Purdue Agronomist Urges Hay Farmers to be Wary of Wet Hay in Storage

Hay farmers are advised to use mower-conditioners to cut forage in wide swaths to allow for faster drying.
Hay farmers are advised to use mower-conditioners to cut forage in wide swaths to allow for faster drying.

As the hay and forage season ramps up and temperatures rise, Purdue Extension forage specialist, Keith Johnson, recently urged producers to monitor moisture levels as storing wet hay may increase the likelihood of barn fires.

This summer has been a problem for hay and forage producers as the number of days between rains has not been adequate to allow cut forage to dry to a safe moisture level when stored as hay. Due to these conditions, farmers that rushed to bale hay at moisture content levels above 20 percent are likely at greater risk.

Johnson said in the release, “A novice hay grower might think a fire would likely develop relatively quickly - in less than a week - but it actually could take a month. Growers should monitor the temperature of their stored hay and notify their local fire department of any potentially dangerous heat buildup.”

If hay is not given ample time to dry, heat-tolerant microorganisms can develop within the bales in large numbers, raising the temperature inside the bale, potentially leading to a fire. Johnson indicates there are a number of fires every year due to these circumstances and they can happen to even the most experienced producers.

To prevent fires during hay storage, Johnson says producers should cut forage in a wide swath with a mower-conditioner when possible. A wider swath is exposed to more sunlight and will dry at a faster rate. Aside from increasing the risk of fire, hay stored with too much moisture will also reduce overall forage quality.