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Little River, TX | Depends on your micro climate with organic preservatives. There are a number of other depends involved also.
If you are enjoying a humid damp climate the organics will try your vocabulary. In the 1980's there was a researcher in New Mexico and another in Michigan. In New Mexico the organics worked as good as advertised and in Michigan they essentially were non starters.
There are two theories, and both will work. The acids fill the space with fumes that prevent the growth of mostly molds. The organics put a harmless or even beneficial organism at each potential starting place for molding. You also can go the ultimate fumes route and inject anhydrous ammonia into the hay.
HERE the organics are useful up to >< 22% moisture hay. In my operation hay that was close to 30% moisture the acid became too costly to be practical. Somewhere in the 25% to 30% moisture range as the moisture left the stack of bales the bottom bales lost their square shape. No problem if I were going to feed it, BUT ALL my hay i$ a ca$h crop.
Also, HERE, for day light baling we seldom have 3 hours for a reasonable humidity to bale with. And then that is for small squares. It is smaller for roundbales and even smaller for large squares.
Then again not all 18% moisture hay is equal. The stems can be in the higher 30% range (stem moisture) and the leaves be as dry as popcorn for an average 18% moisture. This is dangeious and will stress the ability of a preservative. These dry leaves can and will shatter and at best be found in the bottom of the bales. Then the upper reaches of the bales will be mostly 30% miisture stems and they will heat and sweat, BIG TIME.
Fully cured hay, but with enough dew moisture to bring the moisture up to 22% is easy to work with. Just be sure not to burry these bale deep in a hay stack. ( ! )
I take some exception to some of the label, www.culbacmn.com/Menu_menu_10.html .
They do not consider the skilled hay baling operators. They presume a higher leav loss and resultant loss in feed value, that is not a sure thing. If fully cured hay is baled with the humidity, down next to the windrow, between 65% and 55% Relative humidity there will be fewer leaves lost to shattering.
HERE, ( IMHO ) leaf shattering becomes noticable below a 50% RH. At this humidity the hay will be testing in the 12% moisture range.
Personel opinion, I do not like to bale hay above 20% moisture, becouse the hay does not slide easily on my bale wagon.
Edited by Hay Wilson in TX 5/13/2010 09:56
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Hay Preservative not proprionic acid
