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New Way To Hay

published: June 30th 2009
by: Loretta Sorensen
source: TriState Livestock News

A brand new twist on forage harvesting is producing alfalfa dubbed “Godiva Hay” that has some horses and cattle licking their lips as they consume alfalfa that's so well preserved it still looks wet.

The new cutting and drying process is the brainchild of Jeff Warren of Penn Yan, NY. In order to learn more about the process, he purchased his own alfalfa fields and haying equipment.

“My grandfather told me that one person with experience is worth two people with knowledge,” Warren says. “I couldn't imagine why it was so difficult to produce high quality alfalfa until I started cutting my own fields. It was then I learned that it only rains when you cut hay.”

Through his own experience, Warren realized producing consistently high quality hay was an impossible task using traditional methods. He partnered with several investors to develop a new process and modify equipment to fit the need of that process. The result is their company, Top Quality Hay Processors (TQHP). Warren foresees the new method bringing better quality to the forage business and new industry to agricultural communities across the nation.

“Hay fields supplying the plant need to be within a 30-mile range which means drying facilities are located in the community where the hay is processed,” Warren says. “Our franchise structure allows investors to build their own facility to produce this top quality hay.”

Warren and his partners, John Davie, Chuck Long, Neal Simmons, Mike Kunes and Mark Wickham have invested $3.9 million in TQHP over the past several years. Each line produces about 40 tons of hay per day at their plant. They are in the process of building a second plant in a neighboring community.

Among the changes Warren and his partners made to the haying process is modifying a swather so hay is cut and immediately loaded into a dump trailer. It's transported to their plant and dried and baled within a few hours.

“If it's sprinkling when we cut, we can keep cutting,” Warren says. “If it starts raining hard, we stop and wait until the weather clears. But there's never hay on the ground so it can't get spoiled by rain.”

Once the alfalfa reaches the plant, it's detangled and conveyed through a drying oven and dried to a pre-determined moisture content. Since raking and tedding activities aren't necessary to the process, the percentage of leaves retained in the finished product is greatly increased. Because it's dried and baled within a few hours after being cut, the consistent result is a high quality bale.

“This process reduces compaction in the field because you make one pass to cut the alfalfa and that's it,” Warren says. “It also means farmers harvest 100 percent of their crop. Alfalfa farmers in this community often lose 50 percent of their crop using traditional methods due to wet conditions.”

Giant ovens, conveyors in a 384-foot drying line and other hay processing equipment fill TQHP's renovated warehouse at Romulus, NY. During their open house in April 2009, approximately 200 people toured the facility and learned about their options for developing their own plant.

Cornell University ag economic development specialist, Jim Ochterski, says, “This is rocket fuel. There's not much more you can say about it, it's just very high quality hay and has everything a cow's rumen can really use. The company is offering it as a top quality dairy hay, either alfalfa or Timothy hay.”

Ochterski says the visual appearance and smell of the hay usually grabs attention because it's so uniuqe.

“It has a beautiful odor and is very dark green and leafy,” he says. “It's dust free and mold free all the way through the bale. Typically buyers use their sense of smell and feel to evaluate hay. These bales defy description, people just haven't seen anything like it, it's that high a quality.”

TQHP is currently selling their 40- to 60-pound bales to the equine market. They expect a larger supply will take the product into other livestock markets over the next couple of years as new plants are constructed. They also expect alfalfa producers who use the process will extend their harvest season.

“Because weather is not such a big consideration in this process, farmers will be able to harvest earlier in the spring and later into the fall,” Ochterski says. “The length of the season will vary from year to year, but it could add as much as 45 days to hay cutting time. The company is working with agronomic specialists to determine the effect of additional hay crops on the hay field and make sure they're not jeopardizing the integrity of the field.”

The cost of the product will depend on a variety of elements, including current hay market prices. While the increased quality will add to the price, a number of factors also make it an attractive economical feed source.

“Animals are going to eat every bit of these bales,” Ochterski says. “It's not uncommon to waste about 30 percent of a bale because it moldy or spoiled. This hay has more nutrients so animals will require less, and there just won't be any spoilage. It takes less time and energy to process it, so that reduces processing costs too. Producers will have to consider how it fits into the finances of their operation.”

Warren is hopeful that the new processing method will benefit rural communities across the country.

“The way we cut the alfalfa, it can't sit on a truck for hours before it's processed,” Warren says. “The facility will only survive with local suppliers. That means the revenue from the sales will stay in that community. We've seen this bring farmers in our community together to develop the facility. I never really understood or appreciated farming until I became involved in this endeavor. It's a wonderful way of life but it's also very hard work. Alfalfa producers don't have crop insurance to cover their losses, which is an added disadvantage for them. It's my hope that this process will help farmers consistently produce quality hay in a way that makes their work a little easier.”