What do farmers do with the big rolls of hay?

It is baled so it can be transported and stored easier. The bales can be held together with twine, wire, netting, or even plastic wrap. If you see large, round bales of hay that are a solid color, like black or white, that farmer chose to wrap their bales with the solid plastic wrap.

What are those big rolls of hay called?

Balers that produce the large round bales you see dotting the countryside are the most common type of balers available today. These balers produce what are referred to as ton bales. These bales of hay can weigh up to 1,500 pounds.

Why do they leave rolls of hay in the field?

Why do they do that? Farmers often bale hay in large round bales instead of small square bales because they require less labor to bale and move than small square bales. The shape of round bales enables them to be stored outside, something you would never do with square bales.

What do farmers use hay bales for?

Hay is usually gathered up into bales, and stored for the animals to eat during the winter when the grass is not growing. In many parts of the world, farmers depend on hay to feed their cattle, sheep, or horses during the long winter period.

What can I do with old rolls of hay?

Chop or shred spoiled hay and add it to your garden soil in the fall as an organic soil amendment. Work it into the soil with a garden tiller or hand tools and let nature take its course in breaking down the bits of hay. Organic matter improves soil by increasing aeration, improving drainage and adding nutrients.

Why Are Hay Bales Left In Fields?

Is 10 year old hay still good?

Hay doesn't come stamped with an expiration date, so sometimes it's hard to know when to use it and when to toss it. Consider these points: If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years.

How much is a roll of hay worth?

The average cost of a square hay bale is between $3 to $10 and $30 to $100 for a round hay bale. There are several factors that can contribute to the cost of hay including the type of hay, size, location, and time of year. Boarding and training facilities often factor the cost of hay into the monthly board of a horse.

Why do farmers bale hay at night?

We often bale our alfalfa hay through the night, because of the necessary humidity, about 12-15%. This type of added moisture helps soften the hay and makes it easier to pack the bales tight, because the leaves stay put. Once they are baled, we let them sit in the sun before they're ready for feed.

Is hay a good cash crop?

Hay has the potential to bring good money that makes it competitive with other crops, University of Nebraska-Lincoln extension forage specialist Bruce Anderson says, you just have to take the right management steps and hope for accommodating weather.

Does hay attract rats or mice?

Hay bales are more likely to attract rodents looking for a place to nest. Similarly, use straw to stuff a scarecrow, not hay. The packed hay is a perfect place for rodents to nest.

Why do deer not eat hay bales?

There are not enough of the right microorganisms to process the hay and the entire digestive system gets corked. By the time the microorganisms can organize and reproduce to take advantage of the bounty, the deer is dead.

Why do farmers wrap hay in black plastic?

However, in many British summers, this low moisture target can be difficult to meet, and farmers often opt to make haylage instead. “Haylage has a higher moisture content than hay and traditionally is wrapped in plastic, intended to prevent the entry of air and limit damage by yeasts and moulds,” he says.

Why are hay rolls wrapped in plastic?

The last few decades have brought increased interest in the use of plastic wrapped bales for forage. The advantages are clear: reduction in drying time, better leaf retention compared to dry hay, no storage structures needed, and reduction in weather risk.

Why are there rolls of hay?

They were shaped in a way that they could be stacked in a hayloft or barn until they were needed. Farmers cut hay in the field and let it dry for several days in the sun. Then they raked the dried hay into rows and ran baling equipment over the rows. This produced the bales.

How many bales of hay is in a roll?

They tend to cover between 40 and 60 square feet. Rolls, or round bales, are created using an innovative mechanical process. Each roll contains up to 2.5 bales and will cover 100-150 square feet.

How heavy is a big roll of hay?

Hay bales can weigh from 40 lbs to 2,000 lbs (18 kg to 907 kg). They come in two basic shapes, round and square. Round hay bales are usually quite large and weigh from 600 to 1,600 lbs (272 kg to 544 kg).

How much hay can 1 acre produce a year?

For us here in the Midwest, a mixed grass/legume hay can yield anywhere from one to five tons per acre for a full season. In our mixed hay field, on good soils, we plan on four tons per acre, with half or more of that in the first cutting and the remainder in second, third, and sometimes even fourth cuttings.

What is the most profitable hay crop?

Increased profits from alfalfa—Top dairymen know alfalfa is their most profitable crop. The high yield of high quality forage results in the greatest milk or meat production per acre of any forage.

What is the highest paying crop?

Saffron. Saffron is the most expensive crop in the world. Why? It's made out of the stigmas of the crocus plant and it takes around 75,000 flowers to produce 500 grams of dried saffron.

What happens if you don't cut hay?

If left unmanaged, unharvested, standing forage can result in a dense mat on the soil surface over winter and interfere with spring growth and hay harvest next year.

What month do farmers cut hay?

Optimum conditions for first cuttings can generally be expected around May 15th in the south and May 25th in the north. Though different cuttings provide different levels of nutrition (a topic for a future blog), the most important determination of hay quality is its state of maturity when cut.

What month is hay harvested?

From the month of May to late summer and early fall, hay baling is on the minds of many farmers. And during this stretch, the sight of workhorse tractors such as the Kubota M7 are common throughout our nation's fields.

Is there a hay shortage 2022?

FORT ATKINSON, Wis. — U.S. hay stocks decreased in 2022. “We're not at the record lows we saw in 2007, 2013 or 2019, but we're getting close to that level,” said Mike Rankin, managing editor of Hay & Forage Grower.

What is the rolling hay called?

Bales can also come in different shapes. Hay bales you see in pastures along the interstate are probably the large round bales. Bales you see used for seating at events or on a hayrack ride are probably the smaller rectangular bales (usually called square bales by agriculturalists).

Is it cheaper to buy hay or make it?

In most environments where forage production is based on natural rainfall, you can almost always buy hay cheaper than you can produce it.