JAE Farms

A boy and his dog

Some of you may remember that last summer we made our whole second cut into haylage. This was a split-second decision we made, as we had to choose between trying haylage and letting it rain on our hay swaths for the next month. The Good Lord provided the opportunity for a custom bale wrapper to come the next day, so haylage it was! Here’s a refresher on haylage: Regular dry hay is usually baled around the 14-16% moisture range. Too much moisture, and it moulds, which creates ...heat, which can cause spontaneous combustion in the bale. Haylage is baled at around 30% moisture, then wrapped in plastic. Heat is created, but the plastic keeps the oxygen out. The hay starts fermenting over time, just like silage (or wine!). The hay leaves stay on, dust content is low, and there’s no mould as long as there’s no holes in the plastic. So, how did it work out for us? We have been impressed, to say the least. Our experiment over the winter has been offering a haylage bale and a dry bale to the calves, to see which they prefer. By far the haylage bales are the first to be eaten! Because the bale is generating heat, the bales didn’t freeze in the feeders. The contents are very palatable, and the calves have been gaining a good amount of weight over winter (while also being supplemented with some grain). I have heard of people feeding horses haylage, as well as sheep/goats. The one caveat I would give for horses would be to hand feed it, as I could see them overeating on a bale of haylage. All in all, we would be more than willing to do haylage again. It’s a great option if the weather isn’t conducive to making dry hay, and it has good nutritional value (assuming you made bales with good hay to begin with). Do you have any experience with haylage? If so, what did you think of it?

For Sale: 2020 Small Square Bales Due to the lack of horse and livestock shows last year, we still have hay inventory available this spring. Stock up for the shows and jackpots this summer, or have some spare squares in the barn. Baled dry, these are dense bales that stack very nicely. They have been stored in a shed all winter (the front of the stacks are a touch sun bleached because the shed is 3-sided). We have approximately 300 brome and 300 alfalfa bales available. ... Located by Codette, SK. Delivery available for a fee. Please PM or call/text Avery at 306-609-0244 for more information.

Springtime adventures! On the left, the Farm Hand inspects a swallow nest that had blown down in the hay shed. On the right, the Farm Princess and her new companion Sam are helping with chores.

We have a new four-legged friend on the farm! Introducing Sam, a black German Shepherd puppy. He’s fitting into the farming life very well, and he’s already showing some protector instincts. The kids are loving having a puppy to play with! Sam equally loves being with the kids, whether it’s riding on the side-by-side or laying on the couch. A big thank you to Wiseman K-9 for setting us up with this puppy!