Anyone who has ever been around a farm knows that the equipment is very valuable, and must be protected. Often, many pieces of farm equipment are covered when they are not in use, so they are kept safe from the elements. It isn’t just equipment that is covered. Bales of hay need to be protected to keep insects away and to prevent the hay from rotting. Without being covered, the hay will be no good, and farmers can’t use or sell it. Most covers are made from polyethylene, and can be used to protect many bales of hay at once.
There is a right way and a wrong way to use a Hay Tarp. Generally, one cover can be used to cover three or more bales of hay. The bales are arranged in a triangle, and the cover goes around the edges. Another way to do it is to set up five bales of hay so they look kind of like a house, using two rows of two bales and then a single bale. In both types of setups, there will be more width than length. Once the bales are covered, the coverings need to be secured to the ground, using stakes similar to tent stakes, which are put through the holes that are all the way around the covering being used.
One can’t just place a covered hay bale willy-nilly. Each bale formation should be placed so that there is a source of drainage nearby. They can either be set near a drain, or near a run-off point, so water will flow away from the bales. If there is no way for rain water to drain, it will form a pool at the base of the hale bale, and the hay will rot, making it unusable. If there is no drainage area available, the bales should be placed on higher ground, where water won’t collect.
For anyone who doesn’t have a shed or other building for storing hay, using hay tarps and covers is an ideal alternative. They are inexpensive, and can save hay from being ruined by the elements and insects, so they also save money in the long run.
