Hay Bales

HAY BALES

Hay Bales is a comprehensive category containing everything you need to know about hay bales. These will enable you to be better informed when looking to buy hay.

2022/23 Hay Season Booklet

Tips For A Profitable Hay Season 2022/23

Hay Bales, Selling Hay
What does a profitable Hay Season look like?  We understand there are many factors that determine this so we have put together a comprehensive guide to help you achieve a better outcome for the new hay season. Writing outlooks or predictions as you sit on the edge of any new…
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Loading hay bales on truck Hay Safety Day 2022 Feed Central

National Hay Safety Day

Hay Bales, Latest News
When is Hay Safety Day?National Hay Safety Day is held on the 25th of October each year.  Hay safety day is an important event on the agricultural calendar and we at Feed Central are playing our part by releasing another Hay Safety Poster which creates a series of Hay safety…
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round bales in a row

How To Tell The Quality Of Hay Visually

Feed Testing, Hay Bales
Why Is Visual Grade Important?Visual Grade has a very strong correlation to the attractiveness of the hay (for the livestock), that is livestock are much more likely to eat and be attracted to really nice-looking hay. In addition, there is a direct correlation between visual grade and aroma.  Likewise, a…
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Stack of square hay bales

The Ultimate Guide – How To Stack Hay Bales

Hay Bales
As your hay importation and exportation business grows, the amount of hay you’ll store on your farm or facility will as well. The time will inevitably come for you to stack hay bales to make more space. How do you do this? When stacking hay bales, ensure that each bale…
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How Much Do Hay Bales Weigh?

Hay Bales
Bale weight is critical in determining the price of hay and transportation costs. Since there are lots of factors that can affect the total weight of a hay bale, it’s important to understand the basics. This guide will help farmers make a practical buying decision based on the market dynamics…
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How Many Hay Bales Per Acre?

Hay Bales
It’s a question that most hay farmers wonder as their venture gets underway. Your crop is growing well and thoughts of how much your crop will yield are common questions. How many hay bales per acre can you achieve? In general, 100 small square bales per acre is somewhat considered…
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Round bale left outside in the rain

Can Round Hay Bales Get Wet?

Hay Bales
This is a situation we all face from time to time. Either you are trying to do the mad dash to get bales in from the paddock before the storm or your hay shed is full and some are sitting out. We know rain on hay can potentially be a…
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Why Do Hay Bales Catch Fire?

Hay Bales
Almost every farmer has a story about their own hay catching on fire or a friend or colleague’s doing the same. For the most part, your hay will seem fine then one day it starts emitting steam and then smoke before it ignites. Why do hay bales catch fire? Hay…
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Testing And Timing Hay Before Baling

Hay Bales
When harvesting hay, the next step is to bale it into sellable round or square-shaped bales. You can’t just bale whenever you want though, at least, not if you want high-quality hay. That’s why, testing your hay before bailing is so important. When testing hay ahead of baling, you want…
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Round Hay Bales in Paddock

How Long Does A Round Hay Bale Last?

Hay Bales
Importing hay is all about logistics. From the moment you harvest the hay to baling it and shipping it out to customers, you have to think about precisely how long the hay will be fresh and thus saleable for. How long does a round hay bale last? A round hay…
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Do Hay Bales Attract Mice?

Hay Bales, Uncategorized
Besides the risks of hay becoming mouldy or possibly spontaneously combusting, you also have to concern yourself with pests. You don’t want creepy-crawly critters such as mice ruining your hay after you’ve painstakingly grown and baled it. Do hay bales attract mice? Hay bales do indeed attract mice as well…
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Why Are Hay Bales Wrapped In Different Colours?

Hay Bales
Bales wrapped in plastic are commonly referred to as Silage Bales. These Silage bales are often wrapped in colourful plastic. We are often asked if these different colours of wrap mean anything? Hay Bales or Silage Bales wrapped in different colours has no real meaning. The different colours are just…
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Let’s Talk About Straw

Hay Bales
Straw has many uses, including roughage in feedlot diets, maintenance of dry cows, or as a drought supplement, garden mulch, mushroom production or animal bedding. It has limited nutritional value; on a dry matter basis straw is expensive to transport because legal payloads of straw on a truck of any…
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Benefits Of Making Hay, For Those Who Aren’t Sure

Hay Bales, Selling Hay
Every year around 10 million tonnes of fodder (Hay, straw and silage) is produced. Total value is around $2 billion. Approximately half is traded, and half retained for on farm use. See what the benefits of making hay are. Like all commodities, the market is cyclical, however, growers with good…
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What Type Of Hay Should You Make?

