lavacarancher":9qgvvfoy said:
Not a dilemma for me and apparently not for anyone. I just simply laid out the facts and folks chose to ignore the facts and do their own thing. And that's OK, don't care one way or the other. Nothing I stated against net wrap can or should be disputed, it is all factual - do the research. Fire sweep disputed the outdoor storage but they are wrong. Not one university study on outdoor storage of round baled hay using net showed any SIGNIFICANT longevity of the hay being stored.
Besides all that I said I would probably get a net wrap baler on my next purchase which should show I can go with popular belief in spite of facts.
Look at the research TB just quoted. Happens to be university research providing less loss when using net. Here is more:
Net Wrap or Twine?
What's better on large round bales - net wrap or twine? Of course, the question is largely a matter of personal preference, but it has been objectively researched by Dr Kevin Schinners, Agricultural Engineer at the University of Wisconsin. Some of the suggested advantages of net wrap include faster baling, lower baling losses, better bale integrity during handling and transport, better water shedding ability and
lower outdoor storage losses. The net wrap material and equipment do add to the costs of baling, but
Schinners' research results justify the added costs in many situations.
More from the same:
Reduced Outdoor Storage Losses
Outdoor hay storage results in a great deal of spoilage. Storing hay inside is recommended, but not always possible. Tarps can work, but can be challenging to maintain. The reality is that there are often lots of bales stored outside uncovered. "Water shedding ability" for outdoor bale storage is frequently cited as a perceived advantage of net wrap.
In the WI trials measuring moisture levels in the "outside rind" of the bales, net wrapped alfalfa bales did shed rainfall better than twined wrapped bales and were lower moisture. Finer stemmed grasses seemed to form a better thatch. However, some of the advantage of improved water shedding ability is lost if bales are not stored on a well drained surface (crushed rock, pallets, etc). Otherwise, rainwater will run off the bales and accumulate at the bottom.
In this study, in the outside hay rind, nutrient composition was significantly higher and dry matter losses were lower for net wrap compared to twine, but the core was generally unaffected. Average total dry matter losses for bales stored outside on the ground were 11.3% for plastic twine wrapped bales and 7.3% for net wrap. However, both of these options have significantly higher losses than inside storage. Net wrapping bales for uncovered storage outside does not substitute for inside storage.
Yep, I'd say that is evidence. When we started putting up our own hay, we took classes through the Missouri extension service on hay, and different types of baling (net, plastic, twine, haylage). They provided overwhelming evidence on the savings of hay when you use net (versus twine). So unless they are wrong I think I will follow the experts and keep my hay netted.
Another advantage we learned last year was storing the hay on old pallets. It is a slight pain to work with, but the bottom of our bales do not get wet and nasty when we put them on pallets.
