Handling and Storage

Care is Vital

If the wrap of the bale is damaged or becomes loose during transport or storage, air and water can leak into the bale and the silage will decay. Therefore bales have to be handled with great care.

Immediately after wrapping, the bales should be checked for damage. Bales should be moved and transported carefully with special purpose-built handlers and proper vehicles. If holes still exist they should be patched using special adhesive tape as quickly as possible. If there is suspicion of a break or tear they should be baled again.

It is becoming more common to press and wrap round bales on the field using a combined baler and wrapper machine. The discussion has been intense among farmers and contractors on when the bales should be removed from the field for storage. The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences provides a scientific view on this open question. Read more

Round bales are normally stored on the flat front as there are more layers of film covering the front compared with the round outside. Up to three bales can be stacked on top of each other when they are dimensionally stable.

The storage surface should be flat and free from sharp edges, ideally shady and out of the wind. If possible, bales should be protected from birds and rodents, for example by covering with a close-mesh net.

Bale storage should fulfil the following criteria:

  • No risk of water accumulation
  • Solid ground, preferably shady and sheltered against wind
  • Protection against birds, rodents etc., for example using a close meshed net or another cover
  • Protection against solvents which might damage the films