Useful Hay Baling Tips

If you’re a farmer or rancher, you have to bale hay, and you have to bale a lot of it. This is particularly true if you raise livestock. To speed up the process and increase the quality of hay bales, many farmers and ranchers make use of hay balers to get their hay processed during the fall so that it’s usable during the winter. Here’s what to know about baling hay to get the best results possible.

Get Your Field Ready

Getting your field ready before you start baling can help to make the process easier. Your windrows need to be spaced as wide as the baler pickup so that hay can be smoothly fed into the baler and evenly distributed throughout the bale of hay. If your windrows are not wide enough, you may end up with hay bales that are too thick in the center and narrow at the perimeter, which makes them harder to store.

Use the Proper Equipment

You have two primary options when it comes to balers: square and round. Square bales are very easy to stack up and store thanks to their compact shape. However, round bales are more densely packed and therefore more resistant to moisture. You can also put more hay into a round bale than a square bale. The type of baler you get will depend on the qualities you need your hay bales to have.

Store Hay Properly

Moisture is the enemy of any hay bale, and you should make sure that your bales have a moisture level of approximately 12% to 16%, using a hay moisture meter. Storing hay indoors is better than leaving it outdoors, particularly during wet weather. Covering up the bales can also help keep moisture out and maintain their integrity.

Visit our location in Jonesborough, TN, to take a look at our wide array of new and used hay balers for sale. Let us know if you’d like to use our financing options on your baler purchase. West Hills Tractor serves our Tennessee customers in the cities of Johnson City and Greeneville.