Silage Insights - Bale wrap survey 2004

2004 Bale wrap survey reveals shifting markets and an emphasis on quality

The Dow-sponsored survey attracted 155 responses (about 6% of contractors involved in bale making), who between them make 1.1m bales of silage - just over 6.5% of the total produced. The majority of respondents made predominantly bale rather than clamp silage - almost three-quarters baled 81 to 100% of their grass, which is an increase of more than 10% compared to 2003.

As in 2003, grass silage remains the dominant crop for most, although haylage is more significant for farmers making less than 500 bales. Production of haylage increased virtually across the board, indicating continuing interest in supplying the horse market (cf. Figure 1).

Figure 1 - Main livestock enterprises for which respondents do bale silage or haylage

A total of 16.2% of the respondents cite the horse market as their main customer, along with lambs at 16.9%, pushing the previously dominant beef market into third place at 13%. This however does not mean that horses and lambs consume the majority of bales: many respondents produce small amounts of bales for their clients, while fewer other producers make large quantities for dairy herds.

Black film remains the most popular wrap colour, although use of green film increased by 9%. The overall increase in lighter films equates to an extra 89,300 light coloured bales wrapped in 2004 (cf. Figure 2). However, users tend to be loyal to their choice - the main reason cited being that they 'always use that colour' while customer's preference was the second most important reason.

Figure 2 - Percentage of different coloured films used in 2004 compared to previous season

Use of more than four wraps continues to grow, with the gap narrowing significantly between the numbers that used six wraps in 2004 (44%) and four wraps (48%). There has also been a small increase in those using eight wraps (cf. Figure 3).

Figure 3 -Number of layers used to wrap bales in 2004 compared to previous season

Almost a quarter of respondents said that the reason for choosing a specific number of layers was action on information or advice received (cf. Figure 4). The reason for many using six or eight layers is to meet the needs of haylage customers or the desire to make the best quality product available.

Figure 4 - Main reason for choice of number of layers in 2004 compared to previous season

Pest damage was considered to be the major single factor in spoilage of bales, with poor storage a close second. Other reasons included weather when baling, presence of moles, not using enough wrap and badly shaped bales. Percentages suggesting film failure as the cause of spoilage of bales more than halved compared to 2003, which suggests that either in reality or in contractors' perceptions, this issue has been successfully tackled by manufacturers.

BPI, Trio, Tyco and Volac were quoted as the most popular makes of film, but in unprompted questioning, more than 30% cited 'other makes' which could indicate use of a mixture of brands. In choosing, bale wrappers predominantly went along with recommendations from their supplier. Strikingly, opting for the 'most commercial deal' was outstripped in the survey. This suggests that both contractors and their customers are becoming more concerned about quality than price.

More than 30% of respondents have purchased a baler, mower or forage harvester over the past three seasons, suggesting continued investment and involvement. Interestingly, 31% had purchased a trailed forager, pointing to continued interest in low cost grass chopping.