I got it Wrong! Busy Day with Cattle! Great Yorkshire Show Soon! 

Joe last summer our friends shed was burnt down full of straw and the fire brigade said that hay and straw needs to get to like 200 degrees before it combusts

When the round bales started becoming popular folk quickly realised that they always felt like they were heating but they are usually fine if you stack them on their side as you have already done so I think they will still be good hay for cattle as they are

We always leave bales out for atlease a week to cool👌🤞👏👍

Probe moisture meters are no good in hay, especially the day after baling! If on the day of baling its sub 14 your golden, it will never ever read correctly afterwards.

The flash point of hay is 55°C so combustion is highly possible & must be cooled. fresh hay can combust in the field if its wet enough when bailed but fermentation takes place from 2 to 7 weeks after bailing Haylage & silage wont combust due to the wrap, (6layer minimum) restricting oxygen. Hay made correctly & dry its not going to be a problem. In the field Grab a handful of Hay & twist it, should break fairly easily. If it twists without breaking its not ready or you run the risk of combustion. If it rains you run the risk of combustion. Hay with a little extra moisture may not exceed 48°C, whereas wetter hay can quickly exceed 65°C & ignite. As hay rises above 76°C further chemical reactions begin to occur that produce enough heat to quickly raise the temperature above 205°C and the wet hay the quicker the combustion reaction. Hay is a great insulator & in the case of damp,(or green) hay is a cause for concern so should never be stacked until all reactions cease & temperature subside. The old steel haystack spike is just as important today as it was in the 30’s & 40’s you need the cetral core temperature as this is where ignition begins. I always remember my grandad telling me how to use the hay spike and how important it was to check. Push the long hay bar deep into the hay in the morning & pull it out in the afternoon. If it was warm keep checking every day. If it was hot it’s a concern and if it was very hot to touch get the hay back out with no delay. Luckily, we never had a fire because we always made sure the hay was ready to bale. Hay can ignite from 2 weeks upto 7 weeks Damp Hay initially heats up as the plant material continues to respire after harvest and microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria break down complex carbohydrates creating heat.

You should of sat the bales on pallets Joe, let the air in around them.

That moisture meter is only good while baling. As the hay cures it reads high until the process completes. I've panicked a few times before understanding that.

I'm glad you moved those hay bales Joe. Someone near us last year had to put theirs outside in a hurry, as they were beginning to burn! Good that you show your mistakes, people that never make mistakes are liers🤣

We always leave hay bales outside for 2 weeks no heating 😊

The bales above 20% want wrapping if there is heat there's still energy and they will still be ok as haylage

Easy mistake to do when you’re in a hurry. I’ve emptied a shed once and put them in rows outside for a fortnight. 🤞🏻

Put the 20 and above over a drying floor to be safe mate 👌

Honesty is the only way Joe... top blog mate 👌

If grass or straw is borderline it will put atleast 2% on in the bale we don’t bale hay unless it’s 14 to be safe

It's best to be safe than sorry Joe

Great video Joe, being spontaneous can be good so long as it's not combustion. That's a very good safety message you got across to check bale temps so you can store them accordingly. As you pointed out it's no good putting all the hard work into mowing & baling if it goes up in smoke.

Father used to stack damp stuff so you could get your arm down, I was always elected for throwing up into the loft! No wonder my backs f@#ked!! Nice one Joe!

Thought your dad would have known they always heat up next day and nog to stack them my dad did

take upto 10 readings from a bale and take an average.

If you hadn't of shown us. Then potentially fate could of hit you with another fire. Glad you showed us😊 fire out in the distance from where i am this morning . Saw water carrier first, looked out my doors and saw a fire bout 10 miles ish out. Looked heathland 😢

I baled quadrants this year at

Before those moisture meters were a thing, how many bales have been put into sheds and 20% + and have been absolutely fine. If in doubt, they are best left out in single round bales in the field

Life is so much easier with hind sight, some days you win some days you lose. Don't be hard on yourself.

It's not to do with packaging IMO, it's more they don't want to sell sizes that are too big. Packaging is way bigger than what's in it most of the time.

Hi ,them bigger cattle you shoud run them up to darlington on thursday morning for fat mart

Great cattle very well looked after too 👍

Great video Joe your cattle look great

They don't sweat out when staked like cotton reels bin therè myself ends need to be able to breath

What would joe look like clean shaven 😂😂😂

We have never tested anything a had no problems 👍

Great video Joe

Probably not, is not good enough, its your livelyhood you are protecting, and your insurance premiums, farming is technical nowadays.

Ok Joe wear did you buy the tester from. Thanks 🤙

Good job you are not inþo milking lol

First