Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>]

> Haylage? Is that a word?
>
> paul tradingpost@lobo.net

Hay is vegetation one saves for the winter by drying.
This is not always possible in Ireland and most grass is saved by ensiling 
here, making silage. This is wet vegetation packed tight and kept from air 
and oxygen by usually a plastic covering either in round wrapped bales or in 
a silage pit. The sugars in the grass ferment to lactic acid and this 
preserves the vegetation. It is like fermenting cabbage into "sauerkraut".

When vegetation is almost made into hay but it does not work out at the last 
moment due to the weather, one makes "haylage" which is not sopping wet like 
silage but still fermented like it. It is thought to be superior feeding for 
animals. Better than silage or most hay even. The wrapping is quite 
expensive and the bales are close to half a ton so not easily worked. 
Stacking them is often not a good idea for rips in the plastic will spoil 
the contents of the bale but the advantage is that they can be left outside 
in the field where hay has to be gotten into a barn to keep.
john