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Never said it was sileage. Our square baled alfalfa and baled hay sat out to weather until sold. If not sold, by spring we'd run it thru a shedder and feed it to the cows.
You must have a desert climate and grow irrigated alfalfa in your area of Colorado.
In Minnesota, there is a twice monthly hay auction that attracts up to 180 semi loads of hay per sale.( Canada, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and MN )
Big squares of alfalfa hay that were stored outside with no tarps would fetch a very low price.
With good alfalfa bringing $ 140 a ton, nobody is gonna let it set exposed to the weather unless it was in a desert.
So rather than selling it, or giving this valuable nutrient away. They store it?
I see many dairies, and have not seen manure stored in such a manner.
I have seen manure in piles where they were harvesting methane for tractor fuel though.
Where I grew up covered piles were always sileage. And now around here it is sileage.
Commercial Diaries do not grow feed for hundreds or thousands of their cows, it's trucked from far away. Frequently, commercial diaries don't even have enough of (or any) land to spread all that manure on, this is especially true for the "suburban" mega diaries. Manure is stored in open pits for long long time, if not "forever", you don't have to be an Amish to have stinking and overflowing with rain water "lagoon".
Because of the insane subsidy system bastardized by US government and BIG agrobiz 30 something years ago, growing your own feed for your cows is more expensive then buying soy/corn/hay and trucking it from Kansas, Iowa, Illinois or Nebraska ... since government would not pay subsidies on the feed you grow yourself but it would subsidize Iowa mega corn farms, rain or shine. And keep in mind that government has "Interstate Commerce Clause" in its sleeve if big profits & big brother will be threatened by your homegrown feed, google "Wickard v. Filburn".
Anyway, thank you all ARSEHOLES involved in inventing these INSANE policies for transforming rural agro landscapes into monotonous corn&soy bean deserts occasionally sprinkled with CAFOs.
Anyway, thank you all ARSEHOLES involved in inventing these INSANE policies for transforming rural agro landscapes into monotonous corn&soy bean deserts occasionally sprinkled with CAFOs.
What put us out was the required beef checkoff program, which incidentally applies to sheep and hogs too. We lost money on the animals, and so it was the alfalfa that kept us in biz. Had I done it over again, I would have had bison and alfalfa.
In NY, some of the Amish were threatening to leave to escape having their animals numbered, which they consider the "mark of the beast system". I don't know if they have that in the states they're showing up in now.
Here's a couple of articles about their expansion westward:
My brother lived for years with Amish neighbors in PA. Like any other segment of society, they have some bad apples. He used to tell me about one guy who would let you take his picture if you gave him some cigarettes.
In NY, some of the Amish were threatening to leave to escape having their animals numbered, which they consider the "mark of the beast system". I don't know if they have that in the states they're showing up in now.
Here's a couple of articles about their expansion westward:
My brother lived for years with Amish neighbors in PA. Like any other segment of society, they have some bad apples. He used to tell me about one guy who would let you take his picture if you gave him some cigarettes.
That precedent would surely destroy the world in a quick way.
There was an Amish kid who fell in some water in the San Luis Valley, he almost drowned. They had him choppered to Denver and the Amish community paid his hospital bill which exceeded six figures.
I welcome the Amish people. Its the alcoholics and control freaks who worry me.
That precedent would surely destroy the world in a quick way.
There was an Amish kid who fell in some water in the San Luis Valley, he almost drowned. They had him choppered to Denver and the Amish community paid his hospital bill which exceeded six figures.
I welcome the Amish people. Its the alcoholics and control freaks who worry me.
The Amish don't believe in insurance. The community is supposed to take care of its own. They don't even have to pay social security and disability taxes because they have a religious objection and don't collect it even when they're eligible.
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