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Links to US research | Return Of Investment | Reducing waste | Reducing work load |

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Links to US research
In the US there have been done a lot of research in hay storage. Here we have some links to papers about different methods of hay storage. (The papers are in .pdf file format. Acrobat Reader can be downloaded from http://www.adobe.com)

University of Kentucky University of Kentucky, Agricultural Department.

  • M. Collins, D. Ditsch, J.C. Henning, L.W. Turner, S. Isaacs, and G.D. Lacefield. Round Bale Hay Storage in Kentucky, AGR.171, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture.
  • Collins, M., S.A. Shearer, L.D. Swetnam, J.N. Hancock, and G.M. Turner. 1994.
    Cost effective round bale storage. p. 22-30. In Proc. Kentucky Forage and Grassl. Council. 1 November, 1994. Lexington, KY.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Return Of Investment
As described in the above papers, plastic wrapping on the circumference is an effective way of reducing waste and saving money. Below is a graph that illustrates the time to Return Of Investment (ROI) in a Binder-Wrap kit. It shows the ROI time for substituting different storage method with Binder-Wrap. There is of course a lot of factors that influences the ROI, therefore you can download a spreadsheet (MS Excel) where you can enter the conditions for your operation and get the ROI for your specific operation.
[Download spreadsheet].
Return Of Investment

Reducing waste
illustration of the waste

Uniform bales
 The figure illustrates wastepercentage, the bale is  1.8 meter. If only a layer of 0.10 meter is damaged, 20% of the bale is wasted!

When you use plastic on your bales you must still observe the following rules to get a good result.

  • The moisture content in the bales should be about 16 - 18%
  • The bales should be uniform and cylindrical to get the plastic close to the edges of the bale and give optimum protection.
  • The bales must be placed on a well drained location.
  • Store bales end-to-end in rows going north - south.
  • If there is more than one row leave about 3 feet (1 meter) between the rows.

Reducing work load
The bales that are wrapped with stretchfilm gives a big reduction in the work load. You save the work with covering the straw and they are also easier to use in the stable. The plastic is very easy to remove from the bales, even in frosty weather, and You do not have to remove wet or frozen straw.