|
NE Oregon | Hey everybody. Had a quick question about the pros and cons about chopping alfalfa for feed. Just moved back to the ranch I grew up on and have wondered if chopping some of the hay crop instead of just putting up everything in bales would be advantageous.
Some current Pros I see.
Able to get more tons of feed/acre by having quicker turn around between cuttings (shorter growing season, only get 2 cuttings now. 3 if you really push it.)
Not worrying about rained on hay so much.
Better digestibility for the cattle.
Potentially buy cut hay neighbors have that won't dry (like this time of year) at a steal.
Big Cons I see.
Major equipment shift, need a chopper (pull behind likely) silage trucks, and need to build a pit. Also, nobody around here chops so I'm not sure how easy/difficult it would be to get parts for a break down.
The only experience I have with silage is helping out with corn silage harvest working for a farmer in Colorado.
What do you think? | |
|
Chopping Alfalfa
