Producers must be made aware of the extent of hay losses or how simple and cost-effective it is to prevent such losses. Your business needs to maximize your bottom line and preserve supplies with as many cost-effective investments as possible. Hay sleeves can help protect your materials, ultimately improving your bottom line. Below are a few reasons why our team here at Western Packaging recommends using hay sleeves to protect your materials.
What Are Hay Sleeves And Why Use Them?
Hay sleeves are open-ended plastic coverings used by producers to protect their products, save money, and preserve valuable storage space. Hay sleeves produced using woven polypropylene, a woven material that is strong and highly durable, also have the added benefit of being water resistant. Woven polypropylene hay sleeves minimize hay production and storage issues like stretching, shrinking, and losses due to mildew growth.
Cutting Production Costs
In today’s market, where the price of producing anything seems to have reached all-time highs, it is no surprise that hay production is also among those counted. The cost of production has skyrocketed due to general cost increases such as fertilizer, fuel, agricultural chemicals, and labor, to name a few. Over the past few years, hay production costs have skyrocketed, leaving producers debating ways to cut costs and better preserve what they can produce.
A growing discussion and beneficial preservation technique among farmers today is using hay sleeves – breathable covers that safeguard your product and bottom line. Hay sleeves can be used for baling various dry crops, protecting your produce from the elements and other harmful environmental factors, and saving you money in the long run. Furthermore, they have a two-year shelf life and can be reused when handled and used appropriately.
Protecting Your Product
Unprotected hay stored outside frequently displays signs of severe weathering and quality degradation. Significant losses can happen quickly in conditions with high moisture content and extreme temperatures. If you live in a high-humidity environment, your product is at risk of bale damage. When exposed to moisture, large bales can suffer from water infiltration, spoilage, pest, and disease issues. This damage can have a noticeable negative impact on your bottom line and efficiency.
Your product is also at risk if you live in a dry environment. Dry environments can be hotbeds for microbial activity, leading to significant losses of forage dry matter. Covering your bails with hay sleeves can protect your product from issues stemming from both dry and wet environments.
Reducing Hay Loss
Hay quantity and quality are heavily affected by storage losses. Thus, over time, investing additional money, manpower, and equipment in hay storage could lead to substantial rewards. Unprotected bales can lose up to 37% of their product during normal storage periods. Depending on the storage location, normal storage periods can range from six months to 20 years. Using hay sleeves can drop your losses to 19%.
Hay sleeves stored outside and on the ground have a low estimated range of dry matter loss equaling 4-8 percent. That is significantly lower than other storage methods such as uncovered, covered, net-wrapped, and other baling and storage methods producers use. Moreover, hay sleeves combined with wrapping and elevation can further reduce hay losses. A loss of 30% of your product would mean a product with a value of $90 would instead be worth $63. Using hay bales and placing your products in the right location can help protect your products and investments. Loosing 30% on each of your bales will add up very quickly.
Your Hay Stays Fresh For Longer
Every year, the cost of hay production climbs higher and higher. Investing in high-quality hay sleeves is a smart choice for you and your business. Hay sleeves help keep your product fresh for longer, minimizing the money you spend on hay production. Hay sleeves help reduce decomposition.
They help protect your product from water, snow, ice, and ground moisture, reducing the chances that you will need to invest in replacement bails. Too many businesses suffer from wasting too much money on replacing bales due to damage. Hay bales can help protect your product, keeping it fresher for longer and with less investment into replacement or failing storage methods.
Cutting The Need And Cost Of Hay Twine And Additional Storage
If you’re looking for something to cover your bales, hay sleeves are a cost-efficient option that will help you save money in the long run. Old-style hay twine causes you to lose hay as it moves from one place to another. Hay sleeves will protect your product during transport. There is less space for loss and a more comprehensive covering over the hay. Less monetary loss from ruined hay can potentially avoided by using breathable hay sleeves as a secure and effective transport and storage option.
Hay sleeves are also highly beneficial options for those who don’t have the luxury of storing hay in a barn or are attempting to mitigate storage costs. Farmers can protect their hay from the elements without adding extra buildings by wrapping their dried product in quality hay sleeves.
Hay Bales Help Keep You And Your Product From Sweating The Small Stuff
Losses from weather and climate are challenging to control while harvesting bailed hay, but losses from storage should be cheaper and simpler to manage. After all, creating a bail product of excellent quality and high value requires a significant investment of time, money, and energy on your part. Hay sleeves don’t sweat, meaning your hay will be protected from moisture.
To shield from precipitation from above and wicking from below and in the soil, these plastic coverings are open on both ends of the bale. Nearly half of the hay loss in bales placed outside is due to moisture exposure, not from above but from below, from the very ground that your bales rest on. Your number one priority should be taking care of your product. Hay sleeves will help ensure your product is secure, fresh, and ready for sale or use.
Shop Quality Hay Sleeves At Western Packaging
Hay sleeves are an excellent investment if you’re ready to protect your bales from the elements. Here at Western Packaging, we offer a wide range of products that protect your product from damage. Our sleeves are made with breathable materials, meaning quick drying in case your product gets wet.
We also offer custom-sized, plain, or printed hay bale sleeves. You can contact us via phone, email, or direct mail. Our team looks forward to helping you protect your products while improving your bottom line!
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