Storing the hay we’ll feed our cows
I have been talking about feed a lot this summer: how we plan for it; how we grow it; and how we harvest it. But I haven’t talked about how we store it.
Storing feed for a year takes a lot of space. If you can or freeze food for a year, you know how much space is needed. Imagine how much we are storing for our cows, and remember they each eat 100-120 lbs. each day!
To store hay, we need to think about several things. First, we are talking about huge round bales or massive square bales. They weigh as much as your car! These things take a lot of space. The bales also are kept best under a roof. A roof helps keep them protected from the weather swings we experience here in Michigan.
On our farm we have several barns dedicated to storing hay bales. They are tall barns where we can stack bales three or four high to maximize storage. The barn has a roof to keep the bales out of the elements. This year we will store about 1,350 bales! That’s a lot of bales of hay and straw.
I’ll share how we store the corn later this fall during corn harvest. Stay tuned!
