Silage 2022

Hard Knocks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119272264#Comment_119272264

I saw no benefit, just another expense

Omallep2

Only benefit to farmer I can see is drier/less bales assumed its rowed up a few hours in advance of baling and minimal benefit from less compaction with heavier plant but that's minimal

roosterman71

I suppose it's a saving for the farmer in that ya don't have to pay X/ac or X/bale for raking. Though it's a cost on the baling as ya will have more driving around baling up smaller rows. Ya can go faster of course baling.

A few years ago we used to mow with an 8' conditioner and bale out of that. Then the baler turned up and said he wasn't baling that and he wanted it raked. It so happened he had a rake but he was told he can rake away but we won't pay for it.

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119272264#Comment_119272264

We find when it's put into the big rows a few hours before baling or harvesting that it does serious drying. Rows do be very green after the mower once lifted by the rake

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119271421#Comment_119271421

AFAIK two layers

Easten

Being charged for raking is a joke. It's of no benefit to the farmer it just makes it quicker for the Balerman. If they tried to charge me I'd tell them to leave the rake at home and I'd row it up with the Haybob, that doesn't be long changing their tune

Bass Reeves

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119272264#Comment_119272264

If it's raked 4-6 hours before it's as good as tedding. The other advantages is when it chopped the bale is chopped better and breaks up better. This is a nusience if grass is wet

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119273755#Comment_119273755

Well if your rowed up around here with a haybob you wouldn't find too many balers willing to bale it for ya

Easten

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119273930#Comment_119273930

Their a dime a dozen around me, all touting for bits of work, all having new Tractors, Balers and Rakes so sorry Padre but we're spoilt for choice

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119273960#Comment_119273960

Well for ya so

ruwithme

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119273755#Comment_119273755

You've a point there alright. It's not as though the arrival of a rake in front of baling some years ago now ,resulted in a efficency & a price reduction somewhere from the efficiency.

Never was a problem if grass could be mowed dry & left in a mo co row.touch of moisture in a bale only helps her keep better. Finer line then on after that with dry bales.

Shiny metal has been to some extent heaped on farmer's who ultimately pay for it.no one begrudges contractor's good plant, sometimes less would have & did do in the past.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119273930#Comment_119273930

Same as that around here. Any lad that rows with a haybob is left until last on the list and the price per bale goes up. It could often be 1 or 2 in the morning before we’d face into the haybob rows. It’s not fair on the men who have proper rows raked up to be leaving them waiting when we’re bollixing around making 30-35 bales an hour in haybobed rows because some tight hoor thinks it’ll save him a tenner!

As I do say to lads there’s no such thing as a silagebob, a haybob is only for hay.

Jb1989

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274157#Comment_119274157

In fairness he did say it was only a threat he was going to use.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274165#Comment_119274165

I was replying to Reggie, I wouldn’t pass too much remarks on Eastens threats, he’ll change his mind by next week anyway!! Something similar to him saying hay won’t be got for less than €50 - €60 a bale last week but now he thinks it’ll be only €25 next week!

hopeso

I find that the bales after the rake are more square….if that makes sense talking about round bales. What I mean is that the bales made from the mower swaths can often be a bit higher on one side than the other, giving the bale a lopsided look.

Reggie.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274254#Comment_119274254

Yeah. No matter what anyone claims about raking being a waste of . Any bale out of a raked row is tighter and more square. So in essence by getting it raked your saving money as your def getting at least 1 less bale an acre because of it

893bet

Our contractor doesn’t charge for raking. It’s in his interest to rake it up as it halves the length of time his baler is in the field.

Price is built into the bale of silage I guess.

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274465#Comment_119274465

Half the baler time, but your ignoring the time for the rake being in the field and the man to operate it. Extra tractor, extra labour and the rake of course just to have a baler spend less time in the field.

From a contractor it makes sense as with a rake going they can get through more bales in similar timeframe, thus the cost of the rake is covered by the extra throughput. Add bonus then if ya can get the farmer to pay that bit extra per bale/acre for absolutely no benefit to the farmer.

White Clover

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119274752#Comment_119274752

Pros and cons no doubt much like everything else in life.

The other side of the coin is the scenario where the weather is about to break and you have stuff raked and ready for the baler but he’s delayed baling 8 or 10 foot rows because the farmer before you wouldn’t have it raked.

DBK1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119275004#Comment_119275004

That’s exactly the scenario that happens with the way weather windows have been the last few years. And that’s why most contractors now will bale all of the raked grass first, then go to the mower swarths and leave the haybob rows until last. Like I said earlier it’s not fair on the men that are organised and have their grass raked to be left sitting waiting while the baler is bollixing around in bad rows making 30 bales an hour, and black clouds coming over the hill!

roosterman71

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119275004#Comment_119275004

Such is life! Why should one farmer have to rake up to speed up a contractor so another man doesn't have to wait as long. The problem there is contractor time management, etc, etc.

We rake up ourselves but only since we changed the mower to one without a conditioner.

Yer right though, there are pros and cons. Raking isn't necessary in all instances. I suppose that's the bottom line

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119275104#Comment_119275104

As you've probably seen if you're living in the same place, my tenantis drawing today, seems to have mowes and rowed yesterday but it's very wet. don't think he spread it at all

roosterman71

Yeah they flying past here this morning, and late yesterday evening too I think.

I was out running the roads by your place and Meedin earlier and there wasn't a stir of grass being moved. Must have had a lie in 😀

roosterman71

@wrangler are they struggling picking up the crop today? Seem to be a long time between trailers and often nothing passing for an hour or more and then a couple will go by

funkey_monkey

Is there not meant to be a good spell coming in next week? Could they not have waited for a break?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119276277#Comment_119276277

. I wasn't really watching them for long, I don't know but they weren't going as well as if it was dry, seems to be a good crop, growing about eight weeks.

They did n't start till this morning on my land, I think they're finished a while now. 40 acres , the trailers weren't able to keep the harvester going , that might explain the gaps

Lime Tree Farm

"The first machine – an RT 880 - landed into Dublin Port earlier this week, making the first stop at Kverneland’s Irish headquarters" IExaminer01/7/22

https://www.irishexaminer.com/farming/arid-40907534.html

funkey_monkey

The weather is fncking cat malojan. Like the depths of late Autumn here. Blustery wind and non stop rain. Rain or drizzle. Dry up for a while and away again.

Jd310

On the topic of round bales, how much are contractors charging for mowing and bailing, with wrap supplied for single and double wrapped bales?

Probably been discussed before but I can’t find it

funkey_monkey

Big push on here for silage at the minute. Spell of good weather over weekend coming so contractors are going full tilt. Lot of grass gone well beyond due to weather. Have some to do ourselves and its gone to seed a while now.