nkvictory:nkvictory:So I saw someone baling green hay the other day the former farm girl in me...

[dragonlady7]

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So I saw someone baling green hay the other day the former farm girl in me screamed. If the farmer had been right there, I would’ve stopped and taken him to task.

Then I realized that for all the cottage-core, suburban homesteading, and other such things on the internet, that the reason why you don’t bale green hay might not be that well known.

Those of you with common sense are probably thinking along the lines of, “You have to cure it first so it doesn’t rot” and…

You see, the process that turns hay from green to golden brown is exothermic, which means it creates heat. With it loose out in the air, it’s not a big deal. When it’s all bundled up in a hay bale, there’s nowhere for the heat to go. And it can become a self-sustaining chemical proces http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/dairy/facts/hayfires.htms.

Which means the next thing you know, your barn is on fire https://nasdonline.org/915/d000758/hay-fires-prevention-and-control.html because the hay spontaneously combusted.

So please, don’t bale green hay.

So far, the responses to this thing can be basically summed up in three categories:

1. “Huh. Wow. That’s neat/cool/scary/interesting/[insert adjective here].” = vast majority.
2. A smaller amount going, “Due to my agricultural experience*, I actually did know this. What I did not know was how many people did not know this. Yikes!”
3. Actively plotting hay-related murder.

*(Experience levels run the gamut from “I am currently working in/on a farm/ranch/stable” to “I had a horse phase when I was younger”.)

ah the current fashion is to bale green hay and then cover it in plastic to make haylage, so.

the crucial thing here is that it is not stored indoors, nor is it piled. but that’s why you’ll see rows of white plastic things along the edges of hayfields. it’s fermenting hay.

so probably the person OP saw was actually someone who did know what they were doing, and is not going to put that into a barn.

Just– in case you were wondering. Uninformed cottagecore types don’t usually get so far as to own hay-baling equipment.

But the rest of you should know– yes, hay will spontaneously combust. There’s a lot of traditional knowledge you need to have in order to make a living off the land etc., and you can’t get it all from aesthetic blogs. (Your picture was not posted)

Comments

[heartofoshun]

I never heard of anyone baling green hay! I have heard of barn fires. I grew up in a rural area but in the small town where people came to buy things or go to church or school. What I knew about farming (more than a real city kid) I picked up by accident.

*makes a note*

[minoanmiss]

Hay related murders....