12/31/15 Your New Years Resolution: Save Money?

Most peoples New YearҒs resolutions involve saving money. Well we are here to help you with that goal! Lets run some numbers and see how much money you could save this year if you wrapped your hay.
If you wish to eliminate all waste from your dry hay bales, keep reading. Say you bale 500 bales a year. If you do not wrap your hay you can expect to lose 1/3 of that bale due to factors like spoilage and livestock sorting out the good parts of the bale and leaving the rest. If we know that alfalfa hay bales run about $200/ton and grass hay bales run about $75 a bale, if you take 1/3 of $75 for a grass hay bale, you have just lost $25 per bale if you do not wrap it. Thus, you take $25 x 500 (bales)= $12,500 loss because you did not wrap your hay. So with, say, $300 investment in plastic film, you can earn yourself a much better profit on your hay.
HereҒs another example. For every 100 bales of dry hay forage, you need to make 133 bales (100bales / 75%= 133 bales) and if you put $300 worth of silage film on those 100 bales you will save 33 bales at approximately $40 each, 33x$40.00=1320.00 minimum value cost savings.
Each dollar invested in silage film in spring will save $4.00 or more in winter.
You can use this math as well to see how many years it would take in savings to earn you back what you paid for the hay wrapping machine.
To recap several items we have discussed in earlier posts regarding wrapping hay, remember for best wrapped hay to mow grass in the vegetative stage i.e. just before it is all headed for grass and for  legumes when you see about 10% of flowers. Moisture level is 40%-60% for grass, 40%-55% for legumes. This haylage will maintain its feed value for one year. If moisture level is 30%-40%, its not as good after 6 months, but perfect before, so feed first. If moisture level is more than 60%, feed as soon as possible within 6months. For a fast and effective way to test moisture levels, see our earlier post on 12/29/15 called ғTest the moisture of your hay with 100% accuracy!
If you are interested in single bale wrappers, inline bale wrappers, or hay handling equipment, call us TOLL FREEE TODAY 866-682-5514