{"id":288,"date":"2026-05-19T02:19:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/?p=288"},"modified":"2026-05-19T02:19:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:19:11","slug":"how-to-bale-oaten-hay-and-straw-on-a-mixed-farm-without-a-contractor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/application\/how-to-bale-oaten-hay-and-straw-on-a-mixed-farm-without-a-contractor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Bale Oaten Hay and Straw on a Mixed Farm Without a Contractor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Application Scenario \u00b7 Mixed Farm \u00b7 Hay & Straw<\/div>\n

A step-by-step guide to setting up and running your own hay and straw baling operation on a mixed cropping and livestock farm \u2014 the equipment, the workflow, and the economics.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udccd Condell Park NSW 2200 \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 EverPower Baling Machinery Australia Pty Ltd \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 +61 2 9708 3322<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

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The mixed farm \u2014 running cropping alongside livestock, typically sheep or cattle \u2014 operates with a feed logistics challenge that pure livestock farms don’t face and pure cropping farms don’t need to solve. Every year, the cropping program produces oaten hay, cereal straw, and sometimes silage-quality green material that the livestock enterprise can use \u2014 but only if it’s captured in bales at the right time, in the right format, and stored correctly before the weather turns. Waiting on a contractor to become available when the harvest window opens has cost mixed farmers real money in lost quality and missed windows for years. This article is a practical guide to doing it yourself \u2014 the equipment selection, the workflow setup, and the numbers behind making on-farm baling pencil out on a mixed operation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why Mixed Farms Are Moving Away from Contractors<\/h2>\n

Hay and silage contractors serve an essential function for farms that don’t have the volume to justify their own equipment \u2014 but for mixed farms producing 400+ bales annually across hay and straw, the contractor relationship increasingly fails to deliver what the farm needs. Contractors work on their schedule, not yours. When oaten hay at the right heading-to-early-dough growth stage is ready to cut on your property, it is almost certainly also ready on dozens of other properties in your district. Contractor availability in that narrow window is not guaranteed \u2014 and in seasons when the weather closes in quickly after a flush growth period, a 3\u20135 day contractor delay can mean the difference between premium-quality oaten hay and a product that’s past its best.<\/p>\n

Beyond scheduling, there’s a quality control issue. Contractors optimise for their own throughput \u2014 they bale at speeds and settings that suit their machine and their daily output target, not necessarily the density and net wrap settings that suit your feed storage conditions. When you own the equipment, every bale is made to your standard.<\/p>\n

The financial case for mixed farms is also clearer than many producers initially estimate. A farm producing 600 oaten hay bales and 300 straw bales per year, currently paying a contractor $22 per bale all-in, spends $19,800 annually on baling services. Owning and operating a suitable round baler brings that to $7,000\u2013$10,000 per year including depreciation, fuel, and maintenance \u2014 a saving of $9,000\u2013$12,000 per year that repays a quality mid-range machine in three to four years.<\/p>\n

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\"EverPower<\/p>\n
EverPower 9YG-1.25 \u2014 built for the diversity of crops and conditions encountered on Australian mixed farms<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Choosing Your Round Baler: Key Specifications for Mixed Farm Use<\/h2>\n

A mixed farm baler needs to handle a wider range of crops and conditions than a specialist silage or hay-only machine. In a single season, it may bale high-moisture oaten silage in September, dry oaten hay in October, wheat straw in December, and native pasture baleage in March. Each of these has different density requirements, different pickup challenges, and different stress on the baling chamber. A machine selected for versatility and robustness across this range is more valuable than one optimised for a single application.<\/p>\n

Variable Chamber vs Fixed Chamber for Mixed Farms<\/h3>\n

A variable-chamber baler is the better choice for mixed farms precisely because it accommodates the density variation that different crops require. Dry straw is low density \u2014 a fixed-chamber machine will under-fill on straw, producing light, loose bales that are awkward to handle. A variable-chamber machine fills the bale at whatever density the incoming crop supports, and a consistent, firm bale results whether the input is heavy wet silage or light dry straw.<\/p>\n

