Wrapping Hay Bales In Plastic

To protect hay from the elements farmers may choose to cover it with a tarp wrap it in a plastic sheet or secure a cap on top of it.

Wrapping hay bales in plastic.

Wrapping dry hay allows farmers to protect feed from the weather without building more structures. Single bale wrappers cost less than inline systems but they require more wrapping time and plastic film per bale. Wrapping plastic or a tarp around the hay bale will make the cover more secure and less likely to be affected by the wind. Bales left unwrapped for more than 48 hours can reach internal temperatures over 130 degrees f.

In this method the forage crop is cut sooner immediately baled and wrapped in plastic to ferment like silage. Some of the inline systems require end caps or plastic hay bags to seal the ends of the lines. For optimal preservation wrap bales within 24 hours of baling using 6 to 8 mil thick plastic. Baleage can be made from 40 65 moisture forage while traditional hay is dried to 16 percent before it is baled.

These bales tend to have lower forage quality and greater mold throughout the bales. If the hay is in string tied bales and to be stored outside then a couple turns of plastic may be an economic advantage as long as the gain due to reduced storage losses outweighs the loss in increased expense. You get a smoother bale surface that contains the stems and reduces the chance of poking holes in the plastic film. Pre tension the film to stretch 55 to 75 percent.

Plastic wrap is most commonly used in high moisture baling.