum mowers have a significantly different design from the other two types of mowers. Instead of powering the cutting blades from the cutter bar, the "drums” of a drum mower are powered from a gearbox above. The standard drum mower has two counter-rotating drums. Each drum is essentially a cylinder of 10.14 inches in diameter and length of 15-24 inches, with a large disc attached to the bottom. Depending on the model, either 3 or 4 free-swinging blades are attached to each of these discs. When in operation, the entire drum/disc/blade assembly rotates. This heavy rotating mass creates a great deal of momentum, which helps to power the mower through thick spots in the field. On the bottom of this assembly is a dish which is mounted on ball bearings. This dish does not rotate with the rest of the drum assembly, but rather slides along the ground and can rotate freely in either direction depending on the surface it slides over.

As a drum mower moves through the field, the drums are rotating toward each other, which causes the cut crop to pass between the drums and be dropped in a windrow behind the mower. This windrowing effect eventually must be spread back out with a tedder or rake In order for the hay to dry properly. This has been the major drawback of drum mowers up to this point. One company, Galfre, has solved this problem with their “Black Hole” conditioning system. This system ejects the cut hay out the rear of the mower in a spread-out and fluffed manner, allowing the hay to dry where it sits. This potentially saves an additional trip through the field with a rake or tedder and can shorten drying time by up to a day.

Drum mowers are designed to be very robust, simple machines. They have only a fraction of the parts of either sickle bars or disc mowers. They also can be run with modest horsepower. Once the drums are up to speed, they do not draw a lot of power from the tractor to keep spinning.

Drum mower advantages are:

• No hydraulic requirement. You do not have to have hydraulics on your tractor. For transport, the drums swing to the rear of the tractor manually.
• Durability. Drum mowers are easily the most rugged of the hay mower types. They rarely sustain damage even from striking an unmovable object. This makes them a great choice for contract cutting in unfamiliar fields or for mowing unruly pastures.
• High ground speeds. A drum mower can be run at even higher speeds than a disc mower, and double the speed of a sickle bar.
• Low power consumption. This feature is important particularly witf1 older utility tractors of modest horsepower.

Drum mower disadvantages are:

• Contour mowing. Because the drums are very heavy, it is not recommended to hang the mower out over a downward slope. Drum mowers also do not pivot enough to effectively follow extreme contours like a sickle bar will.
• Weight. The drum mower's heavy weight can be detrimental for tractors with light front ends. Drum mowers are very heavy in relation to other mower types of the same width. This can make maneuverability and transport difficult if there is not sufficient weight holding the front wheels of the tractor down.
• Windrowing. Since most drum mowers windrow the cut crop, it will not dry in the field without being spread out or double-raked. Galfre drum mowers are the exception to this rule. Their conditioning system fluffs and spreads the cut crop for faster drying time.

Choosing the Right Hay Tedder

A tedder is a machine that spreads and turns over loose hay in the field. This action exposes the hay on the underside of a pile to air and sunlight, speeding up the drying process. Tedders use a rotary motion to grab the hay with spinning tines and cast it out the back of the machine.
 
Heavy hay in humid climates can dry faster by teddlng. It is also an indispensable machine for spreading hay out to dry after a rain. Although some farmers get by without a tedder, it is smart to have a machine that can do this important job if and when you need it. Furthermore, if you have a conventional drum mower other than a Galfre with a conditioning system, the windrow created by the mower will not dry unless spread cut or turned over.

Tedders come in all sizes, from 6 feet wide to over 20 feet wide for large tractors. They don't use much horsepower, so most any tractor with a PTO can run them. They come in both tow behind designs and 3-point connection. The advantage of the 3-point connection is that they can be lifted over obstacles like windrows, and they can be more easily transported. The disadvantage of the 3-point connection is that some tractors may have trouble lifting them.

Some rakes will double as tedders, to varying degrees of success. Wheel rakes can flip a windrow over, or can agitate hay that is spread in the field, but they tend to leave clumps of hay that don't dry well. Some machines are specifically built to convert between raking and tedding. However, most take a great deal of work to switch from one to the other, costing you valuable time, usually when you don't have it.

One rake design for use as a tedder is the belt rake. Switching from rake to tedder with this machine only takes a few seconds, and they truly spread the hay evenly as a tedder should. If you don't want to buy a separate tedder, the belt rake is a good option.