Pickup Reel Design for Hay and Straw<\/h3>\n

Hay and straw pickup requires different pickup reel characteristics than high-moisture silage crops. Straw in particular can be heavy if baled from a thick windrow or bridging-prone if the material is dusty and tangled. A wide, well-clearanced pickup reel with robust tines handles the range of windrow presentations typical of mixed farm crops without repeated blockages. The EverPower 9YG-1.25 series uses a proven wide-pitch pickup design that handles the full spectrum from light straw through to heavy wet silage with minimal operator intervention.<\/p>\n

Net Wrap vs Twine for Hay and Straw<\/h3>\n

For dry hay and straw, twine remains a perfectly functional and lower-cost binding option. Net wrap produces a slightly more stable bale that handles and stores better, but on pure hay and straw applications where no wrapping film is required, twine saves meaningful cost per bale across a large annual program. The EverPower 9YG-1.25 series accommodates both net wrap and twine, giving mixed farm operators the flexibility to switch between applications without machine changes.<\/p>\n

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The Oaten Hay Baling Process: Step by Step<\/h2>\n

Oaten hay is the most commonly produced hay on Australian mixed farms and the most commonly fed roughage to sheep and cattle across the southern states. Getting the production process right \u2014 from crop assessment through to bale storage \u2014 requires disciplined execution at each stage.<\/p>\n

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STEP 1<\/div>\n
Assess Crop Growth Stage<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Cut oaten hay at head emergence to early dough<\/strong> stage for the best ME:protein:fibre balance. Cutting too early gives high quality but low yield. Cutting at late dough or beyond drops ME below 9.0 MJ\/kg DM and produces a product suited only to maintenance feeding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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STEP 2<\/div>\n
Mow and Condition<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Use a conditioning mower or plain disc mower depending on terrain and crop density. A mower-windrower that combines cutting and windrow formation in a single pass saves a separate raking step on flat paddocks \u2014 the EverPower 9GL series handles this efficiently. Leave swath in a medium-density row matched to baler pickup width.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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STEP 3<\/div>\n
Field Drying \u2014 3 to 5 Days<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Monitor moisture daily using the stem crush test or a portable moisture meter. Target below 16% moisture (84%+ DM) before baling. Turn the windrow once on day 2 if drying is slow or the windrow is thick. Never bale above 18% moisture \u2014 internal heating risk in the stored bale.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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STEP 4<\/div>\n
Bale at Correct Density<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Set baler density to medium \u2014 lower than silage but firm enough to produce a stable bale that won’t collapse under stacking. Maintain consistent forward speed through the windrow for even chamber fill. Avoid baling in the last hour before rain approaches.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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STEP 5<\/div>\n
Store in Shed or Under Tarp<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Oaten hay stored in the open loses 15\u201325% ME over summer through bleaching and weathering. A hay shed or UV-resistant tarp cover protects quality and allows hay made in September to still be premium-quality supplement in May. Stack bales on pallets or timber bearers to prevent ground moisture wicking up through the bale base.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Baling Cereal Straw: Different Rules, Different Value<\/h2>\n

Cereal straw \u2014 the residue left after grain harvest from wheat, barley, oat, or canola crops \u2014 has a low ME value (typically 6.0\u20137.5 MJ\/kg DM for cereal straw) but high value as a roughage and bedding material. For sheep and cattle operations, straw serves a critical role during late pregnancy as a high-fibre gut-fill component that prevents pregnancy toxaemia in ewes carrying multiples on high-grain rations. It’s also the most cost-effective drought emergency feed for maintaining stock at minimal weight loss when energy supplementation is provided separately as grain.<\/p>\n

Straw baling on a mixed farm follows grain harvest and operates under different timing pressures than hay. The window to bale straw after the harvester passes is governed by two constraints: stubble burning regulations (where burning is the alternative to baling) and the risk of rainfall before baling is complete. In most Australian cereal zones, straw baling needs to happen within 2\u20133 weeks of harvest to work around both constraints.<\/p>\n

The specific challenge of straw baling is windrow consistency. Harvesters spread straw unevenly across the full header width \u2014 which on a modern 12m+ header can produce a very wide, thin windrow that a 1.25m pickup reel cannot collect efficiently. On large mixed farms, it pays to run a rake over harvested straw rows to consolidate them into a consistent pickup-width windrow before baling. A single pass with the EverPower 9LH-12 Lateral Rake converts the harvester’s spread pattern into a baler-ready windrow and reduces straw collection losses from 12\u201318% down to under 5% of available material.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"EverPower<\/p>\n
EverPower 9LH-12 Lateral Rake \u2014 essential for consolidating wide straw windrows from modern headers into baler-ready rows<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Producing On-Farm Silage From Oaten and Mixed Cereal Crops<\/h2>\n

