Small vs large square hay bales.

[bradk]

We sold some small square grass/alfalfa mix hay to a gal at 2.50/bale.Her neighbor said if she bought large squares from him,it would come out to $2.00/bale because he told her there are about 20 smalls in one large.

Never been around large squares before.Any input??

There's always someone else who has the "better deal" huh? Thanks guys ~brad

 

[Brad Bachelor]

Large squares should be cheaper. Just like round bales. I think customers are paying for the labor of making them too. I have to handle 40 small square bales for every round bale handled. I think its the same for large squares. A round bale goes for $30 in a good year. That would be like me selling the small square for less than $1 a bale.

The main advantage to small squares is handling for people who don't have the equipment to handle the bigger bales.

 

[phillip d]

What size of bales do you make?Sounds like quite alot of squears per round.

 

[RickL]

talk is always cheap,sounds like she want something for nothing anyway. My small squares all start at $4.00 bas e period. did he offer to deliver the large square for her. how she going to handle it. Don't worry about it price your product so you make a profit period. Done it for years and have heard all the stories. PS get cash period

 

[Seth_ia]

There would be about 15-20 small squares in a 3x3x8 bale. 4x4x8 bales, like I make, contain about 35-40 small bales. To say the least I'm a big advocate of large square bales. Big squares are really great when you feed alot of your own hay, they are a real labor saver. This year all those prices sound cheap, but then I'm in corn country. From what I've seen of hay auction results there is very little premium in small squares in the dairy market. The lower quality hay is where you see the bigger price spread. However big square of any size should ALWAYS be worth more than rounds. Rounds are most all to often junk hay. At best, round balers knock off alot of leaves compared to any size square baler. I bale for some dairy farmers who swear that they retain more leaves with the big squares verses the small squares, but will take hay either way depending on their schedule. Never the less, these dairy guys I bale for refuse to do round, too much leaf loss. Alot of horse people and others can really handle 3x3 bales but don't realize it. My 4x4 bales are comparable, or bigger, to Deere made round bales and take a decent tractor to handle them. Depend on baling charges, field capacity and other factors I dought that in my mind the 50cents/bale would get me to put it in small squares. However where I really dislike small square is when your selling hay for $1.50/bale and paying kids $10/ hour to rack and stack it. That math doesn't work to me. Rick and I have discussed bales sizes before. I agree 100% that you should sell what every pays the bills. Now when you start $4/bale for alfalfa I can even be convinced to get out my old small baler for some bales. I've even have been baling up every grass patch I can find and putting it in small bales this year. It won"t be leaving my sheds for less than $3/bale this winter. Sounds high, but with my time and the current market conditions, I"ll find someone. And if I don't, it will stay in the barn and I'll feed it myself some time.

I hope what I said was clear and made sense. If you have any big square questions I'll sure try to answer them.

 

[RickL]

Seth; I don't know if totally agree with large rounds are totally junk since I sell quite few of them also,but always shoot for small squares when ever posssible. Funny how different areas i geuss make difference as so far I can't even give large squares away. I don't do them but ahve looked into them and have tried sell other fellows who have aske me to sell for them but ai get same response, If I want rotten hay I will ask for large square till then I don't want them. You do whatever works is how I look at it. the ones I have been around were all brown or white inside,feeding for yourself you can do this but selling hay you CANNOT. Its like any crop thou the baler is usually not the problem whichevr way you choose its the operator. Large squares the hay must be drier period.

 

[Seth_ia]

People know so little of big squares around here, they don't realize that hay needs to be drier. So mold and heat damage never even occurs to them. Only complaints I hear are that they need to be put inside and can't be left on the field for 2weeks. Big square do take a much better opperator and manager. I'm extremely picky about my hay. Mold or heat damage is completely unexceptable to be. I have had a couple of occations where guys have told me to bale even when I tell them its too wet and they do usually end up with junk, but I warned them(in some cases it will ferment). Acid is my best freind. And I've switched to a Fransgaard rotary rake for fluffier better drying windrows, which really helps.

I should explain my junk hay comment. I stand by the fact that rounds loose more leaves the any size square. A round put inside should have the same or possibly less loss than a big square put inside. The problem around here almost all rounds are left outside and the buyers never realize hay much loss there actually is. They just drop a ring around it and drive off. I use wrap around rings for the sheep. I've often seen the outer six inches that are totally junk and have to be pitched. So yes round can be good hay, but they need to be shedded. I like to run a round baler next to my big square baler on the same field and then pull feed samples, but yet to have had a chance to do it.

 

[RickL]

Seth; Do you run tedders. I tried one few years back but didn't like it ,but I think I was to late in doing it (tried it after assembly for dealer). Long story short I lost my gear box in moco and part of bar went to so will be major dollars if I rebuild. Thinking about going back to 2pt disc mo and tend,but having real hard time convince myself. I hate more trips,don't want
another 15000 thou in mowco

 

[Seth_ia]

My rotary rake can be set to tedd but have yet to really try it. It looks like it has promise, but would hate to ted everything. I had a 3pt disc mower, but not anything to ted at that time. The problem I ran into was the last 10 moisture points didn't want to dry out. The disc mower was showing wear and I couldn't justify a discbine. I went back to a sickle type haybine. So far I'm totally happy, big sickle type machines are getting real cheap. I don't miss all the expensive discbine parts either. For all the hay that you do, I would think twice about the disc mower route and put it out of your mind. Best day with mine was the day it left.