Page 17 - MWC 02-04-2021s

PROPER HAY STORAGE REDUCES The Midwest Cattleman · February 4, 2021 · P17

WASTE, INCREASES PROFIT round bale weighing 1,400 pounds. but recommends that producers
This is a significant amount of
By Linda Geist resources and cash in a beef op- assume the bale weighs 10% less
than the naked eye might guess.
There are two ways to more nerable to weathering. eration, Humphrey says. For ex- Tighter, denser bales repel
hay: Grow more or store it better. Ideally, hay bales should be ample, producers can reduce the water better and pick up less
Many factors influence how stored in a covered, protected area. number of 5 x 5.5-foot bales fed moisture from the ground.
bales make the trip from the field Most are not. Producers can still from 303 to 242 for 100 cows from Store bales properly. Put
to the cow, says Jim Humphrey, a reduce waste by changing a few Dec. 1 to April 15. “Assuming hay hay under a roof if you can. As
University of Missouri agronomist things when storing bales outside: sells for $55 per bale, that is an spoilage occurs, bales flatten and
and member of the NRCS+MU Stack bales end-to-end. additional $3,355,” he says. squat closer to the ground. This
Grasslands Project. Open-faced bales receive damage Do not overestimate bale increases the amount of surface
Environmental factors such from sunlight and precipitation on density. It is easy to misjudge dry exposed to moisture.
as sunlight, precipitation, evapo- the two exposed ends. The outer 6 matter in bales, Humphrey says. Bales stored on damp soil flat-
ration and ground conditions can inches on each side makes up 280 He uses figures from Jason Ban-
affect quality. pounds or 20% of a 5 x 5.5-foot ta’s work at Texas A&M as a guide continued on page 32
The size of the bale itself affects
how much hay is wasted, says
Humphrey. Larger-diameter bales
have less loss. Smaller bales have
about twice as much exposed sur-
face for the same amount of hay.
In a 5-foot bale, more than 30%
of the bale is in the outer 6 inch-
es, the part most apt to be wast-
ed. More than 26% is in the next
6 inches. Just over 20% is in the
well-protected 12-inch center core.
In a 66-inch bale weighing
1,400 pounds, 17.7% of the bale—
248 pounds—is in the outer 3
inches. The next 3 inches make up
27.2% or 381 pounds of the bale.
In other words, Humphrey says,
44.9% of the total bale is in the
outer 9 inches, the part most vul-

Callaway

Livestock

Center, Inc.

On I-70, 4 miles east of
Kingdom City, MO on outer road

573-642-7486

Feeder Sale
Monday

12:30 p.m.

1st Thursday Night
of Each Month

6:00 p.m.
Special Cow Sale

Jack Harrison
573-386-2138

John P. Harrison

573-386-5150