The highest-value use of oaten crop biomass on a mixed farm is often not as dry hay but as silage \u2014 baled at the stem elongation to flag leaf stage before head emergence, when ME is at its peak and the crop still has enough moisture to ferment well. Oaten silage at this stage typically tests at 10.0\u201311.5 MJ ME\/kg DM \u2014 significantly above what the same crop will deliver as dry hay cut at a later growth stage.<\/p>\n

The practical trade-off for mixed farms is that cutting for silage at the early growth stage means the grain yield from that paddock is sacrificed. On paddocks specifically sown as dual-purpose crops \u2014 where the cropping decision has already been made \u2014 this is straightforward. On pure grain-sown paddocks, the economics of silage versus grain harvest need to be evaluated each season based on grain prices and silage demand. In many years, silage baling from dual-purpose oat paddocks delivers higher total income per hectare than grain alone, particularly when sheep and cattle silage demand is high and grain prices are modest.<\/p>\n

The baling and wrapping process for oaten silage follows the same protocol as any silage crop: cut at target growth stage, wilt to 55\u201365% DM over 24\u201336 hours using a conditioning mower, rake to appropriate windrow width, bale at high density with net wrap, and wrap within 4 hours with minimum 4\u20136 layers of UV-stabilised stretch film. The EverPower 9YCM-850 wrapping machine handles oaten silage bales at 1.25m diameter with consistent pre-stretch and layer coverage suited to extended storage through summer and autumn.<\/p>\n

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Mowing Equipment for Mixed Farm Hay and Silage Programs<\/h2>\n

The mower choice on a mixed farm needs to serve two distinct functions efficiently \u2014 cutting for silage (where conditioning speed matters and field drying time is a quality variable) and cutting for dry hay (where slower drying is acceptable and conditioning is less critical). A single mower-windrower that handles both applications without requiring major setup changes between jobs gives mixed farm operators the operational simplicity they need during a busy cropping calendar.<\/p>\n

The EverPower 9GL-5.0\/5.6 Traction Mower-Windrower is designed for larger-scale mixed farm cutting operations \u2014 its wider cutting width suits the larger paddock areas and higher crop volumes that mixed cropping enterprises typically manage. For farms cutting 200+ hectares of hay and silage crops annually, moving to a wider mower reduces the number of passes and the total time spent mowing, allowing the harvest window to be better utilised. On flat to gently undulating country, the 9GL-5.0 provides the cutting capacity to stay ahead of two balers operating simultaneously during peak silage season.<\/p>\n

For mixed farms operating on smaller total cutting areas or more varied terrain, the EverPower 9GL-2.5\/2.9 provides a more manoeuvrable, lower-power-requirement option that suits the typical 80\u2013100hp tractor found on mid-sized mixed properties. The 2.5\u20132.9m cutting width matches the output capacity of a single 1.25m baler operating at normal field speeds, making it a natural pairing for owner-operated single-machine setups.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"EverPower<\/p>\n
EverPower 9GL-5.0\/5.6 Traction Mower-Windrower \u2014 wide cutting capacity for mixed farms running large hay and silage programs<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Managing the Mixed Farm Harvest Calendar<\/h2>\n

The most common failure in mixed farm baling programs isn’t equipment-related \u2014 it’s scheduling. The cropping calendar and the livestock feed calendar overlap in ways that create competing priorities for the same labour, tractor, and weather windows. Understanding how to sequence the different baling tasks across the year prevents the situation where everything needs to happen at once and nothing gets done well.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udf3f August \u2013 September: Oaten Silage Window<\/div>\n

Cut dual-purpose oat paddocks at stem elongation to flag leaf. Wilt 24\u201336 hours, bale and wrap within the same day. Priority task \u2014 this window closes as grain fills. Schedule baling crew and wrapper before crop reaches flag-leaf stage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u2600\ufe0f October \u2013 November: Oaten Hay Window<\/div>\n

