FARM NEWS 9
• FEB/MAR 2020
HAYLAGE UNWRAPPED
Why single-use plastic may have had its day
EVERYONE hates the sight of
plastic in fields and hedgerows
and knows the damage it can
cause to livestock and wildlife.
This is one of several factors
driving the use of preservatives
for baled haylage, which in
many situations can be used as
an alternative to plastic wrap.
Andy Lee, from forage
preservation specialists, Kelvin
Cave Ltd, says some livestock
and forage producers across his
central counties area have signif-
icantly cut the use of plastic on
their farms.
He says: “High moisture hay
and some high dry matter
haylage can be reliably made
without any plastic wrap at
moisture contents of up to
25%.”
Traditional, unwrapped, field-
dried hay is typically baled at a
moisture content of 15% or drier,
and should be well preserved
when this can be achieved.
However, in many British
summers, this low moisture
target can be difficult to meet,
and farmers often opt to make
haylage instead.
“Haylage has a higher mois-
ture content than hay and is
traditionally wrapped in plastic,
intended to prevent the entry of
air and limit damage by yeasts
and moulds,” he says.
However, when the haylage
has a high dry matter – or a
moisture content of up to 25%
– it can be treated with the pre-
servative, BaleSafe, and remain
completely stable when it is left
unwrapped.
“This forage additive contains
a mixture of human food-grade
preservatives and organic acids
which are proven to kill yeasts
and moulds,” he says. “Using the
product can be a game-changer
when a crop is slow to dry or
when rain is threatened, reduc-
ing the time required for the
forage to remain on the field.”
A cost analysis has also shown
that unwrapped bales preserved
with BaleSafe are cheaper to
produce than bales wrapped in
plastic.
Using the latest figures from
the National Association of
Agricultural Contracts (NAAC),
the average price to wrap a 1.2m
round bale with six layers of
wrap is £6.22, which, at a bale
weight of 400kg, equates to
£15.55 per tonne.
“Using BaleSafe as an alterna-
tive for bales of 15-20% moisture
uses 4-5 litres of additive per
tonne at the recommended
application rate,” he says. “This
equates to a maximum cost
of £11.70/tonne, making the
non-wrapped alternative a very
competitive 25% cheaper to
produce.
“Obviously an applicator has
to be used, which fits on to the
baler, but this represents just a
one-off cost,” he says.
Specialist grassland
farmer
Nottinghamshire grassland
farmer, Matt Blant, who farms
400 acres at Swingate Farm in
Strelley, admits to using ‘a phe-
nomenal amount of plastic’ but
says he’ll always avoid wrapping
when he can.
He says: “Historically, we have
aimed to make hay at 14-15%
moisture but at anything higher
than that you can start to have
problems.”
Mr Blant has used BaleSafe
and its predecessors for around
eight years and says he now
prefers to preserve grass like this
and produce a slightly moister
hay.
“It actually makes a better
crop in my opinion and is good
for all livestock including horses
which are particularly suscep-
tible to respiratory problems
caused by dust,” he says. “These
bales are completely dust free
and I am also confident I won’t
sell a bale that is likely to go
mouldy.”
However, he says the biggest
advantage of preserving hay
with BaleSafe comes through
improvements of operation,
since hay can be baled earlier
and in more difficult conditions.
“Last summer we took a
chance and cut 80 acres on one
day with the promise of good
weather to follow,” he says.
“However, the forecast changed
and storms were threatened, so
we decided to bring the whole
crop in on the same day.
‘ the preservative
has cut his plastic
use across the farm
by around 30%
’
“My son, Seth, and I started
baling early in the morning
when the grass was registering
a moisture content of 23%,” he
says. “We turned the applicator
on and applied the BaleSafe,
reducing the application as the
grass dried out, and cutting it off
in the middle of the day.
“We continued into the
evening and turned the appli-
cator on again as the moisture
went up. We got 900 big bales
into the shed that day and can
definitely say the BaleSafe saved
that crop,” he says.
Furthermore, he says the lack
of leaf shatter and dust made
for better handling and a more
palatable feed. And overall he
says the preservative has cut his
plastic use across the farm by
around 30%.
Wetter forages
For forages whose moisture is
over 25%, Kelvin Cave say that
plastic is still required.
“BaleSafe can be used for
wrapped haylage whose dry
matter is from 50-75%, after
which we would turn to another
preservative to address the
different challenge,” says Mr
Lee. “For example, where soil
and bacterial contamination
are more likely in a wetter
forage we’d recommend a
product with a different range
of ingredients, whereas with
drier hay, the focus is likely to
be on preventing spoilage by
yeasts and moulds.” (See table
below.)
For advice on feed and forage
preservation, please contact Kelvin
Cave Ltd on 01458 252281.
Preserving grass at different moisture contents
Forage Type Moisture Content Wrap Needed Preservative Recommended
Hay 15% moisture and
below No Not essential but BaleSafe will reduce dust
and assist preservation if grass is diseased
High Moisture
Hay 15-25% moisture No BaleSafe essential for unwrapped bales
Haylage (high
dry matter) 25-50% moisture (or
50-75% DM) Yes BaleSafe will improve fermentation and
reduce DM loss
Haylage (wet) More than 50% mois-
ture (under 50% DM) Yes Use Safesil Challange to kill yeasts, moulds
and undesirable bacteria from soil
contamination