Choosing and Shutting Up Paddocks for Baleage and Hay

Spring growth is in full swing, and on most places the grass is starting to get ahead of the stock. That surplus is an opportunity. Lock up the right paddocks now and you’ll be feeding out good quality baleage and hay next winter instead of paying top dollar for someone else’s.

The catch is that a good bale starts well before the contractor turns up. Which paddocks you pick, how you shut them up, and when you cut all make a big difference to how much feed you get, and how good it is.

Pick the right paddocks

Not every paddock is a good candidate for supplements. When you’re walking the farm, look for:

• Good pasture with plenty of ryegrass and clover. You only get out what’s in the paddock. A run-down paddock full of browntop and weeds will give you bulky, low-quality bales.
• Clean of weeds. Avoid paddocks with ragwort, thistles, or other weeds you don’t want baled up and spread around the farm next winter.
• Smooth, even ground. Rough, pugged, or stony paddocks are hard on the contractor’s gear and lead to soil getting into the bales. Soil contamination is one of the main causes of spoiled baleage, and it’s a risk for listeria too.
• Good access. The contractor needs to get a mower, rake, baler, and wrapper in and out, and a truck or tractor to cart bales. Think about gateways, wet spots, and steep faces.
• Free-draining. Wetter paddocks are slower to dry for hay, and soft ground gets marked up by heavy machinery.
• Paddocks that need a lift. Shutting up a paddock and cutting it can be a useful step before regrassing or cropping, and it gives you a chance to take some fertility off a paddock that has had a lot of effluent or feed brought in.

It also pays to check spray records. If a paddock has had herbicide applied recently, make sure any withholding period is well past before you cut it for feed.

Don’t shut up too much

It’s easy to get carried away when grass is flying. But every paddock you lock up comes out of your grazing round. If you shut up too much, the rest of the farm gets grazed too hard, the round speeds up, and stock end up short.

A good rule of thumb is to shut up paddocks only once growth is clearly running ahead of what the stock can eat, and to add more as the surplus builds rather than locking up a big area all at once. If things dry off early, you can always open a paddock back up and graze it.

Graze it down evenly first

Before closing a paddock, give it a good, even grazing. You want to take off old, dead material and seed heads so the regrowth is fresh leafy grass, not stalky rubbish from last season.

If stock leave clumps or rank patches, consider topping those areas so the paddock comes away evenly. Even regrowth makes for a better, more consistent bale.

Fertiliser

A paddock that’s going to be cut needs feeding. An application of nitrogen at closing will help boost growth and bulk. Remember that taking supplement off a paddock removes a lot of nutrients, especially potassium, so keep an eye on soil tests and replace what you take out over time. Talk to your fertiliser rep about what suits your soils.

How long to shut up for

As a rough guide:

• Baleage is usually ready about 6-8 weeks after closing.
• Hay needs longer, often 8-10 weeks or more, so it has enough bulk.

The exact timing depends on your district, soil, and the season. Rather than going by the calendar, go by the paddock.

When to cut

This is where the biggest gains (or losses) in quality happen.

• Baleage is best cut early, when the grass is leafy and the first seed heads are just starting to show. Leave it too long and you get more bulk, but the feed value drops quickly as the grass goes to seed and gets stalky.
• Hay is generally cut a bit later, once the seed heads are emerging, as it needs more bulk and dries more easily. It also needs a good run of fine, settled weather to dry properly before baling.

Book your contractor early. Everyone wants them at the same time, and a paddock that’s ready but waiting a fortnight for a contractor quickly loses quality.

Ask the contractor to mow at a sensible height, not scalped right down. Leaving a bit of stubble helps keep soil out of the bales and helps the paddock recover faster.

Hay or baleage?

Both have their place. Baleage is more forgiving with the weather, as it only needs to wilt for a day or so, and it is usually higher quality feed. Hay keeps well, is easier to store and handle, and is lighter to move around. But it needs a reliable spell of dry weather to make.

Keep in mind baleage holds a lot more water than hay. A baleage bale may be much heavier but won’t necessarily carry more actual feed, so when buying or selling, compare on dry matter, not the number of bales.

After the cut

Once the bales are off, look after the paddock. Give it a feed of fertiliser if needed and let it recover before grazing. Get the bales stored somewhere they won’t be damaged. Baleage wrap that gets punctured by birds, rats, or stock will let in air and spoil the bale, so check your stacks regularly and patch any holes.