Green Feed Bales! High moisture 25%???????🤔

Hi everyone! Today we are gonna share what happened to us this last summer making greenfeed hay. We had something happen that we’ve never experienced and not sure what, why or how it happened. When baling I do my best to make sure the crop is dry and ready to bale. I have an I can moisture sensor and also a manual hand probe to check moisture. As the night went on I would check every 15 bales or so to ensure they were staying dry. Both moisture reading stayed consistent from 8-16%. So I never had any worries about it. After hay had been stacked due to the smell it was evident it was wet. The moisture probe revealed the bales were all in that 25% moisture reading. What happened? I don’t know! Anyone with insight that can explain to me where I went wrong I’d be glad to hear about it.
Thanks for watching
#albertabeef
#greenfeed
#feedingcattle
#haying2022

[@kopenhagenkid]

Great video

[@kopenhagenkid]

Nice looking cows

[@potholeproud4598]

Thank you very much. We don’t buy the most expensive bulls but we buy the best ya can afford. It makes a difference

[@hankelrod7315]

I about lost a barn full of “dry” oat hay once, oats seemed bone dry & moisture meter on baler & hand held were low. Week later we were pulling out driveway going to church & I got a wiff of hot hay & walked up to building & there was smoke/steam in the rafters. Called fire dept & started pulling bales out with skid steer fully expecting them to flash up but they never did. I inhaled so much smoke I coughed for weeks. Had 150 bales of hot smoldering hay in yard by the time fire dept got there right along the road. They steamed for weeks. I started feeding them to get rid of them & cattle ate them like candy when they had lush pasture. I then bought an in-line wrapper & I wrap every single cereal bale now.

[@potholeproud4598]

That’s pretty wild. Thanks for the reply.

[@6z_0]

❤️

[@markgroth4380]

I have never used a probe tester, did the koester style with scale and dryer. But now I inline wrap every bale I make and never have to test or worried about it.

[@village8970]

hard work

[@michiganhay7844]

I’ve done that several times for one thing the moisture reading several days later is always a lot higher than the day you bailed it they’ll be a little bit musty sometimes but I’ve been pleasantly surprised mainly with alfalfa hay grass he will seem to mold once it’s up above 25%. The directions on those probe moisture tester state to stick it in the densest part of the bell on the radius outside and a square bale you’re supposed to stick it in the end that way you don’t get a false reading if your stuff it in between the layers you’re not getting much pressure or density so you really don’t get the accurate reading

[@potholeproud4598]

Thanks for the reply. For sure the flat especially on the greenfeed definitely wasn’t as tight. Looks like on greenfeed then we will probe the round side from now on. So far these bales haven’t shown any mold or complete spoilage. Just an off color. Some are still quite green. Thanks for the insight.

[@potholeproud4598]

Out of curiosity which make and model of tester do you use? Ours is an AgTronix and I think it said to not probe the round side of bale to avoid damage to probe. But I suppose if a person is careful it will be ok

[@michiganhay7844]

@@potholeproud4598 That’s interesting I also have the Eger Tronics it’s been years since I actually read the directions but I definitely remember that being brought up if they’re saying that in the directions that’s really bad advice

[@chadtosh6831]

I wonder if some years it has to do whether it’s a drought or a wet year. In a wet year I’ll bale that stuff at 15% and end up with heated bales, but it was droughty up here in northern Alberta last year and I baled at 18 to 19% and didn’t find a tough bale yet out of my greenfeed. I test from all different directions on the bale. Lol. Mostly I try to get towards the middle as much as I can cause the outside foot or so always breaths out anyway. But I dunno. Just my thoughts. But I will stab a bale flat side and round side. Often get similar results. I’m just careful cause it would be easy to snap the probe on the round side.

[@potholeproud4598]

Thanks for the reply. Yes it has been a mystery. About all I can think of is that the crop was cured. It was a cool couple nights when I did most of the baling and there is some low lying areas in this field. I'm thinking perhaps the dew had come on heavy enough and on the underside of the swath, not enough to really trigger my moisture meter. I'm a real rookie baler operator and should have been paying more attention to actual crop conditions and not following the electronics. We have fed about half the bales and most of them its just has a core that looks like a caramel. Cows leave second cut hay for this stuff.

[@wallyyuriy8912]

Bale sweating it out. Probe manual shows gotta stick it through the net or twine side. Not the flat side. It’s all about plant Juice. I’ve spoiled bales baled at 15%. Also had bales that keep baled at 30%

[@potholeproud4598]

Interesting. Thanks for the reply.

[@castlerockchap]

Seems like greenfeed especially goes through a sweat after baling. I’ve always tested from the flat side of the bale. Right or wrong we haven’t gotten in trouble. I hate greenfeed for that reason lol

[@potholeproud4598]

Thanks for reply. That’s good to know. I’m a pretty rookie baler operator and for last 4 months I have been upset with myself and stressing that our fees was all gonna be completely spoiled. But dad and grandpa assured me it would just go Carmel tobacco type condition. They were right.

[@castlerockchap]

@@potholeproud4598 I hear ya a person can’t afford to make mistakes when it comes to a bunch of feed. Greenfeed stresses me out. Comes a time when all the logic says it’s good to go. We don’t let any or much grain develop in the heads. There’s a whole new level then making sure the grain is dry in the bale.

[@pervizbebirov8821]

Do we kill the animals outside in severe winter conditions? Do the animals always stay outside?

[@potholeproud4598]

These animals are always outside. They are very well suited for the cold with good feed and it makes for strong healthy animals with good hair coats and they do well.

[@jimmyjohnson7041]

Why not wrap the bales ? Best feed ever ! Fifteen years ago I started wrapping all my hay....dry or wet........ including cornstalk bales. No spoilage and the cattle eat everything ! It dont cost..........it pays ! In and out of the field the same day......no weather worries. Faster grow back because of less tire traffic ! No need for storage inside.

[@potholeproud4598]

I can see how it would. It’s just not a common practice here. Time doesn’t really allow us to take the time to do that.

[@jimmyjohnson7041]

@@potholeproud4598 Time issues ??? Baling and wrapping hay saves time..... Cut and bale the same day ! Done

[@potholeproud4598]

That’s a process I’ve watched a few videos of and know very little about. It’s a pretty foreign concept here but I can see the benefits. What does a bale wrapping machine cost?

[@jimmyjohnson7041]

@@potholeproud4598 As a dairy farmer......I built my own for 1000 dollars......... using a mixer mill frame and haybine rolls. Most times a person can find someone to hire to do it......or rent a machine. The USA was and still is behind the times. I started wrapping hay before there was a supply of plastic to wrap with. 16 yrs ago. Countries like Iceland have been wrapping hay for years before farmer here have.

[@potholeproud4598]

Always interesting to see and hear how farmers are adapting to make their operations better. Thanks for the input. Wrapping may be come a possibility in the future here.