Safe Production, Storage, and Feeding of Baleage

by Amy Barkley, Livestock Specialist, SWNYDLFC

When harvesting grass and legumes for stored forages for beef and small ruminant operations, there are two choices for bales: baleage and dry hay. Dry hay is forage that is cut and dried to below 18% dry matter (ideally between 15% - 18%). Large bales of dry hay are wrapped in breathable netting or with twine and stored either outside or inside. Small square bales are held together with strings and always stored under cover. Baleage is forage that is baled at a higher moisture - 45% - 60% - and is wrapped tightly in plastic wrap to keep out the air to allow for an anaerobic fermentation by the natural bacteria in the forage. In our region, many farmers lean towards making baleage, especially as fall approaches, because of the lower labor inputs and decreased reliance on a string of good weather to make quality dry hay. However, if not properly made, stored, and fed, baleage can host some potential problems when fed out to your livestock.

Harvest and Baling Considerations

While there is a little more wiggle room with getting baleage moisture just right (45% - 60% moisture is adequate), there are other considerations for harvest and baling.

• Rain is still a concern for the leaching of protein and energy from the forage. If the rain happens just after cutting, was a short & single event, and/or was a high intensity event, there will be less leaching than if the forage was cut for a longer time with a longer period of or multiple exposures to rain.
• Cutting too law and raking too aggressively can result in the baler picking up dirt clods, introducing increased amounts of bad bacteria like clostridia or listeria. Fields with very uneven terrain should be mowed higher to reduce the introduction of soil to your bales. If you have your forage tested, the ash content should be below 10%, with less than 5% recommended.
• Baling should occur at the proper moisture. If the moisture is too high, fermentation can be poor, resulting in the growth of harmful bacteria and spoilage. Too dry, and you risk incomplete fermentation and molding.
• Making sure bales are tightly wound and wrapped, limiting spaces where oxygen can get trapped, resulting in mold and incomplete fermentation in spots. Tighter bales also maximize the number of days the bale can set out unwrapped during feeding.
• Higher quality forages going in - those that are less mature and stemmy - are going to ferment more rapidly and completely, leading to a higher quality end product.

Figure 1. Chart showing forage moisture content, resulting fermentation expectation, and management adjustments should the moisture not be exactly where you'd like it to be. Credit: Penn State Extension. Click to enlarge.

Storge

Wrapping should occur within 24 hours of baling. Once wrapped, the bales can be stored outdoors. It takes 14 - 21 days for the fermentation to complete in an ideal situation. However, waiting 6-8 weeks will ensure that the forage is stable. If bales are wrapped in-line, it's important to make sure that the full 6-8 week waiting period is completed so that the bale that's next in line doesn't degrade as quickly when the bale in front of it is removed.

During storage, keep an eye on your bales to ensure that critters or equipment don't rip the wrappings. Bales with air exposure will spoil. Any tearing of the plastic should be taped over with a high-quality tape as soon as they're noticed.

Feeding

When deciding which lots to feed out first, select those that may have been more mature, not wrapped as tightly, or had a moisture content outside of the ideal range at the time of baling. These bales will not last as long in storage and their nutrition will degrade faster. Any bales that you're concerned about should not be fed if they are obviously moldy or rotten. Each bale should be inspected for quality prior to feeding. Sheep and goats are more susceptible to listeriosis than cattle, so baleage that is anything other than perfectly fermented should be fed to cattle or discarded. If you're unsure if your baleage has properly fermented, there are tests available through Dairy One and other forage labs to determine not only bale moisture, but also the acids present as part of the lot's fermentation profile. This information can tell you with relative accuracy the safety of the bale lot tested.

Timing is critical when it comes to ensuring unwrapped baleage stays safe. In the summer, a bale should be fed and consumed by cattle within 1-2 days in warmer weather and within 4 days if temperatures stay below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of small ruminants' susceptibility to listeriosis, experts at Cornell recommend removing any feed that isn't consumed daily.

References:

Ehrhardt, R. 2015. Silage part two: making more sense than ever for sheep production in Michigan. Michigan State University Extension. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/silage_part_2_making_more_sense_than_ever_for_sheep_production_in_michigan

Martinson and Undersander. 2021. Determining the value of rained-on hay. University of Minnesota Extension. https://extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/rained-hay

Arnold, Smith, and Lea. 2017. Baleage mistakes can lead to major health consequences. Off the Hoof Kentucky Beef Newsletter. April 2017. https://afs.ca.uky.edu/files/offthehoofapr17.pdf  

Williamson, J. Baleage. Penn State Extension. https://extension.psu.edu/baleage.