Storing Round Bales Outside

[chevytaHOE5674]

As tax crazy as they are going here I don't that the barn is the best way.
If you pour a slab the counties eyes light up.

Figure that fancy baler you linked to cost over 100k new over double the cost of a very nice regular round baler. Add the cost of plastic at 6-8 dollars a bale that is just thrown in the trash when your done and after a few years of that wrapping a decent chunk of hay and you just made the payments on that building plus paid the taxes.

 

[Caustic Burno]

CB mine was was just baled with sisal twine. We had so much rain that even the high spots stayed really wet.

The bales I got off the ground and shoved together did much better. The hay still even had good color on the insides of the bales.

You loose much more string wrapped versus net. Huge difference in how tight the roll is as well.
I had a Krone that made the best bales as far tightly wound closed drum versus belt. My Heston was the most reliable followed by Vermeer.
All three were string machines had I kept baleing I would have renewed with a net wrap.
Lot of people here buy the cheap plastic sheeting to cover their hay.

 

[Caustic Burno]

As tax crazy as they are going here I don't that the barn is the best way.
If you pour a slab the counties eyes light up.

Figure that fancy baler you linked to cost over 100k new over double the cost of a very nice regular round baler. Add the cost of plastic at 6-8 dollars a bale that is just thrown in the trash when your done and after a few years of that wrapping a decent chunk of hay and you just made the payments on that building plus paid the taxes.

In theory I agree with you as all my equipment is "garage" kept and would have said the exact same thing.The appraised values have went up over 40% from 2014 to 2019 and it appears no end is on site. I am wondering how some of these elderly aren't going to get taxed out of their places. After 65 the values on the house and one acre are frozen on school and county taxes.
The hospital is going up every year. It would scare the fire out of me at the cost of a new building and the values they would attach to it today.

 

[sstterry]

Sorry, I am late to this thread. I was having a discussion about the plastic wrap and hayledge or dry hay with my ground feed supplier. He has had it done and it adds about $5 to the cost of a roll. Tons of waste on the plastic though and sometimes hard to get the plastic off the rolls when you are feeding.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

I discussed this with Jeanne and she may not agree. Elwood was just here. He is 74 and the biggest hay supplier in the County. I buy all my hay from him. He recommends putting the round bales end to end with about 6 inches at a minimum between rounds. Jeanne said to push them together end to end and apply pressure with the tractor.

Both Elwood and Jeanne agree, do not let the rows touch. Allow a minimum of a foot says Elwood.

Neither. A $315 25x50 hay tarp will hold 54 5x4 bales and will last at least 5 years. They will more than pay for them selves in the first two years that you use them. I quit storing any hay outside in 2012. It is too dang expensive to let it sit out.

 

[T & B farms]

I discussed this with Jeanne and she may not agree. Elwood was just here. He is 74 and the biggest hay supplier in the County. I buy all my hay from him. He recommends putting the round bales end to end with about 6 inches at a minimum between rounds. Jeanne said to push them together end to end and apply pressure with the tractor.

Both Elwood and Jeanne agree, do not let the rows touch. Allow a minimum of a foot says Elwood.

Neither. A $315 25x50 hay tarp will hold 54 5x4 bales and will last at least 5 years. They will more than pay for them selves in the first two years that you use them. I quit storing any hay outside in 2012. It is too dang expensive to let it sit out.

Where do you get your tarps?
How do you fasten them down? I worry with our kanas winds one may not last very long

 

[Bigfoot]

Every time this subject comes up, I post this. Neighbor has about a dozen cows. Buys about 50 rolls a year. Sits them on two telephone poles laid side by side. Lays a piece of tin down the hay rolls on top. Weights it with tires, concrete blocks etc. his hay looks like it's been inside even come spring. Not feasible for a bigger operation, something to consider if you get ahold of some old tin.

 

[Texasmark]

I'm a STO and I owe nothing on my older equipment. My baler is a '91 JD 375 which twine wraps a 5x4 bale (5' long, 4' diameter), 2800-3000# wrapping hydraulic ram pressure (pressure monitoring gauge), at 800# give or take usually on moisture content. When I retired I went to smaller equipment on a smaller scale....never was a BTO however.

I store on top of a terrace and the direction is NE-SW due to the terrace with pallets under them to get them off the ground. Others are under shed covers, and what's left sitting on raised areas on gravel. If I could I'd have all under cover but I don't so I do what I can.

Butting seals the ends but first if in doubt about curing degree when baled, they sit out for a week where they fell to "vent". Then they get a pass with the thermometer stuck in the center-end and if ok get stacked.

