Accurately baling haylage at the right moisture content is a primary objective. Furthermore, when harvesting occurs, timing the process correctly can make all the difference.
Wrapping haylage should be done immediately after baling to reduce damage and quality loss, particularly with ryegrass.
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Dry Matter
Haylage and baleage are often a staple on dairy farms as they provide additional dry matter in a forage, improving digestibility and tonnage. Unfortunately, these feeds often come with potential risks that farmers should be aware of.
Quality haylage should contain 10-13% crude protein and have a dry matter digestibility of 65-70%, making it more palatable and manageable than hay alone.
Alfalfa haylage can be particularly challenging to produce due to a lack of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), poor buffer capacity and potential clostridial fermentation that leads to butyric haylage.
Mr Kilpatrick, who harvests two cuts of haylage annually from 34 acres, believes that harvesting no drier than 40% dry matter (DM) is key for avoiding fermentation problems and moulds. Additionally, he suggests teasing out the crop at least twice in order to achieve your desired dry matter content.
Water Soluble Carbohydrates (WSC)
Water soluble carbohydrates (WSCs) are one of the analytical divisions in plant carbohydrates and consist of simple sugars such as glucose, fructose and sucrose; longer chain oligosaccharides and polysaccharides like fructans.
Temperate grasses contain both water soluble carbohydrates (WSC) and ethanol soluble carbohydrates (ESC), such as glucose, fructose, sucrose and shorter polymers of fructans. WSC are digested and absorbed as glucose or fructose in the small intestine while fructans are fermented by rumen microbes into short-chain fatty acids which may affect the pH in the hindgut.
Studies have demonstrated that forage with higher levels of WSC provides dairy cows with a more efficient energy source and also promotes chewing and buffering in the rumen (Carlier, 1994).
NDF
Non-digestible fibre (NDF) is a component of the cell wall composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. NDF can have an enormous impact on rumen acidity and fermentation rate when fed to cattle in haylage.
A high NDF value indicates that forage is likely to be digested slowly. It also implies that animals will consume less of it than they would if the NDF value were low.
NDF (Nutrient Density Factor) is a major factor in milk fat yield in cows. A study found that substituting cottonseed or dried distillers grains for alfalfa haylage increased milk fat test by around 5 pounds per cow/day (Broderick and Radloff, 2004).
NDF digestibility is typically determined using the in vitro true dry matter digestibility (IVTMDM) assay. Generally, longer incubations result in higher NDFD values; however, some laboratories and researchers believe that shorter exposures provide a more accurate representation of NDF digestion potential for dairy cows.
Ash
Dairy producers typically pay close attention to the crude protein and fiber content of their hay and haylage before feeding it to their animals. Unfortunately, many don’t check ash levels in the hay they harvest and deliver for delivery to their herd.
Forage ash is composed of two sources: internal minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus; and external contamination from dirt, bedding or sand. Most hay or silage samples contain around 4% internal ash.
The higher the ash content in a forage, the greater its likelihood of contamination with soil. Soil can contain harmful microorganisms such as mold, yeast and negative bacteria which could lead to improper fermentation of the feed – known as clostridic fermentation. This process leads to butyric acid formation, increased dry matter loss, elevated pH levels, rancid odors and poor performance.
