> NorCal's Sacramento valley has huge operations that make rectangular bales
> and stack them under roofs without sides. In
> the parts of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and W. Montana we saw, there were both
> rectangular bales, generally with sideless
> sheds in evidence, and rolls. I might have seen one place with plastic
> wrapped rolls, but almost all were bare.
The LARGE rectangular bales are pretty typical in the western plains
states. They have the benefit of fitting on a flatbed 18-wheeler. As I
understand it, they are usually used in feedlot operations where
they're shredded and blended in with the feed. Producers (farmers)
that supply to feedlots (finishing lots) in the west will use the big
rectangular bales for the transportation benefits.
> In the NE, everything I recall was rolls completely wrapped in tight plastic
> (like their boats as winter approaches).
> There were some plastic covered heaps of something or other, but I suspect
> mostly dirt and such.
Areas with high quantities of rain and general dampness are where you
would usually plastic wrap them. A properly wrapped bale is good for
two or three years with minimal lossage. After one year, an exposed
bale's outer couple inches are inedible. It's not uncommon for many
farmers to have an entire year of carryover.
My BIL's cattle operation goes through two to three rounds per day
plus additional feed. His goal is to always have a full year of
carryover. Last year, we had the drought and the year before, Texas
did. Between hay sales to Texas and last year's drought, most Iowa
operations fully depleted their carryover reserves and had to resort
to other sources. It got a little tricky around here and hay thefts
were a daily occurrence.
> Hay is livestock feed, straw for lining stalls, protecting spectators,
> building houses, and so on. A quick web look
> shows this to be largely true in that straw has very limited use as feed.
Wheat, barley and oat straw is most certainly used for feed. However,
it MUST be used with other types of feed. Corn is the common secondary
food with other stuff blended in depending on the cattle operation and
the grade of meat being targeted. It is a low energy feed, but that is
OK as it is the bulk part of the food. Hay is obviously a more
complete food source, but again, it depends on what type of beef you
are trying to produce.
One practice, which I absolutely abhor is the baling of corn stalks.
That is a huge mistake, to me, because you're removing so much biomass
from the fields that I can't imagine that it is sustainable for very
long. The cattle will mow down on them, but again, it's like straw in
that it has zero nutritional value, but is the necessary fibrous bulk
that the cattle need.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
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