Precision Ag in Hay Production Brian Sheffield SOIL 4213

Types of Hay Production  Silage-Fodder prepared by storing and fermenting green forage plants  Dry Hay-Biomass that is cut, dried down naturally, wrapped in bales, and stored off field

Outline  Silage - Early silaging -Modern silaging -Silage storage -Silage and precision  Dry Hay - Early haying -Modern haying -Storage -Dry hay and precision

Silage  Crops Used for Silage -Corn -Grain Sorghums -Oats -Alfalfa -Bermudagrass -Wheat  Biomass should be chopped fine  Moisture should be approximately 65%  No oxygen should be present in silage pile  Harvested after corn kernels are dented

Early Silaging  Very labor intensive  Required more manpower  Needed silo for storage of silage

Modern Silaging  Less manpower  More efficient  Higher yields  Cover more acres

Silage Storage  Silage bunkers  Silage bags  Silage piles  Silos  Round bale silage

Silage and Precision  Automatic Length of Cut (AutoLOC)-adjust cutting size according to moisture content  Harvest Monitor via Greenstar 2-plots productivity, area cut, crop mass, yield, moisture Deere.com  Harvest Doc-monitor yield and moisture measurements while harvesting

Silage and Precision  RowTrak II Guidance- helps achieve greater productivity and higher operating speeds.  Auto-Steer-steers rear wheels automatically to help reduce operator fatigue Deere.com  HarvestLab-gives the ability to measure moisture on the go

Outline  Silage - Early silaging -Modern silaging -Silage storage -Silage and precision  Dry Hay - Early haying -Modern haying -Storage -Dry hay and precision

Dry Hay  Crops used for dry hay -Alfalfa -Bermudagrass -Wheat -Corn Stover -Prairie Hay -Soybeans -Pasture  After being cut, needs a dry down period  Moisture content around 15-30%; high moisture will cause mold  Raked into rows to further enhance dry down period

Early Haying  Hay was cut with scythes  Hay was grouped into bundles  Very labor intensive  First round baler; AC Roto-Baler, circa 1947

Modern Haying  More efficient  Greater coverage of acres per day  Less manpower  More efficient equipment; reduced loss

Modern Haying  Mowing Types -Front/Rear mount -Twin rear mount -Side pull -Center pivot -Drum mowers -Rotary -Sickle bar  Storage  Round bales -Twine and net wrap  Square bales; large and small -Twine and wire  Silage round bales  Ag wrap

Storage

Dry Hay and Precision  BaleTrak Plus Monitor- Monitors and controls all baler functions; reduces operator fatigue  Auto-Trac-Higher pass efficiency, reduces operator fatigue Deere.com  MegaWide Pick-Up- Higher baling speeds, minimum crop loss, preserves crop quality

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