"What are the benefits of baling?"

This question is perhaps one of the more complex questions that our sales staff receive when speaking with new customers. Customers usually expect a short answer when, in fact, it is impossible to briefly summarize all of the benefits! Furthermore, each type of bulk material, be it agriculture, industry, or waste, offer unique baling benefits based on the material's characteristics. For the sake of good order, this article will focus on the benefits of baling forage.

1. Compaction and forage quality

Pit silo vs. round bales

Oxygen is the main reason of feed spoilage. Cattle feed is normally conserved in bunker-, tower- or pit silos. When it is time to initiate feeding by opening the compartment, all forage is exposed to oxygen, initiating a degrading of nutrients and spoilage of the forage.

This results in less nutrient-rich forage for your cattle, while increasing the amount of food loss.

Oxygen removed

When baling, you assure that all the nutrients are preserved by excluding the oxygen from your forage. After opening a bale, the remaining bales stay wrapped and protected against oxygen.

up to 7 litres more milk per cow daily

Studies show that forage conserved in high-density round bales made using an Orkel compactor preserve the nutrients better and will undoubtedly increase the production and quality of milk and meat.

CRV Holland found that dairy cattle being fed maize silage from round bales produced in average 7 liters more milk per cow daily compared to cattle eating the same forage mix previously stored in a bunker silo. They also found that the bale-fed cattle's milk quality was better and their cell count 80% lower.

More meat per cow with Orkel bales.

Up to 20 kg more meat per cow

Another study by Gembloux Agro Bio Tech, comparing the slaughter weight of bale-fed cattle and cattle fed the same forage mix from bunker silos, indicated that the weight (48 hours after slaughter) was in average 23 kg higher for the cattle fed with bales.

Reduced volume

Additionally, the baling process will compact your forage and reduce the volume by up to 3:1. This means you will free up storage space by baling your forage compared with storing your forage in a pit or bunker silo.

2.Wrapping

Forage is protected with film-on-film wrapping; Both widefilm and wrapping film.

When the bale is completely compressed inside the chamber, the Orkel compactor will wrap it with widefilm. This assures that the bale keeps its shape as it exits the chamber for further wrapping. The widefilm also adds an extra layer of oxygen protection.

Wrapping film

The wrapping film helps keep the shape of the bale, but most importantly: It keeps oxygen and water out of the forage no matter the storage location.

Easy recycling

Film-on-film, compared to net-on-film, consists of only one material, simplifying the recycle process. Consequently, the used film from your Orkel-wrapped bale is designed to partake in a circular economy process nicknamed "Closed Loops"!

3. storage

Storage of round bales. Photo: Nobre Nutrição Animal

Together, the widefilm and wrapping film prevent oxygen and water from entering your forage, allowing the forage to be stored anywhere for a longer period of time.

Easy stacking

Bales produced with the Orkel compactor have a high density, making them firmer and more stable. As a result, the high-density bales can be stacked up to 6 bales in height in order to save floor space.

4. cost efficient transport & logistics

Orkel round bales ready for transport in Colorado, U.S.

Round bales are easy to transport. The wrapping makes sure that the material is protected, in addition to preventing losses during transport. Because the volume is reduced by up to 3:1, your forage takes up less space after baling resulting in more cost-efficient shipment.

Environmentally friendly

As you can fit more forage per shipment due to transporting it as high-density bales, your forage will require less transportation space, which results in fewer emissions!

Easy market access

Bales are easy to separate from each other and move around. Transport them in containers, on trailers and trucks or by ships. With Orkel Precision, you can access complete bale history and content details using your smartphone, which represents a huge benefit if you are a buyer or seller of forage.

19 tons more forage on each semi trailer

Erlend Røhnebæk, a Norwegian farmer and producer of forage, has considerable experience in high-density baling using his Orkel MP2000 compactor.

By transporting his forage in bales compared to sizeable bags, he gets almost three times as much forage on each shipment: 11 tons of forage in bags vs. 30 tons of high-density forage in bales.

That is easy math!

Orkel MP2000-X baling short chopped grass.

summarizing the
benefits of round bales

To conclude, what are the general benefits of using an Orkel compactors to bale your forage into high-density bales?

• Compaction: Higher forage quality (by eliminating oxygen degradation) leads to more milk and meat per cow.
• Wrapping: The film-on-film thoroughly protects your forage's quality and drastically limits the potential food loss.
• Storage: High-density bales can be stored for a longer period of time and at less optimal storage locations than other storage methods.
• Transport & logistics: High-density bales = Reduced volume. This simplifies the logistics and allows for cost-efficient transport.

Any questions regarding the benefits of baling forage, or other material-specific questions? Contact us today on sales@orkel.no where one of Orkel's sales personnel gladly will assist you with your queries. We look forward to hearing from you!