Ed Scott has researched hay-making and storage and sent this information along with some interesting websites about hay:
“My understanding is that most barn fires that are caused by reasons other than smoking and electrical problems, are caused by spontaneous combustion. The best way to avoid this problem is to only bring in hay that has dried sufficiently. This can be tested with a good moisture meter. These are expensive but not by horse and barn standards. Anyone experiencing a barn fire would gladly have bought a moisture meter to avoid the fire.
There are a number of companies that make moisture measuring equipment. One that I think makes quality equipment is Delmhorst Instrument Co., 51 Indian Lane East, Towaco, NJ 070822 – 877-335-6467 – www.delmhorst.com I am sure there are other very good companies but Delmhorst is one I have always heard has quality equipment.
I believe that small square bales stacked 6 or so feet high pose a greater risk than loose hay stacked to the same height. The small square balers compress hay 8:1 and this may make spontaneous combustion more likely. Large round bales are usually safe unless stacked end-to-end before proper drying. When small square bales are still too moist the best choice is to stand two bales into a leaning sided “A” with tops touching. Do this in the yard if the forecast looks dry. If not, better to stand them up this way in the barn than to leave moist bales in a stack. The best choice is to use a moisture meter on incoming hay and refuse bales that have not been properly dried.
I would add that a moisture threshold of 20% is frequently used to determine if hay can go in the barn. Some prefer below 16% which is very safe. Others will go as high as 21% or 22%. It also depends on how the hay is stored. Leaving some breathing space between bales is a good idea. Low stacks won’t compress the bottom bales as much. Ventilation under and around the hay will also help. A floor layer of baseball sized river rock works well to ventilate the bottom of the stack. Red bricks laid loose with gaps about the size of 1/2 inch PVC pipe will work well too. Anything to increase circulation around the hay will be beneficial.
And don’t forget to avoid any ways that can get hay wet in the barn. Teenage water fights and openings that let in rain or snow are a couple of ways this can happen. Wetting hay after it has dried not only has a spontaneous combustion issue, it can lead to fungus that is not good for animals or people.”
Ed Scott’s List of Some Interesting Web Topics On Hay
| Haying FAQ | www.sheepscreek.com/rural/hay.html |
| Loose Hay (the old way before bales) | www.scytheconnection.com/adp/hay/loose.html |
| Technical information on hay measurement and storage – the microwave method of moisture measurement which anyone can do | www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/dairy/as1255w.htm |
| Hay as depicted in art – huge so it is slow to load | www.hayinart.com |
| Early day haymaking | home.tiac.net/~cri/1998/haying.html |
| Harvesting Hay: The Early Years – Part 1 | www.ytmag.com/articles/artint110.htm |
| Harvesting Hay: The Early Years – Part 2 | www.ytmag.com/articles/artint123.htm |
| The story of a wonderful old farm barn that unfortunately ended in a barn fire | www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/021/index.html |
Books on Hay
“Haying With Horses” by L. R. Miller
“Bringing in the Hay: A Nostalgic History of Agriculture’s Most Romantic Crop” by David A Asson
“The Haymakers: A Chronicle of Five Farm Families” by Hoffbeck
“Making Hay” by Verlyn Klinkenborg
