I think the biggest issue you would have with haylage, would be storage and then how fast can you use it?
So much needs to be taken off the face of a bag or off the top of a silo every day to keep it fresh, otherwise you get spoilage. On 10 acres, you may be able to get a 8' bag, maybe 100 ft. long depending on how it piles up from 10 acres. Every year we do our 1st crop in either a 9 or 10' bag, 200 feet long. We might get 25-30 acres in one.
If you go the bagger route, it takes a stout tractor to run it. Not a big problem, as we rent one to run it because our big tractor is on the chopper. You also need wagons. A decent chopper box that can handle haylage is gonna be the most expensive part, unless you are faithful at attending auctions when you should be in the field doing hay.
We got a NH 892 2 years ago for $700, with a hay pick up and electric controls. Last year I found another for parts with another, better, hay head for $200. Those are steals and don't come around often. Wagons never seem to come up cheap unless worn out and junk. For a 16 or 18' wagon, if there is ANY road travel, you also need a larger tractor for hauling. We use a Massey 285 for hauling, and even that can be a bit undersize if you have to stop fast. An 18' wagon loaded with haylage can go upwards of 20,000-24,000 lbs.
We cut with a 14' hydra-swing, let it sit for 2 days (first crop), chop with with our 105 HP Oliver 1855, haul with the 285, and run a rented Ag Bagger with a rented IH 986. The total cost for the bagger, tractor + fuel, and bag is upwards of $1500. Makes excellent feed and the cows love it.
If it's getting dry while chopping and it rains, it sure does help. It also helps us get 1st crop done sooner, for when we want to plow under a feild and put it in corn yet.
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Today's Featured Article - Grain Threshing in the Early 40's - by Jerry D. Coleman. How many of you can sit there and say that you have plowed with a mule? Well I would say not many, but maybe a few. This story is about the day my Grandfather Brown (true name) decided along with my parents to purchase a new Ford tractor. It wasn't really new except to us. The year was about 1967 and my father found a good used Ford 601 tractor to use on the farm instead of "Bob", our old mule. Now my grandfather had had this mule since the mid 40's and he was getting some age on him. S
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