# Bale moisture under plastic tarp



## Canderson012 (Jan 17, 2012)

Hey guys, I only have a two day period of no rain to cut and bale my field. Usually the process takes me 3 days and I let the bales sit in the field a few days before stacking. Well, rain is expected a day or so after and I want to know if I can stack and cover my round bales immediately after baling. Is it bad for bales to have that hot plastic covering them so soon?
Thanks


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Covering them soon after baling may cause them to mold.They may go threw a sweat and the plastic will hold the moisture in.They would have to be bone dry before i would cover them.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

swmnhay said:


> Covering them soon after baling may cause them to mold.They may go threw a sweat and the plastic will hold the moisture in.They would have to be bone dry before i would cover them.


DITTO...when I have absolutely no choice but to tarp hay I like to bale it a little dryer than normal then let them sit at least a week before covering. If you only have two days, I can't see it getting overly dry and you certainly won't have the option of letting it sit a week before tarping.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

I usually let BR bales sit at least two weeks before stacking under a tarp--they will go through a sweat and, if they're under tarps, the air can't get to the inside bales (= mold! Or fire!)

Ralph


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## Canderson012 (Jan 17, 2012)

Thanks fellas, now I can still stack them right after baling or is that going to restrict airflow too much? I may have to cover them in times of rain then let them dry out when its not


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## ARD Farm (Jul 12, 2012)

When we started out rounding, we used to stack outside under a tarp and the loss was substantial. Now we stack them on end, 3 high in the barn with the bottom bale on a wood pallet.. They stay round, breathe fine and there is no sweat/mold loss plus if we sell any, the retain their 'good' looks. No customer likes an oval round bale. Just takes a little practice with your forks and a substantial FEL.

I have 2 year old rounds that come out looking as good as they went in.

Net wrap is a plus too.


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## hayray (Feb 23, 2009)

If they are really dry when you bale then usually there is no sweating (curing) involved - usually grass hays more then legumes. Then it will be fine to stack and tarp and you will have less dry matter losses then if you let them sit out in the field. I do it all the time and it works fine. If you baled it where it needs to sweat then generally in a round the mass is too large for it to cure with out getting dusty and some - what moldy anyways - i.e. increasing dry matter losses - regardless if you leave them un-covered for a couple of weeks. Are others experiences different? Thanks, Ray.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I've found if making alfalfa if it's dry enough not to sweat, it was baled way too dry and you most likely lost a LOT of leaves. What I like to do weather permitting is let the hay dry way down in the field, then bale it the next morning while it has some moisture from the dew. I still like to let em sit for awhile before tarping if possible. I've gone as far as to stack em in the barn, then when I had time in a few weeks go ahead and pull them out and stack under a tarp.

I've found though if you have a wet year or a lot of really humid days the moisture still condenses under the tarp, it may keep fine but any spots that the tarp touches on the bale may be a little questionable.


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## Canderson012 (Jan 17, 2012)

I was baling one field today and it was reading 13% moisture on the baler, so I think those can stack and tarp okay. Most my customers like the bales covered, can't just put them on the wood line and charge as much haha


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