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  • From: Mark <mpludwig@facstaff.wisc.edu>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org, midwestpermaculture@yahoogroups.com
  • Subject: [permaculture] Fwd: [grazersedge] Ref Buck rake? David and Ken
  • Date: Fri, 16 Aug 2002 10:18:43 -0500

Making silage on a small scale with small equipment....


Date: Thu, 15 Aug 2002 23:47:10 +0000
From: dick874 <sbevier@chatham.k12.nc.us>
Subject: [grazersedge] Ref Buck rake? David and Ken
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Hi David and Ken,
Since you are interested i'll describe the process of making what
I call LC2 (long cut/low cost silage) As I said it works quit well for
small acreage which can't justify the expence of heavy metal just to
harvest your spring surplus. Bear in mind custum harvesting of silage
is not an option in our area.
We cut the grass/legume when the clover starts to bloom. I use a
Massy Ferguson Model 47 sickel bar mower i found for 150$ so the
windrow are not chopped. conditioned or fluffed in any way. I cut in
the morning what I feel i can get up that afternoon. I have done both
operations in a light rain with no apparent affect.
In the afternoon we rake and pile the grass. I have done it as a
one man operation but it goes MUCH faster with a second tractor to help
compact the pile and even faster with a third person on the pile to
dress it and work out the clumps. I built my rake 8'wide so we make the
pile two loads wide. If my pastures were flatter i think i would make
the rake 10' wide. I dump the loads side by side and go back for
more. Each trip back you drive over the previous loads making the stack
as long as you want and as high as your nerves can take. I have made as
high as 8'(which setteled over the summer to about 6') I have found
that it picks up best if you back in the opposite direction you mowed.
When completed the stack will look like a loaf of bread with a
ramp at both ends. We cover with black plastic and weight with tires as
with any silage pile. The tire weight helps to finish cosolidation.
To feed we run an electric wire in front of it and move it daily. this
works very well as we have an adjacent field where we strip graze
winter annuals.
There are of course problem areas;
Deer walk on the pile poking holes in the plastic
Our hot summers cause spoilge next to the plastic
it is slow compared to more modern methods but i feel it is
excellent for small acreages
it is a pain in the neck but that could be fixed by converting the
rake to fit a front end loader. At the time i built it we did not have
one so made mine for 3 point hitch

The benifits are;
Cheap, well within the limits of a small acreage farmer
Harvest in wetter weather than hay
only two trips across field
Cows love it

Last year i pooled with two other famers to harvest each others. We
found that we could easily do 20-25 acres in a normal day. Two
tractors mowed and picked up. the third worked the pile. Working by
myself i found I could do about 10 or 12 acres in a long day.
On quality. Depends on when you cut it and how well you compact
it. it is probably not as good as silage in an upright silo but is as
good as any thing made in a trench . I think the cows perfer the longer
cut as it is no problem for them to ruminate. I can't think of
anything else. It almost sounds to simple but it works. If you have
other specifc question i'll be happy to answer.

Take care
Dick B
PS. with our extended drought there was no spring surplus this year.



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Mark P. Ludwig
Poultry Research Lab
University of Wisconsin -Madison
608-262-1730 WK
608-846-7125 HM




  • [permaculture] Fwd: [grazersedge] Ref Buck rake? David and Ken, Mark, 08/16/2002

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