Choosing the Right Hay Rake

In order to bale hay, it must be raked into windrows. It is a common misconception that hay can be baled directly from the windrow or swath created by the hay mower. There are a few reasons why this will not work. First of all, in most climates, hay will not dry well unless fluffed, flipped or turned by a tedder and/or rake. Secondly, the path left by the hay mower will generally not be conducive to pick up by a baler, resulting in a lot of missed hay. Thirdly, you can normally rake at least two mower swaths into one windrow for baling, resulting in fewer passes across the field with the baler and better quality, more consistently dense bales.

The choices for hay rakes are many. Different regions of the country seem to prefer different styles of rakes. The four most prominent styles are wheel rakes, parallel bar rakes,  rotary rakes and belt rakes.

Wheel Rakes

These rakes are built for speed and productivity when handling dry hay. Wheel rakes are simple machines that require minimal adjustments for proper operation. The economical ground drive simplifies operation and reduces cost. However, its direct contact with the ground can cause dirt and stones to be introduced into the hay, decreasing overall quality. Furthermore, the windrow will not be as light and fluffy as those produced by rotary rakes or belt rakes. This means that only minimal drying will occur once the hay has been raked, so raking cannot occur until the hay is fully cured. Also, using a 3-point mounted wheel rake takes some practice, especially if your field has a lot of curves or corners. Wheel rakes are physically large, so they take up a lot of space when stored. Even with these drawbacks, wheel rakes are very popular due to their low cost of purchase and maintenance.

Parallel Bar Rakes

Called by many different names in different regions of the U.S., these machines are relatively simple, with a design that dates back over 100 years. However, this type of rake is being replaced by other rake designs. Rotary rakes and belt rakes are similarly-priced and have additional benefits, such as the ability to produce fluffy windrows in all crop conditions. Wheel rakes are a more economical choice and offer similar raking quality to parallel bar rakes. Though many of these old rakes are still in use throughout the U.S., if you are considering a new rake purchase, another design will likely suit your needs better and provide you with more versatility.

Rotary Rakes

These powered rakes create a uniform and fluffy windrow, which allows crops to dry faster. The gentle rotary-raking action minimizes leaf loss and provides a uniform windrow for good bale formation. These rakes are capable of handling both wet forage and dry hay, giving them greater versatility than wheel rakes. A rotary rake's mechanical drive enables to move heavy, wet crops. It also keeps the tines from contacting the ground, minimizing the amount of contamination raked into the crop. This results in higher-quality feed. Rotary rakes come in a wide variety of sizes for just about any size of tractor. These machines are easily maneuverable and closely follow changing field contours for clean raking. They also can be either 3-point mounted or trailed, allowing them to be used by most tractors with a PTO.

Belt Rakes

Belt rakes have all the advantages of a rotary rake. They can handle both wet and dry forage; they make a fluffy, consistent windrow; the tines do not touch the ground, reducing contamination of the forage; and they come in a wide variety of sizes.

Belt rakes, however, have a number of advantages over rotary rakes. For the same raking width, belt rakes are much more compact in size, making them much easier to use and store. Their compactness and lighter weight also makes them easier for your tractor to lift, making transport and navigation of rough terrain simpler. They are available in a wider range of working widths, from over 10 feet down to 5 feet making them ideal for working in tight spaces like orchards and pine plantations.

The versatility of a belt rake cannot be matched by any other type of rake. Going from rake to tedder is as easy as removing the hay stop and making a wheel adjustment, requiring only a few seconds and no tools. Lowering the rake with a simple adjustment of the wheels allows the tines to aggressively contact the ground, which is great for dethatching lawns or preparing a seedbed for planting. The smaller sizes also make terrific leaf rakes, further increasing their value on the small farm.

The belt rake is also the easiest of the rake types to use. Because it is so compact and operates directly behind the tractor, the operator spends less time turned around checking to see where his rake actually is. And because it is powered by the tractor PTO, it continues to run while stationary, or when backing up, allowing you to use the rake in reverse in tight spaces. It also does a better job around corners and will not pile up hay like a wheel rake when turning. Thus you will end up with a straighter, fluffier, more consistent windrow that dries better and is easier to follow with a baler.

