Impact of losses in hay storage

One study showed that after one year, an average of 17 percent of hay was wasted in uncovered twine and net bales. The loss of tarpaulin and winding bales is 6%, and the loss of tarpaulin mesh bales is 5%. That's a loss of $17.51 per ton of hay, Ellis said. Uncovered bales stored on the ground lost 37%. Net packets stored on the ground lost 19%. Even better, mulch bales stored on tires only lost 8%, while bales stored in buildings lost 6%.

Bale diameter is also important. The smaller the bale, the more dry matter is lost from the outer layer because more of the bale is exposed to the elements. Losses ranged from 8% to 56%, depending on the size of the bale.