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Description: After forage is mowed (e.g., NAL #4830 to #4839), it is raked (e.g., NAL #4861 to #4868) into windrows sized to fit the pickup of a chopper or baler. Depending upon the environment, dying forage to 15 to 16% moisture requires 1 or 2 days, more when it is exposed to precipitation. Also, preservation as dry hay risks excessive loss of nutrient rich leaves when the forage has less than 10% moisture, and mold growth in the bales when moisture content is over 25%. To increase retention of leaves on stems and reduce the risk of damage from precipitation, forage may be chopped with 50 to 70% moisture and preserved as haylage in tower silos (e.g., NAL #4654) or bunker silos (e.g., NAL #3301). Alternatively, haylage may be produced by baling forage with 60 to 70% moisture content, and wrapping the bales with plastic to exclude air as shown in this image. Haylage in wrapped bales eliminates the cost of silos, but disposal of the plastic wrapping may be problematic. By comparison with dry hay, the 3- to 4-fold higher moisture content of forage to produce haylage increases the cost of moving the forage. Wrapping equipment has settings that allow for variation in number of wraps, thickness of wrap, and tension in wrapping. Studies at the University of Wisconsin have suggested that bales wrapped in a total of 8 mils (or .008 inches since 1 mil= .001 inches) of plastic produce the highest quality haylage. Thickness of wrap nor times around the bale did not matter as long as the total thickness covering the bale was 8 mils.

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