Hay Bales, Latest News
You would have already made your decision for the 21/22 season but here’s some additional information about each Hay type that could help with your summer crop or 22/23 season decisions.   Oaten Hay This type of Hay has been available for many years and while it has not been…
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Hay vs Silage – Pros & Cons

Hay Bales
Many people ask us if hay is better than silage and vice versa. The answer will depend a lot of the end user and what type of cattle you are feeding. The majority of our buyers are geared to feed Hay. From Feed Central’s experience the key strengths and weaknesses…
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How To Pick a Hay Contractor

Hay Bales, Latest News
Machinery manufacturers have put a lot of effort into producing a solid and heavy baler over recent years. So (as a generalization) a contractor with newer gear should be able to make heavier and better-shaped bales than a contractor with older gear. Here’s a few things to look for in…
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Hay Safety Day 2021

Hay Bales, Video
Hay Safety Day is an important day in our industry. We are playing our part in improving hay safety with the release today of a new video and poster that walks people through the safe delivery, unloading and storing of hay. There are a number of people injured or killed…
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Hay Making Tips 2019/20

Buying Hay, Hay Bales, Selling Hay
TIPS FOR A PROFITABLE HAY SEASON 2019-2020 EDITION INTRODUCTIONMarketing and Making Hay – What, Why and How Much?SellingPicking and Paying a ContractorChoosing Between Making Silage or HayEstimating a Gross MarginCutting, Raking and Baling MethodsStorageINTRODUCTION Wow! What a year. We have seen hay prices reach record levels and supply is critically…
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Protein Hay And How Do They Differ From Each Other

Buying Hay, Hay Bales
Feeding Lucerne, Vetch or Clover hay can be a great protein source addition to your livestock’s diet. You might have wondered over the years what the differences are between these different types of protein hay and which one you should really be feeding to your stock. Well stop wondering and…
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Protein For Animals And Why It’s Important!

Feed Testing, Hay Bales
Protein is an extremely important component of your animals feed source. It is required on a daily basis for body condition maintenance, lactation, growth, weight gain and reproduction. Did you know that protein itself has many different components that have different functions once they enter the digestive system. Crude Protein…
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The Importance Of Good Hay Storage

Hay Bales
After the big hay making season of 16/17 there is still a lot of hay that is yet to be sold (we’e got an AWESOME Advertising Service if you’ve got product you want to tell buyers about – Click here) So how can you protect the quality of your hay…
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Hay Bale Sizes

Hay Bales
Choosing The Right Bale Size When choosing hay bale size, think carefully about the hay making, handling, storage and freight costs. Calculate these costs on a dollar per tonne, not just on a per bale basis. For the best freight efficiency with hay, always aim for 25 tonne on a…
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Hay, Straw & Silage | Truck & Trailer Sizes

Hay Bales
Feed Central’s minimum Hay, Straw & Silage order is one full semi trailer load. BALE SIZE TRUCK TYPE NUMBER OF BALES Lge Sq 8x4x3 Flat Top Drop Deck Drop Deck Road Train B-Double 30 41 82 59 Lge Sq 8x3x3 Flat Top Drop Deck Drop Deck Road Train B-Double 48…
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How To Make Quality Hay

Hay Bales, Selling Hay
With the hay making season upon us it’s important that we try to make a high quality product. So what management factors can we focus on to produce the highest quality hay as possible? Variety – To grow the best possible hay it is important to match the variety you…
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Lucerne

What Is Lucerne Hay? Why You Should Consider Lucerne

Hay Bales
What Is Lucerne Hay?Lucerne hay is a very common variety of hay that is used by cattle and horses across Australia. You may have questions about this type of hay, including how saleable it is. What exactly is lucerne hay? Lucerne hay, also known as alfalfa hay, is a highly…
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