Tight bales and lots of twine, butted together, off the ground works for me.

 

[callmefence]

The only thing worse than twine...is lots of twine
https://photos.app.goo.gl/72r2j4Ty6M6ctrp97

 

[hillbilly beef man]

I discussed this with Jeanne and she may not agree. Elwood was just here. He is 74 and the biggest hay supplier in the County. I buy all my hay from him. He recommends putting the round bales end to end with about 6 inches at a minimum between rounds. Jeanne said to push them together end to end and apply pressure with the tractor.

Both Elwood and Jeanne agree, do not let the rows touch. Allow a minimum of a foot says Elwood.

Neither. A $315 25x50 hay tarp will hold 54 5x4 bales and will last at least 5 years. They will more than pay for them selves in the first two years that you use them. I quit storing any hay outside in 2012. It is too dang expensive to let it sit out.

Where do you get your tarps?
How do you fasten them down? I worry with our kanas winds one may not last very long

I get them at Washington. County farmers co-op. They are the Bull Flex tarps made by inland. These can be ordered online for the same price. To fasten them down I put two pieces of Mule Tape (this is the string that utilities put in conduit to pull lines in later with) under each row of bales. Then when I put the tarp on I tie the mule tape to each eyelet on the tarp.

 

[Lucky]

Around here we stack end to end pushed as tight as we can get them with a couple feet between rows. Net wrap definitely protects better than string and sisal wrap needs to be in a barn. I haven't heard it said yet but I think the sun does nearly as much damage as rain.

Has anyone priced a hay barn lately? Say a 50' x 100' x16' with 2 side walls. If you feed hay by pounds of hay per head I'd guess you would save 25% of your hay cost. Might take allot of years to pay the barn off.

 

[JMJ Farms]

Around here we stack end to end pushed as tight as we can get them with a couple feet between rows. Net wrap definitely protects better than string and sisal wrap needs to be in a barn. I haven't heard it said yet but I think the sun does nearly as much damage as rain.

Has anyone priced a hay barn lately? Say a 50' x 100' x16' with 2 side walls. If you feed hay by pounds of hay per head I'd guess you would save 25% of your hay cost. Might take allot of years to pay the barn off.

Here it will cost $24-25k for a 50'x100'x16' with 2 side walls.

According to my calculations you could easily store 525 4x6 rolls and possibly as many as 600.

Let's say 500. At $50/roll. That's $25000. Save 25%. That's $6250. After 4 years you're making that $6250. Even if you were to finance it. You'd be ahead after 5 years. And you'd still have the barn.

One other thing is loading/unloading the barn. It takes time and time is money. But I think a barn is definitely a worthwhile long term investment.

 

[Caustic Burno]

You won't build one here for that, slab would cost you more than that.

 

[jltrent]

TN has a good program, they will pay up to half of cattle handling facilities, bulls and hay storage buildings. Be nice if other states would do this.

 

[Caustic Burno]

TN has a good program, they will pay up to half of cattle handling facilities, bulls and hay storage buildings. Be nice if other states would do this.

I have never seen Texas offer any welfare dollars to the cattlemen.
The USDA has some programs that look as shady as reverse mortgage when it come to some water programs .

 

[5S Cattle]

You won't build one here for that, slab would cost you more than that.

Bull rock works good if you put a little base down first

 

[Caustic Burno]

You won't build one here for that, slab would cost you more than that.

Bull rock works good if you put a little base down first

We have no rock in this county or railroad. Rock is 800 dollars a 16 yard load. Trucking will eat you alive.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

You won't build one here for that, slab would cost you more than that.

Bull rock works good if you put a little base down first

We have no rock in this county or railroad. Rock is 800 dollars a 16 yard load. Trucking will eat you alive.

You really should move, seems like your area presents an awful lot of challenges other folks don't face.

Just sayin'....

 

[M-5]

Don't need a pad if barn is built high and dry. A 6" layer of dry hay put down stack on top of it. The bottom bales will be as clean as the top. And before some wise aszz says it won't work here they are full of shyt because if it works here with the humidity and 60 to 90" inches of rain a year it will work anywhere

 

[Caustic Burno]

Bull rock works good if you put a little base down first

We have no rock in this county or railroad. Rock is 800 dollars a 16 yard load. Trucking will eat you alive.

You really should move, seems like your area presents an awful lot of challenges other folks don't face.

Just sayin'....

Not really were just not subsidized.
Closest rock pit is San Augustine the rock is pretty cheap the trucking another story.
texas railroad map 2018
We lost out railroad about 2000 the RR made the decision not to repair the tracks or bridges and abandoned the line.