Hay farmers step in

[5keepers2]

Lots of farming in our neck of the woods.
Yesterday from interstate you could see 2 very large fields of corn.
The corn crop is approximately 2 feet high.
The corn is not planted in rows.
It is what I call "broadcast" planted. Probably a better term from those that know..
Planted like wheat or hay.
I can't see anyway a regular type corn picker can work here.
Do they now have combine type corn pickers like they do for soybeans?
Just curious!
If any of the above offends the grammar police I do apologize!

[Bsktball55]

I've never seen corn that was drilled. I'm seen beans that were drilled. Maybe it is going to be cut for silage?

[218_fishing]

Silage. The new rotary cutters for choppers like the claas, John Deere, krone and so on... you can cut either way

[markheb]

It was probably sudan grass. Used as a cover crop or for hay.

[Babe Winkleworm]

Ya more likely green graze Sudan grass for forage. Not too much corn is going to be knee high yet.

[FishFish]

[JR19]

Silage. The new rotary cutters for choppers like the claas, John Deere, krone and so on... you can cut either way

That's the exact model my neighbor uses to chop silage. He uses a drill to plant corn so it is in rows. When chopping silage he can cut with the rows or go across the rows. That particular piece of equipment is like a zero turn mower for cutting silage. Its fast and it can turn on a dime. If you look there is a arm that is an exit chute that blows chopped silage out of it. In the picture its lowered. When cutting it is raised and can be turned 180*. My neighbor uses tri-axle dump trucks to catch the silage as it blows it out the chute. The "chase" vehicle can follow on either side or directly behind the chopper. When the dump truck is full another truck will pull along side the chopper and the operator in the chopper will aim the chute at his truck. The chopper never stops. It continues along at full speed even when changing trucks that catch the silage. With this setup a person can cut several tons per hour. My neighbor told me what his can cut but I can recall the number. I love to watch them chop silage. They can make a field disappear quick with that piece of equipment.

Watch how they switch trucks at the 1:43 mark...they never stop, they keep going wide open. It takes multiple trucks to keep up with the chopper. I think my neighbor has at least 4 trucks. A couple tandem and a couple tri-axle.

[tdutton]

Silage. The new rotary cutters for choppers like the claas, John Deere, krone and so on... you can cut either way

What's one of those jewels cost?

[Bsktball55]

What's one of those jewels cost?

If you thought that new Ranger that was posted the other day was expensive, you don't want to ask about one of these.

[Ky-triton]

Ya more likely green graze Sudan grass for forage. Not too much corn is going to be knee high yet.

There is corn taller than knee high in western Kentucky.

[d'Wayne]

What's one of those jewels cost?

Ask Roger Rose...

[tdutton]

I hunt in western Kentucky and see these (Or similar) cutting corn. The guys that cut the corn where I hunt upgraded machines a couple years ago, and it's amazing how little waste there is, compared to their older machines. The deer were coming out of the woods behind the machines to eat and there was nothing there? The deer had a "What the hell?" look....lol

[Bsktball55]

My guess would be $4-500,000 for the machine itself. Maybe another $100,000-150,000 for the header.

[cowtrimmer]

My guess would be $4-500,000 for the machine itself. Maybe another $100,000-150,000 for the header.

5 for the small model and thats about right for the hay head. The Class and kemper heads that wide are around 2

[merczilla]

There is corn taller than knee high in western Kentucky.

Absolutely....we have corn fields 5 or 6 foot tall right now in south and central Louisiana, drove by several fields yesterday.

[adchunts]

Absolutely....we have corn fields 5 or 6 foot tall right now in south and central Louisiana, drove by several fields yesterday.

Already seeing fresh corn at the grocery stores here.

[Bamaman]

Those machines are commonly called self propelled forage harvesters. They're used to cut corn or cut grasses into bite sized lengths--and fed to dairy cattle. They make corn heads and grain heads for these units. Most of the self propelled machines are found in places like upstate New York where they have huge dairy operations and in the far northern plains. (Much of the U.S. no longer has large dairies.)

I don't recall how expensive the self propelled machines are, as I never really saw that many in my many years in the tractor business. There's no single piece of machinery or tractor in the $500K range.

They also make pull behind forage harvesters most dairymen use. They're the biggest horsepower stuckers on the farm--doing best with 200+ horsepower. And you can tell what they are by the BANG, BANG, BANG sound of the rotating knives.

They'll usually tow oversized forage trailers and blow the forage into the wagon. The forage wagons have bars on the floors(driven by a PTO) that unload the forage. Then they'll use a forage blower on the back of a tractor to blow the forage up to the top of silos where it falls to the bottom.

Dairymen have to have the finest of feeds because the quality of what you feed the cows is directly correlated to the quanty and quality of the milk coming out of those momma cows. Regular everyday hay is just not good enough for dairy cows.

[dbmickle]

I don't recall how expensive the self propelled machines are, as I never really saw that many in my many years in the tractor business. There's no single piece of machinery or tractor in the $500K range.

Have you not seen the new John Deere Quadtrac? 9620rx is over 550,000.

We also call them "choppers"... rolls off the tongue a little easier

[Nominnows]

Lots of machines around 500k

[T.H.R.]

Absolutely....we have corn fields 5 or 6 foot tall right now in south and central Louisiana, drove by several fields yesterday.

Same here in Northeast Louisiana as well.