Bale weight and pros of chopping?

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
We usually try to be the ones selling the bales, something else I have on my management priority list that's above how heavy our bales are.

Why didn't you buy heavier bales? Surely it would have been more efficient.
Aren't you the smart arse:rolleyes:
Because I didn't weigh them. They looked to have held their shape well, so was surprised how little was in them. I won't be buying from him again.
As has been said on here frequently, many years you can buy bales cheaper than you can make them if you cost everything properly.

But sorry @Jerry , we're clogging up your thread with pointless arguments.
 
Aren't you the smart arse:rolleyes:
Because I didn't weigh them. They looked to have held their shape well, so was surprised how little was in them. I won't be buying from him again.
As has been said on here frequently, many years you can buy bales cheaper than you can make them if you cost everything properly.

But sorry @Jerry , we're clogging up your thread with pointless arguments.
Not smart at all, I'd class it as pretty basic part of the job.

Sorry @Jerry
Our bales out of a Welgar, (not sure if McHale use a Welgar chamber any more) have 340 to 350kgDM/bale non chopped.

Bale weight is irrelevant unless you know the DM of what's in it.
 
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Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
Hope your grass management is tip top

Sorry no topping allowed

Perm pasture mob grazed, three rotations since start of March. Minimal fert applied but nice young leafy cut.

DE9C512A-964D-4828-82F9-719D9B0A7C2C.jpeg
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
Perm pasture mob grazed, three rotations since start of March. Minimal fert applied but nice young leafy cut.

View attachment 967604

Hmmm. You should probably have cut it 5 hours earlier, in order to keep @M-J-G happy. ;)

Rocket fuel stuff in the making. (y) Most of mine this year has been similar, taking fields out of rotation as the grass has suddenly gone nuts, and all between 4 & 6 bales/ac stuff. For the record all chopped with a Fusion, 6 layers of wrap and damned heavy bales.
 

Jerry

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Devon
Hmmm. You should probably have cut it 5 hours earlier, in order to keep @M-J-G happy. ;)

Rocket fuel stuff in the making. (y) Most of mine this year has been similar, taking fields out of rotation as the grass has suddenly gone nuts, and all between 4 & 6 bales/ac stuff. For the record all chopped with a Fusion, 6 layers of wrap and damned heavy bales.

Think I was testing max weight on new trailer earlier, non chopped fusion bales ....

373D6E2D-00EB-40FB-888F-357FE8EE2316.jpeg
 
Hope your grass management is tip top

Sorry no topping allowed
Hmmm. You should probably have cut it 5 hours earlier, in order to keep @M-J-G happy. ;)

Rocket fuel stuff in the making. (y) Most of mine this year has been similar, taking fields out of rotation as the grass has suddenly gone nuts, and all between 4 & 6 bales/ac stuff. For the record all chopped with a Fusion, 6 layers of wrap and damned heavy bales.
Apologies if I've touched a nerve, I was not suggesting what standards should be, I was more indicating what I'd class as a priority.

I just assume that if bale weights are all that's left to bother about, all of the more influential parts of the business must be good.
Personally I have al lot of boxed I prefer to tick before this becomes a major concern.
If all else was perfect apart from bale weight I'd class myself as being pretty fortunate.
 
Apologies if I've touched a nerve, I was not suggesting what standards should be, I was more indicating what I'd class as a priority.

I just assume that if bale weights are all that's left to bother about, all of the more influential parts of the business must be good.
Personally I have al lot of boxed I prefer to tick before this becomes a major concern.
If all else was perfect apart from bale weight I'd class myself as being pretty fortunate.
No nerves touched here @M-J-G
 

som farmer

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
somerset
it all goes to show, how far wrapped bales have progressed, in the early days, they basically took the weather risk, out of haymaking, physically, putting it in an actual bag, and most bales were cut at the hay stage. Here we are now, chopped bales of high quality fodder, 2 or 3 times as much, in each bale, net instead of string etc. But l would say, a high % of bales today, are still made, from those first principles.
 

Fendt516profi

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Yorkshire
it all goes to show, how far wrapped bales have progressed, in the early days, they basically took the weather risk, out of haymaking, physically, putting it in an actual bag, and most bales were cut at the hay stage. Here we are now, chopped bales of high quality fodder, 2 or 3 times as much, in each bale, film instead of net etc. But l would say, a high % of bales today, are still made, from those first principles.
 

neilo

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Montgomeryshire
it all goes to show, how far wrapped bales have progressed, in the early days, they basically took the weather risk, out of haymaking, physically, putting it in an actual bag, and most bales were cut at the hay stage. Here we are now, chopped bales of high quality fodder, 2 or 3 times as much, in each bale, net instead of string etc. But l would say, a high % of bales today, are still made, from those first principles.

I thought it was just a good way of hiding the buttercups, rushes and old, dead grass from view... or is that just round here?
 

Bald n Grumpy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Started having ours chopped quite a number of years ago, don't know about weight but definitely more in them . less handling less wrapping less waste, no brainer.
No problem with exploding net with welger belt baler but mc hale roller baler is a pain. Another advantage of chopped is when you spread muck with a rotor spreader you don't get lumps of long silage that won't spread.
 

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