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Best Management Practices for Reducing Dry Hay Storage Loss

By Julie Walker, Prefessor rofessor & SDSU Extension Beef Specialist & SDSU Extension Beef Specialist

Weather conditions have created a shortage of forage supply in some areas, and opportunities for abundant supply in others throughout South Dakota. Feed is the largest portion of annual cow costs, and with high hay prices, proper storage becomes financially important. Therefore, using best management practices to reduce storage loss is important to ensure adequate forage supply for livestock as well as manage feed costs.

Large Round Bales

According to a survey conducted in Kansas, 72% of producers use large round bales. In South Dakota, this percentage is likely similar, if not higher. Large round bales are one of the most economical hay production systems due to low labor requirements. Unfortunately, because of their bulk, they are often stored outdoors and susceptible to weathering, causing spoilage. For example, if the weathering/spoilage layer is four inches on a six-foot bale, this represents 21% dry matter loss (Table 1). Assuming purchase price or opportunity costs at $160 per ton, then a 20% loss is $32 per ton (Table 2). A 1,400-pound cow can consume about 41 pounds of hay per day. Over a 120-day feeding period, she would need more than 2 tons of hay (41 pounds per-day for 120 days amounts to 4,920 pounds, or 2.46 tons). Forage losses due to weathering would be $78 per-cow, per-year, or $15,600 for a 200-cow herd.

Storage Losses

Moisture, temperature, and storage time all impact the storage losses. Table 3 provides a range of dry matter losses found in multiple research studies. The wide variation is due to the difference in climates, which some would say happens across South Dakota.

Best Management Practices

Hay in South Dakota is stored in a variety of methods: inside or outside (which includes covered versus uncovered), stacked versus one level, or various combinations. A research demonstration conducted at the Southeast Research Farm measured the moisture content of bales stored in various arrangements. Based on their results, and those found from other bale storage studies, below are the best management practices for round bale conservation.

• Avoid storing bales in the shade. This practice allows the sun to naturally dry bales after precipitation.
• Place bales in rows that are oriented north to south with a 3 to 4 foot gap between the rows. This practice helps sunlight dry the bales after precipitation.
• Butting bales tightly together (face to face) helps keep rain and snow away from the bale face and takes less storage space. Conversely, rowing the bales with a gap of 12 to 18 inches between faces allows the bale face to dry if they become wet. There is no consensus for a standard recommendation on the distance between bale faces within rows.
• Bales should be on a slight, south facing slope to help water drain away, ideally on well-drained soil or surface, like a rock pad.
• Net wrapping bales helps to promote a good leaf thatch and thus, shed water well; net wrap holds shape integrity better than sisal-twine-wrapped bales.
• If bales must be stacked outdoors in a manner that reduces storage space, the best practice is to cover the pile.

Figure 1. SDSU research showed that pyramid stacking bales can result in high dry matter losses. This stack was stored outdoors for 6 months; of the bottom bales of the stack on the east side, over 35% of the bales were less than 30% moisture

 The Bottom Line

Hay may already be in place for the winter; however, take time to evaluate the amount of weathered layer on the bales, as well as the amount of hay lost due to spoilage through contact with the ground, surrounding bales, and precipitation. In some cases, forage loss due to weathering is substantial.

Small investments to improve hay storage can increase animal consumption and reduce hay stock requirements. If hay dry matter losses are 20%, a 1,400-pound cow fed 120 days of winter feeding would require 5,904 pounds of harvested hay to meet her nutrient requirements instead of 4,920 pounds of adequately harvested and stored hay.