Last week, Jim Dunphy, NCSU Soybean Specialist, wrote "Have we run out of time to make a grain crop from our drought-stressed soybeans? In many parts of the state, probably yes. I don't expect soybeans to develop a flower into a physiologically mature seed in less than 45 days, and parts of the state are already within 45 days of the average first killing frost. Much of the state which is not there yet will be soon."
With the continuation of the drought, it seems less and less likely that soybeans will make a profitable bean crop, but they may have some value as a forage crop. Soybean forage can definitely help North Carolina producers who are short on feed because of the drought. In the current drought conditions this is a draft summary of information on salvaging soybeans for forage use. If a producer in your area has had hands-on experience grazing soybeans or making or feeding soybean hay or silage please share your experience with us. Email
se_johnson@ncsu.edu.
If producers have soybean herbage, making hay or silage for their own stock or for sale is an economic calculation. Remember, a field should have enough forage to pay for the fuel to harvest it. An acre of soybeans may yield 3-4 round bales at best. A maximum of 2 tons dry matter (DM) per acre is possible, but much less is likely.
Two cautions before salvaging soybeans as forage:
1. Insecticides and herbicides used on the beans must be within the labeled use for livestock forage. See
www.ces.ncsu.edu/disaster/drought/Soybean_Hay.pdf for complete information.
2. Contact a crop insurance agent before harvesting for forage. They will advise each producer on how harvesting a crop for forage may affect insurance payments. The status of the crop may need to be documented for possible disaster payments before haying or grazing.
Grazing
Grazing is the most efficient means of harvesting the forage. Strip grazing soybeans will result in less waste due to trampling, fouling with manure etc. Grazing is the best option, especially if the beans made very little growth. But the field must be fenced, and water needs to be provided to the animals.
If there are still animals grazing perennial pastures, use the beans (or corn) to get the animals off the permanent pastures. This may allow pastures to survive the drought. At this point in the season and the drought, pastures need to put all their energy into recovery and survival. Feed alternatives now and let pastures recover for next season.
Soybean silage
In Kentucky, Wisconsin, and Maine, silage is recommended as the best preservation option for soybean forage. But silage is not as portable/movable (nor therefore) saleable as hay. For those who have experience with silage, beans will work. For silage the plants still need to be more than 50% green, at 35-40% DM. This will probably require wilting many NC beans in their current stage of growth. Peak stem digestibility is at R3 or R4 - (beginning to late pod) stage. The fat in more mature beans may interfere with fermentation. Dry matter testing (using the microwave method) is advisable, since most of us don\u2019t have experience measuring soybean DM. Chop at 3/8\u201d.
Soybean forage made into balage can be slightly drier. There is less information about soybean balage; but several North Carolina producers in Rowan County have been making balage, and are satisfied with the process so far. Balage will be more portable. We don\u2019t have information on the final product yet, but they are hoping for good outcomes. The big challenge (as with soybean hay) is the moisture in the stems is so much greater than moisture in the leaf portion of the plant. This makes fermentation difficult, and may adversely affect final quality of the feed.
Soybean hay
Soybean hay is routinely produced in parts of the state, especially the Northeast- north central areas. Here are some summary comments from experienced NC producers of soybean hay:
From Jeff Copeland: Both farmers harvest at early pod stage. Both consider it a high quality feed. Neither has experienced feeding problems associated with soybean hay. One feeds 1 round bale SB hay to 2 Grass round bales at same time. Yield is approximately 1/2 of fescue hay. One farmer noted when he gets 10- round bales fescue weighing 750-800 lbs. each (scale weight), he only harvests 4 to 5 SB hay. If SB hay is stored outside, use netwrap. String is o.k. inside shelter but he lost 1/3 of bale stored outside with string.
It's worse than peanut hay about leaf shatter. Minimize times it's mechanically handled (raked, tedded).
From Bryan Cave: I have had lots of experience with soybeans for hay here in Surry County. It works great if the beans are cut with a mower-conditioner. If not, it takes forever for them to dry. Also, stage of maturity is HUGE in final quality of the hay. The beans here in Surry should be cut now for optimal quality. The best stage to cut is when the pods are not filled out and there are still lots of leaves. The biggest issue is when to bale, too soon and they will mold, and too late and the leaves shatter. I try to bale in the evening to cut down on leaf loss and the dust while baling is not so bad. They will change color and look brown not green after baling. The cattle consuming them do well and I typically cut some every year to stretch my other grass resources.
One important issue this year is if the producer has crop insurance he should get an Insurance Adjuster out prior to cutting to make a determination as to loss. This along with knowing which chemicals were applied is the biggest issue this year.
From Matt Poore: With soybeans they are difficult to get cured, and a tedder will do a lot of damage to them. Best to just swath them leaving about a 4 inch stubble, and then let them get almost totally dry before doing anything else. Then, rake them before they get crispy dry in the morning and don't make the windrows too big. Once they are raked they will dry very slowly, so raking too soon is often a problem. Once they dry in the windrow for at least several more hours, you can invert the windrows for a little more drying time. It is very sensitive to shattering so rake slow and gentle.
Tedding after the leaves dry will knock most of the leaf off and reduce yield and quality. It is best if it is rolled in the late evening... Be aware that the leaf will get crispy after only one day of drying, but the stems take more like 3 or 4 days to cure especially if they are big and if there is a high yield.
From Seth Nagy: ...guys in the county have made soybean hay. Their strategy is to work it like alfalfa so leaf shatter is minimized. It takes a while to dry. They only stir it or bale it in the morning or evening when the humidity is higher.
From Amy Thomas: Myself, along with several other producers in the area have fed soybean hay. The only thing you should be aware of is that cattle have an increased tendency to bloat on this hay more than any other. You can limit the risk by not feeding it free choice or mixing it with other grass type hay.
Note, ironically, 3 dry days are needed for making soybean hay. With soybeans there will be leaf loss, don't be tempted to bale too quickly after cutting because the stems need time to dry down, or you will have heating, mold, and losses.
Storage: Soybean hay, even round bales, will need protection from rain. Bales need to be covered by a shed, barn or plastic. Soybean round bales will not shed rain and you will have sodden, worthless lumps. Soybean balage will also need protection.
Feed value: If you are able to use soybeans for forage they can provide excellent feed. The best soybeans for forage are in the beginning pod stage (harvested at R3 - when one of the top four nodes with a fully developed leaf has a 3/16-inch long pod). Less mature soybeans have lower protein and digestibility. Soybean silage runs 14-20 % protein, Soybean hay is high protein (averaging around 15%) and beef cattle fed soybean forage should also be fed a lower quality forage. Feed the soybean hay or silage (or pasture) as 20-30% of the ration. This will balance and stretch the quality feed.
Wisconsin farmers noted that soybean silage was not as palatable to cows as alfalfa or corn silage but dairy animal production not affected.
Bloat has been reported. Horses can consume soybean hay.
Timeliness: Given the condition of the crop and possible damage by rain or wind, we suggest you begin the forage harvest as soon as you have followed the procedures necessary for crop insurance and disaster payments. Harvesting before leaves become too battered, even if the plants are still flowering may be wise.
Marketing: There is absolutely a forage market, contact a county agent or the NCDA for assistance with marketing your soybean hay. They may connect you with custom haymakers who will come to your farm and bale. If you are interested in purchasing soybean forage, contact NCDA&CS or your county agent.
Conservation: Remember to leave some residue and cover in the field to protect the soil when the rain finally arrives.
Good luck and let us know how things go and additional questions you have.
Authors :
Sue Ellen Johnson -Forage Specialist
Jim Dunphy - NCSU - Soybean Specialist
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