Cut hay paddocks at head emergence to milky dough. Allow 3\u20135 day field drying period. Monitor moisture daily. Bale once below 16% moisture. Stack under cover immediately to protect quality over summer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\ud83c\udf3e December \u2013 January: Straw Baling Post-Harvest<\/div>\n

Rake consolidated windrows within 2 weeks of grain harvest. Bale as capacity allows \u2014 straw has no time-sensitive quality window, but weather risk is real. Store in open (tarp-covered) or shed. No wrapping required for straw.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\ud83c\udf31 March \u2013 April: Pasture Silage (If Season Allows)<\/div>\n

Opportunistic silage baling from any autumn pasture flush. Priority to paddocks carrying legume-dominant swards or autumn-sown ryegrass at early growth stage. Adds to drought reserve inventory at lowest per-bale production cost.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Storage Infrastructure: Shed vs Open Storage<\/h2>\n

The feed you produce is only as valuable as the quality it retains through to feedout. Storage decisions on mixed farms are frequently made on capital cost grounds without full accounting of the quality losses that open storage accumulates over 6\u20139 months. The numbers tell a consistent story: oaten hay stored in the open with no cover will lose 15\u201325% of its ME content between October and May on a typical central NSW property \u2014 primarily from UV bleaching of chlorophyll and carotene (which reduces vitamin A as well as palatability), rain leaching of water-soluble nutrients, and oxidative respiration losses.<\/p>\n

A hay shed is the premium storage option and pays back across multiple seasons. Where a permanent structure isn’t feasible, a heavy-duty UV-resistant tarp laid over a single-row stack of bales on a well-drained hardstand is the minimum standard for protecting oaten hay quality through summer. Silage bales, by contrast, are self-contained in their film wrapping and can be stored in the open without quality loss from UV or rain \u2014 the film is the shed. The film investment at wrapping replaces the infrastructure investment at storage, which is one of the most underappreciated economic advantages of silage over hay for mixed farms in regions where hay sheds are limited.<\/p>\n

For straw, open storage is generally acceptable \u2014 straw has little nutritional quality to lose from UV exposure, and the main storage requirement is preventing it from getting excessively wet. A basic row of bales on high-ground, free-draining paddock surface with ends covered handles straw adequately in most inland Australian climates.<\/p>\n

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The Full Equipment List for an Independent Mixed Farm Baling Program<\/h2>\n

A complete on-farm baling setup for a mixed farm running 400\u2013800 bales per year across hay, straw, and silage applications requires the following equipment. Not all farms will need every item immediately \u2014 a staged approach, starting with the baler and adding complementary equipment over time, is a practical way to build the capability without a single large capital outlay.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Equipment<\/th>\nEverPower Model<\/th>\nPrimary Application<\/th>\nPriority<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Round baler<\/td>\n9YG-1.25A or 9YG-1.25<\/td>\nAll hay, straw, silage<\/td>\nEssential<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Film wrapper<\/td>\n9YCM-850<\/td>\nSilage only<\/td>\nEssential (silage)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mower-windrower<\/td>\n9GL-2.5\/2.9 or 9GL-5.0<\/td>\nHay and silage cutting<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lateral rake<\/td>\n9LH-12<\/td>\nStraw consolidation, windrow merging<\/td>\nHigh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Finger wheel rake<\/td>\n9LZY-9.0<\/td>\nLegume\/clover silage raking<\/td>\nOptional<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"EverPower<\/p>\n
EverPower 9GS-5.0 Double-Blade Mower \u2014 high-capacity cutting suited to larger mixed farm hay and silage programs<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Getting Started with EverPower<\/h2>\n

EverPower Baling Machinery Australia Pty Ltd supplies the complete equipment range for mixed farm hay and silage programs \u2014 from entry-level compact balers through to mid-scale commercial machines, supported by a full range of mowers, rakes, and wrappers. The NSW-based team works with mixed farm operators across southern and inland Australia to identify the right starting configuration for their specific crop volumes, tractor fleet, and feed production goals. Parts availability from Condell Park means downtime during peak harvest periods can be minimised, which is essential when the harvest window closes regardless of whether the baler is running or not.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Set Up Your Mixed Farm Baling Program with EverPower \u2192<\/a><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\ud83d\udcde EverPower Baling Machinery Australia Pty Ltd<\/div>\n

