Successful Farming – August 2019

you greater flexibility to bale

earlier in the day, later at

night, and in more humid

conditions, while giving

more palatable bales.

Its Microbial Catalyst

technology stimulates

an inoculant blend and

increases microbial activ-

ity of naturally occurring,

beneficial bacteria in hay,

explains Agnition product

manager Mike Holmberg.

“The organic acid

rapidly reduces pH

levels and prevents

spoilage while target-

ing higher-moisture

areas deep inside the

bale. The technologies

save more leaves and

inhibit molds,” he

explains.

In a controlled study, hay

treated with Anchor for Hay

maintained a relative feed

value 30 points greater than

the control, Holmberg notes.

Treated bales stay greener,

FORAGE FRIENDS TAKE HAYMAKING TO THE NEXT

LEVEL WITH THE LATEST TOOLS.

forage analysis on-the-go

J

ohn Deere has introduced an enhanced on-the-go nutrient
analysis tool, called the HarvestLab 3000 (johndeere.com),
that can be mounted on its self-propelled forage harvesters.
Hay or silage samples can be analyzed and geospatially
referenced by field location, explains marketing manager John
Mishler. You can create hayfield maps to see areas of high or
low yields and nutrient quality. The data can be stored in the
main data center on your harvester.
HarvestLab 3000 uses near-infrared spectroscopy to evaluate
such forage characteristics as volume, moisture, dry matter,
protein, starch, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent
fiber, explains Mishler. “It uses the same analysis technology
as you would get at a commercial lab. You can even store the
forage by analysis.”
In the field, the unit offers integrated length-of-cut adjust-
ments based on moisture ranges you preset. This ensures
optimal bunker density and high-quality silage and reduced
spoilage.
The HarvestLab 3000 can also be removed from the ma-
chine for tabletop use in the feed room or farm office to give
year-around quality analysis as forage comes out of storage.
The cost is approximately $18,250.

Better Hay Preservative

T

he Ralco Agnition brand (agnition.com) has a new dry
granular product, called Anchor for Hay, to preserve
higher-moisture hay and to maintain hay quality while reduc-
ing the risk of heating and spoilage. The company says it gives

Photography: Manufacturers

and they grind easier.

The product is available

in 50-pound bags at a cost

of $71.50 per bag. It is ap-

plied to hay with a Valmar

455 applicator at a rate of 2

pounds per ton. This is a cost

of $2.86 per ton or $1.72 for a

1,200-pound bale.

Discbine mower-

conditioners

N

ew Holland’s Discbine

310 and 312 disc mower-

conditioners (newholland.

com) mow cleanly and

maneuver quickly to speed

up hay and forage making in

modest-size operations, says

the company. The models

offer 10-foot, 4-inch and 11-

foot, 6-inch cutting widths

and require 82- and 87-PTO

hp. tractors.

A center-pivot design lets

you lay down long con-

tinuous swaths when you

alternate from left to right

on each pass. This improves

efficiency of cutting, raking,

and harvesting, and these

machines work well in small

or odd-shape fields.

Both models offer two

conditioning systems: rubber

chevron-intermeshing rolls

that save leaves or the Y-tine

flail system for faster drying

of grass hay. These

systems cover 85% of

the working width.

They also feature

a no-tools windrow

shield and swath gate

adjustments. You can

spread the cut crop in

a fast-drying swath,

or produce a 3-foot

windrow that’s ready to

bale or chop.

The suggested price for a

model year 2020 Discbine

310 is $36,288 and $38,438

for the Discbine 312.

56 Successful Farming at Agriculture.com |August 2019

b e e f INSIDER

®

PRODUCTS

By Gene Johnston