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Wet Hay! Mould Or Fire?

"Watch hay carefully that may end up in the shed too wet this year" says Frank Mickan, Pasture and Fodder Conservation Specialist, DPI, Ellinbank.

By Department of Primary Industries - 19th November 2003 - Back to News

The seasonal conditions so far are indicating a difficult season for making hay and may result in bales being too wet at baling or caught in the rain before shedding.

Regularly inspect hay sheds and look for signs that the stack is heating. Steam, condensation on the roof, mould growth, acrid fumes, and hot & humid air at the top of the stack are all good indicators. When building stacks with suspect "wet" hay, always stack the bales loosely to allow air movement through the bales. Also spread the stack over a wide area ie. over several bays, thereby reducing heat build-up. NEVER keep machinery in a hayshed containing wet hay!

There are several stages that moist hay will go through before catching alight. Firstly it will heat as a result of activity by plant respiration and bacteria. The stack may cool down over several days or weeks. However, if extremely wet, and air circulation is restricted, heating may continue to 43°-66°C which then favours the growth of heat resistant fungi. This often results in even higher temperatures and once past about 70° - 77°C, chemical reactions take-over, killing off the living fungi, microbes, etc.

The stack is now in a very dangerous state and temperatures can quickly rise to the point of catching fire at about 200°C if oxygen is freely available. If the stack is tightly stacked and oxygen supply is limited, the temperature may rise to about 280°C before igniting. This heating may reach flash point over approximately 1-8 weeks although more commonly will occur over a 2-5 week period.

What can be done if hay heats up? Firstly monitor the stack temperature regularly using a pipe or crowbar inserted into the stack. A thermometer lowered down the pipe will give you an accurate and quick reading of the internal stack temperatures. The crowbar, when pushed into the stack and left there for two hours, can be felt by hand to give you a rough guide of the internal stack temperatures.

The temperature is up to about 50°C if you can hold the bar without discomfort. It is up to 60°C if the bar can be held for a short time only and up to 70°C if the bar can be touched only briefly. If you can't hold the bar, temperature is above 70°C and fire is a real possibility. Treat the stack with caution!

Pull the stack apart as quickly as possible. Avoid walking on the stack if possible because the extremely high temperatures may have charred the centre of the stack. This won't be seen from the outside. Your extra weight on top of the stack might be enough to cause the top of the stack, and you, to collapse into the extremely hot centre. Please believe me when I say that it will be a lot more serious than just having your hair singed! Be aware that as the bales are pulled out, especially in a tightly built stack, that oxygen can now get to the hot spot more quickly, and may actually result in starting a fire. Have a fire cart on hand!

Large round bales are prone to heating and should be baled 2-3 degrees drier compared to small squares. Large square bales are even more prone to heating due to their high density and large volume to relatively low surface area ratio, and should be at least 4-5 degrees drier than small squares at baling.

DAIRY COW REMINDERS FOR NOVEMBER

Pastures

• Long term ryegrass pasture growth rates for mid November are 50 to 70 kg DM/ha/day across Gippsland. Growth rates will be similar for the irrigated pastures of the Macalister Irrigation District.
• Ryegrass leaf appearance rates for mid-November in Gippsland are estimated to be 7 - 9 days for the ryegrass leaf to emerge and extend to its full leaf length. Most pastures will have recovered from the cold conditions experienced during September and will be growing at full potential providing soil moisture and nutrients are adequate.
• Irrigation farmers need to keep regular irrigation frequencies to maintain adequate soil moisture for plant growth. Moisture stressed pastures will not grow to their potential and will be less efficient at conversion of water to pasture production.
• Be prepared to drop paddocks out of the rotation for fodder conservation and to put more grazing pressure on paddocks remaining in the rotation.

Cows

• Allocation of pasture to the herd is vital in November. If you offer the herd too much, the pasture may become long and fibrous before next grazing -but offering the herd too little leads to milk production loss. Go back to your basic principles for pasture allocation to ensure the herd is eating enough fresh pasture that has grown since last rotation. If forced to eat left over stalks and high fibre pasture left over from last rotation the production will drop even if the cows seem to be fully fed. The cows will have the quantity of pasture, but pasture quality and palatability will be restricting milk production.
• It will be necessary to graze ryegrass pastures at the two and a half leaf stage to ensure pasture palatability and quality (high energy levels) are maintained.
• Topping any pastures where the residual pasture height after grazing is greater than 10 cm will be beneficial for ensuring quality in the next rotation. Pastures need to be topped to a height of 5 cm to be effective.

Bulls

• Its well worth while having a Vet check on the mop up bulls before they go out with the herd. The cost of a vet visit to check your bulls for structural soundness and a semen fertility test is low compared with having cows not in calf.
• Rotate the bulls every 21 days to ensure they are not overworked and run at least one bull per fifty cows.
• If you are short of bulls, leasing extra bulls just for the mating season maybe a good financial option.

Calves

• Don't forget to vaccinate your calves with 7 in 1 and have a sound worm control program.
• Wither height for a 3 month old Friesian calf should be around 88 cm.

Heifers

• This year's yearling heifers may have suffered lower growth rates during last year's drought and high feed prices. Take the opportunity to allow maximum growth rates to be reached this spring to enable the yearlings to regain some of the lost potential. Some lower priced grain may even be useful to increase growth so the yearlings reach the required joining weights before mating.
• Yearling heifers below the recommended joining weights should not be mated.

Financial

Rural Financial Counsellors are available to assist farmers with identifying options, negotiating with lenders and other issues associated with farm finances. This is a free confidential service.

Dairy Australia

If you have not already become a member of Dairy Australia or would like more information, then phone 1800 004 377 or check out their web site www.dairyaustralia.com.au

Summer Crops

• Applying urea at l00 kg / ha three weeks after turnip seedling emergence has the potential to boost dry matter yields.
• The use of dairy effluent to irrigate your turnip crop will also increase yields.
• Watch for pest damage to any newly sown fodder crops and treat if required. The main pests are likely to be lucerne flea, red legged earthmite or slugs in the early weeks of crop establishment.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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