Choosing the Right Baler

When it comes to choosing a baler, there are many choices. Even within the various categories of balers there are important distinctions. For the purpose of this discussion, we will concentrate on compact round balers and square balers, as they are well-suited for compact and subcompact tractors. Most small farmers do not have a large enough tractor in either weight or horsepower to consider a big round baler or big square baler. Information on this equipment is readily available elsewhere. This guide will help those with compact and subcompact tractors determine which baler is the best choice. Figure 5, near the end of this section, summarizes the different criteria for choosing the right baler for your small tractor operation.

Mini Round Baler

The word is spreading about mini round balers, also called roto-balers. Once a rare oddity, many small farmers are finding that they are the best choice for getting their hay in the barn. The compact round baler works on the same principle as its bigger cousin, rolling the hay inside a chamber until it reaches a certain size, and then wrapping the bale with either twine or net and ejecting it out the rear of the machine.

The size of a mini round bale is roughly the same as the small square bales most people are used to seeing. They generally weigh 40-55 pounds and can be easily lifted by one person.

The mini round baler can be connected to the tractor either by the 3-point hitch or by a drawbar. For most small farmers, the drawbar connection is the better choice. Not only is connection to the tractor much easier, but drawbar connection does not require you to lift the baler off the ground when turning corners. Many tractors are not capable of lifting something this heavy, so turning corners could be a problem with a 3-point mounted baler.

Another possibility with drawbar connection is the option of running the baler out to the side of the tractor. This feature gives you improved visibility of the baler's pickup, and also prevents hay from getting hung up on the underside of your tractor. This is extremely helpful with larger windrows and/or short tractors.

Another feature to look for with a mini round baler is whether it has gathering wheels on the sides of the pickup. Because of their diminutive size, their actual pickup width is only about 30 inches. This requires you to either make very small windrows, or miss a lot of hay. With gathering wheels, the effective pickup width is increased by half again as much. That means you can rake a bigger windrow, reducing the number of passes through the field with both your rake and your baler.

Most mini round balers also are available with the option of wrapping the bale in netting rather than string. There are a few advantages to net wrap. First, the binding process is much faster with net wrap, since the bale only has to tum 2 to 3 times rather than 8 to 12 in order to be wrapped. That means you are stopped for a shorter period of time while the bale is being wrapped, increasing production rate by 25% or more. Second, net wrap provides excellent protection to the bale against rain. Studies have shown that net wrap bales left outdoors for extended periods still only have spoilage in the first inch of the bale. This means the urgency of getting the bales out of the field and in the bam is reduced. Third, if the bales will be handled multiple times, net wrap will hold the bale together better, with less material loss.

The main advantage of twine wrap is economy. Mini round balers use standard twine which is readily available at most farm stores and is fairly inexpensive. The cost per bale with twine is around 1o cents versus around 30 cents for net  wrap. One other advantage of twine wrap is for the farmer who wants to leave the bales in the field for grazing animals to eat through the winter. This used to be a common practice for farmers who baled with the Allis-Chalmers Roto-baler. The bales from the last baling of the season would be left spread across the field. Animals grazing in the field could nudge the bales to roll them over, exposing fresh hay. Natural sisal twine was used, which rotted off the bale over time, allowing the grazing animals to get to the interior of the bale. This practice would not be feasible with square bales, which would spoil much more quickly if left in the field as they absorb and trap moisture.

Advantages of the mini round baler are:

• Very low horsepower requirement. A mini round baler needs only around 15 horsepower to operate.
• Lighter weight. Round balers weigh much less than square balers. This means they are safer to operate on hills, and tractors of any size can easily pull them.
• Simpler design. Round balers are simpler machines than square balers, with fewer adjustments required and fewer parts to break.
• Smoother operation. Square balers “kick” up to 90 times per minute. On a small tractor this constant jerking motion can be somewhat fatiguing.
• Small size. A mini round baler will actually fit in the back of a pickup truck. In storage it will take up about a quarter as much space as a square baler.
• Better weather resistance. If there is any chance the bales may stay in the field for any extended period of time, mini round bales will hold up much better to rain and dew. Net wrap provides an even higher level of protection.