27 Harley Crescent, Condell Park NSW 2200 \u00a0\u00b7
\n+61 2 9708 3322<\/a> \u00a0\u00b7
\nsales@silage-baler.com<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n
\n1. What moisture level is safe for baling oaten hay without heating risk?
\n+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Oaten hay should be baled at below 16% moisture (84%+ DM)<\/strong> for safe storage in round bales without wrapping. At 16\u201318% moisture, heating risk is elevated and the hay should only be stored with good airflow or under conditions where the bale can complete its moisture equilibration without compressing into an anaerobic centre. Above 18% moisture, mould and spontaneous heating risk becomes serious \u2014 never bale and store above this threshold unless the hay is to be wrapped and preserved as silage.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\n2. How do I consolidate straw windrows from a wide header for baling?
\n+<\/span><\/summary>\n
A single pass with a towed lateral rake \u2014 such as the EverPower 9LH-12 \u2014 is the most effective method. The rake sweeps two or more harvester windrow lines together into a single, consistent row matched to the baler pickup width. This reduces straw collection losses and eliminates the uneven chamber-fill that causes variable bale density when baling wide, thin straw windrows directly. Run the rake at low ground speed to minimise straw loss from the tines.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\n3. Can I use the same round baler for both dry hay and wrapped silage on the same farm?
\n+<\/span><\/summary>\n
Yes \u2014 most round balers in the EverPower 9YG range handle both applications. The key operational differences are density setting (higher for silage, medium for hay) and binding type (net wrap preferred for both, twine acceptable for dry hay). When switching between silage and hay applications, clean the baling chamber thoroughly to remove fermented silage residue that could contaminate stored hay with mould spores. A second standalone wrapper (9YCM-850) handles silage bales separately while the baler itself remains unchanged between applications.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\n4. Is it worth cutting oats for silage instead of hay on a mixed farm?
\n+<\/span><\/summary>\n
On paddocks where grain yield is not the primary objective \u2014 dual-purpose crops, low-production paddocks, or paddocks where the livestock feed value of the biomass exceeds the grain income \u2014 cutting for silage at the stem elongation to flag leaf stage typically delivers 1\u20132 MJ\/kg DM higher ME<\/strong> than the same crop cut as hay at a later growth stage. Whether that quality uplift justifies the wrapping cost and the loss of grain production depends on local grain prices and silage demand. In high-livestock years or drought preparation seasons, oaten silage from dual-purpose paddocks is usually the better economic decision.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
\n5. What are the main advantages of owning a round baler versus using a contractor for a mixed farm?
\n+<\/span><\/summary>\n
The four main advantages of ownership over contracting are: (1) timing control<\/strong> \u2014 baling when crop conditions are ideal, not when the contractor is available; (2) quality control<\/strong> \u2014 your density, your wrap settings, your standard; (3) cost reduction<\/strong> \u2014 at 600+ bales per year, ownership typically pays back in 3\u20134 seasons versus contracting rates; and (4) flexibility<\/strong> \u2014 the ability to make a small batch of silage opportunistically after a rainfall event without waiting for contractor availability. For mixed farms at 400+ bales annually in regions with competitive contractor demand, ownership almost always makes financial sense.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n
EverPower Baling Machinery Australia Pty Ltd<\/strong>
\n27 Harley Crescent, Condell Park NSW 2200 \u00a0|\u00a0 +61 2 9708 3322<\/a> \u00a0|\u00a0 sales@silage-baler.com<\/a>
\nAbout Us<\/a> \u00a0|\u00a0 Contact Us<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Application Scenario \u00b7 Mixed Farm \u00b7 Hay & Straw A step-by-step guide to setting up and running your own hay and straw baling operation on a mixed cropping and livestock farm \u2014 the equipment, the workflow, and the economics. \ud83d\udccd Condell Park NSW 2200 \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 EverPower Baling Machinery Australia Pty Ltd \u00a0\u00b7\u00a0 +61 2 9708 […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-silage-baler"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=288"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":291,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/288\/revisions\/291"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=288"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=288"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/silage-baler.com\/da\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=288"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}