Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
Proposal summary:
When leading a recent workshop for producers, we were asked why bale grazing was a better feeding strategy than rake-bunched hay. Rake-bunched hay is a method where hay is cut and raked into piles for livestock to eat directly in the field, often during fall and winter months. While bale grazing is also a winter feeding strategy, it differs in that it involves the consumption of large round bales. Further conversation with producers and a search of literature has indicated that there is a need to evaluate the difference in forage quality and its assumed decline throughout the season associated with both modern practices and less common but still used regional practices such as swath grazing, square bales, rake-bunched hay, and loose haystacks.
Project objectives from proposal:
Our solution to addressing questions from producers is to set up a side-by-side trial to evaluate forage quality throughout the season and feed utilization of both modern practices and less common but still used regional practices such as swath grazing, square bales, rake-bunched hay, and loose haystacks. Each of these winter feeding strategies will be compared to the use of round bales in a bale grazing system.
Bale grazing, for us, is a winter feeding strategy that allows us to feed a week to ten days of forage at a time. This is done by setting round bales out prior to snowfall and using poly-electric wire to limit feed sections of hay for a designated time period. Cattle progressively advance through sections of bales while maintaining continued access to a watering facility. This winter feeding strategy eliminates the need to start a tractor daily. We have found that this is a benefit to soil health, water infiltration, livestock health, and work-life balance. Because it can be assumed that forage quality is preserved longer in a round bale we want to compare forage quality of round bale grazing to swath grazing, square bales, rake-bunched hay, and loose haystacks. In an effort to lower winter feeding costs, some producers implement swath grazing and rake-bunched hay. Due to equipment limitations, some producers may only feed square baled hay. We hypothesis that loose haystacks will shed moisture better than swaths and rake-bunched hay, thus maintaining forage quality. Additionally, equipment needed to make loose haystacks is significantly cheaper and is more affordable to maintain than a round or square baler. It is unknown how long the forage quality persists with swath grazing, square bales, rake-bunched hay, and loose haystacks while also meeting nutritional requirements of livestock.
To conduct a side-by-side trial, forage will be harvested from the same field at the same time and will be put up according to each treatment type. In total, there will be 4 treatments compared to bale grazing with round bales. Each section of forage provided to livestock will have all treatments plus the control. Forage utilization, forage quality, and livestock body condition will be monitored. Forage utilization will be observed and compared to waste left from bale grazing of round bales. Forage quality will be evaluated using composite samples of each treatment, collected incrementally throughout the winter, and analyzed by Ward Laboratories. We have budgeted for one sample per month for up to six months of each treatment. Livestock body condition will be assessed visually to ensure their nutritional needs are being met. Time, labor, and equipment maintenance associated with each feeding strategy will also be tracked to determine what is involved with each treatment. The objective is to compile results and share with producers so that information can be used to determine which winter feeding strategies are best suited for their operation, livestock, and work-life balance goals.