Disadvantages are:

• Lower output capacity. Because of the smaller pickup of a round baler and the need to stop when tying a bale, production rate with a mini round baler will only be about 1/3 to ½ what is possible with a square baler.
• Marketability. If you sell hay, you may find that your customers, who are accustomed to square balers, will not like the round bales. Practically speaking there is no difference, but people tend to stick with what they know.
• Stacking. These mini round bales actually stack well. But they will never stack as tight as a stack of square bales. This really only makes a difference if you are needing to stack 15 or 20 feet high.

Square Balers

The first machines that baled hay baled square bales. Though first a stationary machine, the square baler eventually evolved in the late 1930s into the machine we know today. Since the International Harvester square baler was mass-produced in the 1940s, the design of the square baler has changed very little. The basic concept is still the same, with tines that pick up the loose hay and feed it into a chamber, where a plunger moves back and forth, compressing the hay into a rectangular chute. From there twine or wire is wrapped around the compressed hay and periodically tied off and cut, and the process continues. The tying mechanism of a baler is a wonder to behold, even 70+ years after its invention.

Square balers can work quickly and continuously, dropping a new bale in the field as often as every 10 seconds or less. It only takes one afternoon to have as many as 1000 bales or more spread out across a hay field. Getting the bales in the barn becomes a high priority at this point. Square bales left in the field overnight will tend to soak up dew and moisture from the ground. Getting them dry enough to stack in the barn the next day can take time. For every hour that square bales sit in the field you are also risking a rain storm. Square bales that get rained on can be completely ruined. There is nothing more disheartening than having a field full of ruined square bales, that now weigh 100 pounds each, and knowing you have to get them off the field and piled somewhere.

Most standard square balers on the market require 35 horsepower at your tractor’s PTO, and a minimum tractor weight of around 3000 pounds. That means that they cannot be run with today’s compact tractors. Abbriata square balers, however, can be operated with tractors of as little as 16 PTO horsepower and weighing as little as 2000 pounds. On flat ground, even lighter weight tractors are sufficient.

Abbriata makes square balers in 3 sizes. The smallest of the three, the Mini/S, has a total width of only 59 inches, making it the narrowest baler in the compact square baler class. The narrow width is great if you have gates or trees through which you need to navigate. Requiring only 16 PTO horsepower, almost any tractor can power it.

The Abbriata Mini is a slightly wider baler, with a pickup width of 42 inches, 6 inches wider than the Mini/S. This pickup width is wide enough for most windrows, yet still only requires 17 PTO horsepower to operate. At a total width of 66 inches, it will still fit through a 6-foot gate.

The Abbriata M60 Super has the widest pickup width in the compact baler class at a full 53 inches. That means you can make larger windrows, resulting in fewer trips through the field and more consistent bale density. And the M60 Super can bale up to 400 bales per hour, on par with domestic square balers on the market.

A square baler has the following advantages:

• High baling capacity. Square balers never have to stop to wrap or tie a bale, so are able to bale a maximum tonnage in a given period of time.
• Easy-to-handle bales. Square bales are the easiest shape to stack, and with an average weight of around 40 pounds for an Abbriata square bale, are easy to lift and move around.
• Resale. If you are selling your hay, most customers will prefer the familiar shape and easy-feeding flakes of a square bale.

The disadvantages of a square baler are:

• Weight. Square balers are quite heavy compared to a mini round baler. If you are baling steep slopes or have a very small tractor, a square baler’s weight can become hazardous.
• Bales can’t be rained on. Square bales have no resistance to moisture, acting like a sponge in wet conditions.
• Mechanically complicated. Though a properly maintained square baler will run for years without any adjustments needed, a square baler must be carefully and properly set up and timed to work properly. Damage can occur to a baler that is mis-timed.

As with any farm equipment, practicing proper farm safety measures are crucial. For more information regarding on-farm safety, visit http://www.abe.iastate.edu/extension-and-outreach/agricultural-health-safety/.

Pat Goodwin at Tractor Tools Direct suggests that in addition to the above information on selecting the right hay equipment for your operation, there are other important questions to ask yourself prior to any purchase.

1. Is the equipment in stock? Where can it be purchased?

2. Will the equipment need to be shipped? From where? Costs for shipping?

3. Are parts for the equipment readily available and in stock?

4. Is the company an experienced retailer of the equipment?

5. Is there a manual? Is there a parts book?

Date of Publication: 

June, 2015