(800) 853-2651
SHOP NOW

Baling Sorghum x Sudan Grass in Small Squares

A

Anonymous-0

Well-known Member
Hello, This year we are short on hay as many others are, so we planted some sorghum and sudan grass in the winter wheat feilds. I was wondering if any one had ever bailed them in small squares? Several local farmers plant the sorghum sudan but always round bale and wrap them in plactic as haylage. Will the sorghum and sudan grass dry down enough to bale without having a spoilage problem? We will be cutting the sorghum and sudan with a Hesston haybine. Additionally has anyone ever had problems with purssic acid or nitrate poisioning when feeding to cattle?
 
I"ve done some SS grass into squares around the edge because of weeds and buck brush. Nitrate problems have more to do with how dry the conditions were when you cut and did you fertalize between your winter wheat and your SS grass. Also soil type can influence problems. I cut mine with a sickle mower and raked with a wheel rake. Everyone on this forum said it wouldn"t work but it actually worked just fine. The SS grass did have to sit for 3 or 4 days to dry down and I did flip it once while it was setting out there. Remember Square bales can tolerate higher moisture levels then round bales without spoiling. So I wouldn"t worry, if its dry enough for round baling it"s perfect for squares.
 
I second what farmersteve said. It just takes a while for it to dry down. I"ve baled hundreds of bales of it through the years.
 

Prussic acid if present dissipates out of cured hay in 3-4 weeks,Nitrate poisoning on the other hand never goes away. You can test hay for nitrates and the higher you cut the plant from the ground the better the chance for less nitrates. On the drying of Sudan be sure and have the conditioner rolls set as close as possible to achieve the best crimping effect.
 
Not too many years ago I averaged 12,000 small squares per year of sudan grass, cut with sickle mowers. If you have had rain and it is over 18 inches tall when you cut it you are not likely to have nitrate problems, if you plant BMR varities nitrate worries are virtually eliminated.
 
Thank you all very much,
We planted the BMR varity from Best Forage its PCS 2010 BMR Sorghum x Sudangrass. This is the first time i've heard about the BMR reducing the risk of nitrate poising. If you had any more information on that LAA i'd be glad to hear. Thanks
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Tractor Parts Tractor Manuals

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Copyright © 1997-2024 Yesterday's Tractor Co.

All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.

Yesterday's Tractors - Antique Tractor Headquarters
Website Accessibility Policy

Back
Top