Especially for the nonfarmer readers, this week I’d like to describe how we set up our bagger to begin harvesting our crops. I’m explaining this not as an expert, but from a farm wife’s point of view. I’m my husband’s right-hand man and, over the years, have learned from his instruction.
We’ve finished chopping corn for some time now. The rest of our corn crop will be stored as cob for later use in grinding into ground feed for our cows. The cob will not be harvested for a little while yet; it must dry down in order to be stored properly. If the moisture content is high, there is a possibility for mold to grow. That must be avoided.
A number of years ago, we purchased our own bagger. This has turned out to be an invaluable asset for our farm. When we first began bagging our feed, we rented a bagger. As we became accustomed to utilizing bags for harvest, we realized that this type of ingathering works well for us and since have discontinued all feed stored in any of our silos. We made the decision to purchase our own bagger, hence saving money down the road.
When the time is right to harvest hay and then corn, we set up our bagger in a lot adjacent to our yard to make it as handy as possible to feed out of all year long. This means even in the dead of winter.
My husband usually purchases 9-foot by 200-foot silage bags, depending on the type of harvest we need them for. Occasionally he gets 9-foot by 150-foot bags as well. The bags come folded together in a large box, packed in an organized way. When we need them, we cart them over to the bagger in our skidder bucket. We then hoist them out, my husband on one end, me on the other, fitting the bag onto a bracket that is attached to the bagger. When we get the silage bag on the bracket, I crank it up so that the whole bag swings up and fits snugly around the bagger.
As soon as we have it secured, we release approximately six durable nylon strings that have come with the packaging of the bag. Those strings keep it intact so it doesn’t fall out all over the place before we need it. Then, my husband climbs on top of the bagger and pulls bungee cord-like straps up on the bag to hold it in place on top of the machine. Everything must be tight and secure.
After that, he climbs down to stand on one side of the bagger. I’m on the other. Together, we pull the inside of the bag out four flaps, or about 8 feet. We fold the bag in about 2-foot sections, over and under, and then twist to secure a firm knot, tying it in three places with long, nylon strings and then tuck it under the bag to make a nice, closed-off end so the feed does not fly out the back when we’re filling.
Next, we attach the backstop onto our skid steer with a clevis hook, hoisting it up and over to the back of the newly closed-off bag, and secure it in place with sturdy cables from the bagger. These cables have large, enclosed hooks on both ends, which hold the backstop in place as the bag is being filled. We make sure the backstop straddles the wheels of the bagger, so that as we fill, the bag fills evenly.
Before the first load, my husband adjusts the pressure on the machine so the harvest packs tightly into the bag to prevent spoilage. There’s a handle on a cylinder on the bagger that allows him to pump up or release the amount of pressure he wants. The gauge indicates the amount of pressure on the bagger. He checks it every load to make sure it’s filling properly.
Now finally, after all of that, we are ready to begin chopping! Setting up the bagger is a process that must be followed to the letter to ensure a good harvest. If we didn’t properly secure the bag onto the bagger, we would have a mess. If we didn’t tie the bag correctly, the silage would blow out the back. If my husband didn’t adjust the proper pressure on the machine, we’d have moldy silage, which in turn would cause all kinds of health issues for our animals.
After we get all done filling, there is another process to close off the bag and store the bagger away for next season. I’ll chat about that next week.
(“Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.” Proverbs 19:20)
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