The soil we deal with makes it hard to get a good stand established and that can lead to root problems and winterkill. We tend to look to changes in rations if the hay isn’t available.”
Chris Dammen
Shullsburg, Wisconsin
“Equipment costs have led us to have our forage production done by custom harvesters. While they are fast when they are there, their timeliness in getting to the field can sometimes lead to crops that aren’t cut when we would like them to be.
This has led to some lesser-quality hay over the years that has affected production.”
Justin Doyle
Mineral Point, Wisconsin
“Getting enough dry days from cutting to baling tends to be the hardest thing we face in our area. This year has been particularly tough in that both hay quality and quantity has been lower than we have in a typical year.
We are always looking for ways to get the hay off the field faster so we can avoid problems.”
Andrew Perks
Rockford, Illinois
“Getting hay dry enough to put up tends to be our toughest issue. Even working with haylage, we can have some pretty wet stuff going into piles, which can keep the final product from fermenting right.
We have actually gone to round bales and a bale wrapper to create baleage and that seems to have helped this year.”
Mike Schmuecker
LaPorte City, Iowa
