Producers storing hay and silage over the winter want to make sure to minimize any possible losses through proper management. University of Minnesota Extension Educator Jared Goplen says having excess water and oxygen in the bins are the biggest factors leading to an increase in microbes, which causes forage losses.
He says having storage sheds clean is critical in preventing storage losses in forage.
Goplen says it’s also important to keep the ground dry where hay is stored.
He says producers who used bale wraps on their cover crops need to keep those dry and not let oxygen get in there because that too can lead to feed loss.
