Bales and stacks of hay left in the middle of fields have to be removed sometime.

July 6, 2010

1 Min Read
Remove Bales Soon After Harvest

Bales and stacks of hay left in the middle of fields have to be removed sometime. After the final cutting for the year, it may not matter too much if they set there for a while. But when more harvests are expected off that field, delaying removal can be harmful.

One problem is directly under the bale or stack. Plants underneath often are killed if covered for more than a week or two. This may not hurt yield too much, but makes for a great place for weeds to get started. And you know how they can spread.

Most of the damage, though, is due to wheel traffic on the regrowth. Studies have shown that when fields are dry, plants driven on before regrowth occurs yield about 5% to 7% less at next cutting. It gets much worse if you wait to remove bales. Just seven days after cutting, when regrowth shoots had started to grow, yield was reduced over 25% and fewer of these plants survived.

To read the entire article, link here.

How is your haying season going so far? Are you on a second cutting yet? How have moisture levels impacted your ability to cut and bale hay?

Subscribe to Our Newsletters
BEEF Magazine is the source for beef production, management and market news.

You May Also Like