How to make your hay bales last longer

The most expensive baling machinery is of no use if you’re not preserving and storing your hay bales correctly.

It all boils down to ensuring your baler is producing nicely shaped and dense bales, using the right wrapping to keep moisture out, and knowing how much wrapping to apply.

Speaking at the 2018 AFIA Fodder Festival at Elmore, silage wrapping solutions expert RPC bpi sales director, Lloyd Dawson, imparted some words of wisdom when it comes to ensuring the longevity of hay bales.

“Contractors and producers should be aiming for as much recovery of dry matter as possible, particularly through a drought,” he said.

Dawson said baler and wrapper maintenance and set-up is a factor in producing decent bales.

With average bale weights now increasing from 450kg 20 years ago to 800kg plus today, the density going into the chamber is quite significant and different.

Dawson said bale wrapping machinery needs to be regularly serviced and the bale chamber density set according to the crop.

Good wrapping techniques start with baling – a badly shaped round bale cannot be wrapped properly.

Bales should be dense and cylindrical in shape, not bulging in the middle or conical shaped.

To achieve this, crop flow is the key, starting with bringing the swath into the right position to feed into the chamber, which is critical for keeping oxygen out of the bale.

Dawson advised applying a minimum of two to five layers of net to hold the bale density.

If the bales are very heavy, increase the layers of net.

Wrap bales within two hours of baling to start the fermentation process as soon as possible, to obtain optimum results and avoid further spoiling.

Dawson said the barrel makes up 65 per cent of the surface of a 125cm high by 120cm wide round bale. Each end comprises 17.5 per cent of the surface area.

A high percentage of bale content is close to the surface with the first 12cm in depth comprising 37 per cent of the bale.

“This is why it is so important to overlap by two to 3cm to create an air tight seal,” Dawson said.

He added creases in the film can be channels for air to enter the bale.

“Modern films are designed to be stretched much firmer – up to 70 per cent on round bales meaning savings on film and a tighter seal.

“On square bales, folding at the corners means the film can be stretched from 55 per cent to a maximum of 70 per cent.

“The height of the pre-stretched unit should be adjusted so the centre point of the bale and the film reel are horizontally in line.

“Firstly, check the film is designed to be stretched to 70 per cent, if not, do not change your gears.”

Dawson said research had proven six layers or more of film is better for silage quality on the modern heavier bales handled frequently.

“There are much lower dry matter losses as a result and bales will keep for longer.”

Dawson said two layers in bale silage could result in dry matter losses of up to 50 per cent through mould.

“Mould cover on the silage reduces with increased film layering," he said.

“The film seal improves with the better shaping of bales, higher tightening force and film layering.”

Dawson advised to stack the bales quickly after wrapping, more precisely - within 24 hours.

He also pointed to checking silage bales regularly and repair any damage with the correct tape to prevent spoilage.

He said small puncture marks made by birds, feral cats and other animals will allow oxygen into the bale, resulting in mould forming.