List of Upcoming Events and Products

Most Recent Ag News Article

August 19, 2026 - Maintaining Hay Quality Pre- and Post-Harvest Pays Dividends

Appropriate moisture, storage and handling will reduce losses due to spoilage.

Unusually hot dry weather in July came as a surprise, especially since the beginning of the summer brought showers. This spark of warmth in recent weeks has aided many local producers in the harvest of some early season top-quality hay. Always a balancing act between nutrient content and volume, haying in August has proven to be less reliable in past years. 

Shorter season crop varieties have added to a continuing trend toward fewer forage acres across the country thus reducing total yields. Locally, production was about average, with older fields doing poorly while newer stands performed well.

Severe drought conditions throughout the Palliser triangle, B.C. and Northern Ontario have put pressure on prices, which will likely remain on the high side this year.

Producers should keep in mind that during hot, dry conditions, surface moisture is quickly removed from forages but moisture inside the stem takes longer to cure. Hay is not “cured” until the stems have dried out and become brittle. 

A moisture probe measures surface moisture so it may not be accurate at providing the total moisture content in a bale. Old timers call it the twist test. With a small swatch of hay grasped between two hands, twist the hay in a circular motion. If it breaks after three or four twists, then it is cured.

Baling uncured hay could result in mould or dust due to heating after the bales are made.

It is recommended that bales remain in the field until the sweat process is complete and temperatures moderate. Stacking hay in hot conditions reduces air flow between the bales which traps heat.

Hay is the most used livestock feed on farms across the province, yet losses of hay quality during storage are usually high. Surprisingly, it is still common to see bales left in the field to deteriorate throughout the winter.

Many producers may not realize how large their losses really are. Unprotected hay results in a loss of feed quality, mold growth and bleaching that often costs the producer 15 per cent of the hay crop in a year.

Given the high cost of inputs, that is an unnecessary loss considering the many inexpensive storage options available. In Alberta, the hay industry produces over nine million tonnes annually, so a 10 per cent loss translates into 900,000 tonnes of spoiled hay.

When it comes to storing hay, nothing beats indoor coverage. If waste due to spoilage is taken into consideration, along with the premium paid for higher quality forage, the cost of erecting a hay shed becomes far more practical. 

Placing bales on the ground outdoors is certainly the most economical storage method. It also has the greatest potential for dry matter loss, especially at the bottom of the bale where moisture levels remain the highest and air movement is the lowest. 

Making bales as dense and as large as possible helps as the bale tends to sag less. This results in minimal surface area contacting the ground. Large diameter bales have less volume per unit of surface area exposed. A two-inch layer of weathered hay on a four by four-foot bale works out to 16 per cent of volume while a six by five-foot bale is just 11 per cent.

If hay is to be stored outside, then stacks should run north/south or at an angle northwest to southeast. Ample room should be left between stacks to allow for easy access, good ventilation and sun exposure. Use a ridge bale at the top of the stack for ventilation and snow and rain run-off.

When tarping, stack ends should be left open to allow air circulation throughout the stack, while tarps should be overlapped one-and-a-half metres and cover at least one metre at the side of the stack. If bales are stored in single rows, then they should be placed end to end with a small space between them.

Depending on space, many producers prefer the mushroom method of stacking with one bale on end topped with another on its side. Recent studies have indicated that the pyramid method with three bales on the ground, two above then topped with a cap bale, spoil more than other stacking methods.

Time, labour and fuel costs often dictate when and how round bales are stored. That said, the advantages of careful bale handling and protection from the elements can translate into higher returns and better-quality feed for livestock.

For assistance in determining the real weight of your bales, whether for marketing or harvest purposes, give us a call at Clearwater County Agriculture and Community Services, 403-845-4444, to rent the bale scale for a half or a full day.