Publication Date
1997
Description
Grass hay was baled with a variety of balers and tying materials in June, 1994 and 1995, at Jackson, Ohio. The bales were prepared and stored several ways. Waste hay accounted for less than ten percent of the dry matter after storage for six and eighteen months in all cases except one (a plastic wrap system intended for use with haylage). Bales stored inside had no waste. The best outdoor storage system, with less than one percent waste, used a ‘bale bonnet’ (top half covered with a plastic sheet) with the bale on a slatted pallet. One group of bales stored on the ground for 18 months had 8 percent waste; the others had 4.2 to 6.7 percent. Nutritive values (CP and NDF) did not change between 6 and 18 months of storage, and there was no difference among storage treatments. Each 2% reduction in waste was worth about a dollar per bale.
Citation
Reeder, R C.; Samples, D H.; Bartholomew, H M.; and Boyles, S L., "Storage Losses in Large Round Bale Using Various Storage Methods for Six and Eighteen Months" (2024). IGC Proceedings (1997-2023). 14.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/1997/session14/14
Included in
Agricultural Science Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Plant Biology Commons, Plant Pathology Commons, Soil Science Commons, Weed Science Commons
Storage Losses in Large Round Bale Using Various Storage Methods for Six and Eighteen Months
Grass hay was baled with a variety of balers and tying materials in June, 1994 and 1995, at Jackson, Ohio. The bales were prepared and stored several ways. Waste hay accounted for less than ten percent of the dry matter after storage for six and eighteen months in all cases except one (a plastic wrap system intended for use with haylage). Bales stored inside had no waste. The best outdoor storage system, with less than one percent waste, used a ‘bale bonnet’ (top half covered with a plastic sheet) with the bale on a slatted pallet. One group of bales stored on the ground for 18 months had 8 percent waste; the others had 4.2 to 6.7 percent. Nutritive values (CP and NDF) did not change between 6 and 18 months of storage, and there was no difference among storage treatments. Each 2% reduction in waste was worth about a dollar per bale.
