Is someone pullin my leg????

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

Just talked to our local custom combine guy cause I need some straw. He'll call me when he combines and leave the straw whole for me to bale. Said fine and I would just come and bale right away when he finishes...

He told me that straw was best after it got rained on once and dried cause it absorbed more as bedding than the stuff baled right behind the combine. I ain't the smartest or most traveled guy in the world and I never heard that before. Did I miss something or is he just havin fun???

Billy NY · Jul 28, 2012

No, I believe he is talking about the smooth surface on the stalk, weathering seems to rough it up a bit,or remove some of it, and does like he mentions, which would also allow it to absorb more.

I can tell you, all of the fields of oats we were doing, a few years ago, we baled all the clean straw, usually right away, was for roughage at a large dairy operation, that stuff is slick, and I think he had the processor or extra knives on this late model, '08 JD sileage special baler, which chops the straw. It was set up with net wrap and there is a chart on how many wraps for what etc. I'll tell you one thing some of those bales even though dense and properely fed into the baler, would fall apart, big mistake, we got practically all of it off the field, some of those bales were just awful to deal with, slick and cut further, makes for a mess, the dairy operator feed guy would chop it anyway, where they make the feed for the 1000+ head dairy cows.

m breckon · Jul 28, 2012

I haul straw to to dairy farms in Iowa from Illinois and the better bedding is not the slick shiny straw.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

I KNOW your not gona believe any thing i tell you but yes... That is true...It like rots it a little and it will absorb more watter....

But that being said i still would still rather bed with nice fresh golden straw....

Happy bedding and dont take any wooden nickels

Ralph Bauer · Jul 28, 2012

But If I were to inject it with liquid feed to feed to cattle in the winter, I could go ahead and bale it right away? Or is the rougher, once rained on straw better/easier to digest/ liked by cows?? (don't own any cattle myself).

Tx Jim · Jul 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 14:19:55 07/28/12) and I think he had the processor or extra knives on this late model, '08 JD sileage special baler, which chops the straw. It was set up with net wrap and there is a chart on how many wraps for what etc. I'll tell you one thing some of those bales even though dense and properely fed into the baler, would fall apart, big mistake,

I may be incorrect but I think JD rd balers have no slicing knives inside them but NH rd balers do.

Walt Davies · Jul 28, 2012

We bale all straws after midnight till mid morning to get the
dew on it. Bales better and holds better when baling.
Walt

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 12:45:50 07/28/12) We bale all straws after midnight till mid morning to get the
dew on it. Bales better and holds better when baling.
Walt

Baled about 50 small bales last year from a barley fiels that had some junk in it... Nice bales, but got real hot in a couple days... Ended up throwing it all away in a compost pile... I could see the benefit of some dew tho...

Walt Davies · Jul 28, 2012

I said dew not ringing wet silly, well I guess one need to learn
just how much dew. Giggle
Walt

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 13:07:43 07/28/12) I said dew not ringing wet silly, well I guess one need to learn
just how much dew. Giggle
Walt

For whatever reason... Some of the folks will have poppies, daisies, and a couple other things (even small sunflowers) growing in their fields... Doesn't really look like that much til you bale it... Straw bales were heavier than any hay bales :roll: I's smarter now.....

Walt Davies · Jul 28, 2012

Hey Dave maybe we can put our two heads together an solve
this windmill problem
Walt

MPK · Jul 28, 2012

Yes, that is true, a good rain, especially on oats straw, will make better bedding after it is dry again. Not as much so on wheat straw as that is not as oily as oats. Rain and sun seems to take the oil out.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

In Germany is the straw the property of the custom combiner to give away. Everywhere in the North America I have been the straw belongs to the farmer/landowner. Lots of reasons to leave straw in the field, moisture conservation, soil conservation , building organic material in the soil ect. I suspect most farmers would be rather unhappy to see someone baling up the straw.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 14:15:33 07/28/12) In Germany is the straw the property of the custom combiner to give away. Everywhere in the North America I have been the straw belongs to the farmer/landowner. Lots of reasons to leave straw in the field, moisture conservation, soil conservation , building organic material in the soil ect. I suspect most farmers would be rather unhappy to see someone baling up the straw.

Wasn't the point of the ????, but of course it's the property of the farmer... In this case, these are his own fields and I have already asked the other farmers that he will be doing. No problem for the little bit I want....

rrlund · Jul 28, 2012

Don't know about absorbing more,but it'll be softer. There's a waxy coating on it that won't be there after a rain. I suppose without that wax,yes,it might even be more absorbant.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

Thanks Dave, that makes sence. What tripped me up was the custom part of combiner. In my experience if your are working on your own field it is not custom work.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

(quoted from post at 14:40:25 07/28/12) Thanks Dave, that makes sence. What tripped me up was the custom part of combiner. In my experience if your are working on your own field it is not custom work.

He's got his own stuff and does for other folks that don't want the expense of the machine. If someone has 50 +/- a few acres, I guess it don't pay em to invest 300+k in a machine....... Maybe custom is the wrong term??? Whatever it is, I grabbed a couple cold ones and found/bribed him a little....

K. Peters · Jul 28, 2012

The guy that combines my oats always says that a little rain after the swathing makes it thresh easier when combinig. I've heard different farmers claim the straw is more absorbant if it gets rained on. Never could tell the difference myself.

JDseller · Jul 28, 2012

TxJim there are three models that have a rotary cutter system in them. They are the 458,468,854 Silage Special. They have a double fingered rotor that goes on each side of a knife. You can retract the knife if you don't want any processing done.

Next door neighbor has one and he only does dry hay with the knives in. He can bust a bale and use it in his TMR wagon without any tub grinding. It really works pretty well.

Ken Macfarlane · Jul 28, 2012

Depending on the straw it may not do much for the soil. I know some tests in Manitoba showed wheat straw has almost zero benefit and plowing it in can cause more loss of soil than removing it.

Of course your don't get the moisture conservation aspect which I believe is a moot point in many areas.

Anonymous-0 · Jul 28, 2012

Our family baled wheat straw for hog bedding. The elders always preferred rained on straw, less wax and less dust.

Billy NY · Jul 28, 2012

In this neck of the woods, a good stand of any of the following, oats, wheat, barley, or rye, without weeds, fields clean so they can cut lower, (that alone will increase the straw yield, and I've done it by carefully removing rocks when cultipacking)the straw is a valuable commodity, we got $40 more per ton than hay, if I recall right. Leave that straw in the field for any reason and the profit from just the grain may be marginal, the straw is what puts you over. One good thing is though, can get rained on LOL !

John B. · Jul 28, 2012

Around the St. Louis Mo. area fresh straw sells better, it's brighter and the people seem to want that. We always tried to get it baled before it got rained on just for that purpose. It's selling here now $6-$7 a bale. My dad rents his farm out to an old friend and he always windrows enough to bale about 1,000 bales and my dad sells it to stores in the area for almost $4 a bale. Sure makes a nice little second income off the same field. Having the help to put it up is another problem. It was always fun putting up straw though, it brought all of us together for a day or two.

rdandersom · Jul 29, 2012

My dad always hoped the straw would grt wet and dry at least twice.The straw is deffinitely softer and less dusty but you get fewer bales per acre.I don"t know if it packs better in the bale.I think it settled into the stubble and some got left behind.the rained on straw also had to be raked.

Is someone pullin my leg????

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