June 6, 2003

 

Manage Forage Windrows, Dairy Specialist Advises

As producers begin harvesting forage, they apply a number of management techniques to assure that the best quality haylage is harvested, but one area that’s often overlooked is management of the windrow itself, says a North Dakota State University dairy specialist.

"Windrow management is especially important with first-cut forages since this is usually the heaviest cut of the year," says J.W. Schroeder of the NDSU Extension Service. "When making hay crop silage, try to remove the first 10 to 15 percentage points of moisture from the forage as soon as possible." In other words, from about 85 percent moisture (15 percent dry matter) to 70 to 75 percent moisture (25 to 30 percent dry matter) on the stem. "The way to do this is not to put the forage into a tight windrow."

Research has shown that even under reasonably good conditions, up to 8 percent of the dry matter is lost between mower-conditioner and ensiling. "Open the fins on your mower-conditioner to achieve a fuller swath," he advises. "Some producers use a rake to ted the windrow and to further spread the swath."

How much difference can windrow management make? Research conducted in Rensselaer County, N.Y., using the "Milk2000" spreadsheet to predict milk production found that full-swath alfalfa produced 24 percent more milk per ton than alfalfa in a tight windrow, Schroeder notes. Research in Ireland, where drying conditions can be very poor, found that spreading the swath resulted in forage reaching 25 percent dry matter a full day sooner than leaving it in a tight windrow.

"Of course, full-swath forage has to be raked prior to chopping," he notes. "However, in some cases farmers rake anyway to merge two windrows into one. Raking at 25 to 30 percent dry matter doesn’t shatter alfalfa leaves; and if you leave a stubble height of 4 inches or so, the forage sits up a bit and you can rake it without picking up small stones."

"The New York research found that doubling windrows saved more than $18 per acre after accounting for the extra cost of raking, which you would expect, since raking costs less than chopping," Schroeder says.

###

Source: J.W. Schroeder, (701) 231-7663, jschroed@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu