Moisture content of hay at time of baling is the single biggest hay fire risk factor. Since 2000, there have been over 900 livestock and poultry barn fires in Minnesota, resulting in over $26 million ...

Alfalfa growing in the field is 50 percent stem and 50 percent leaf. Most of the feed value is in the leaf and getting those leaves into the bale is critical to maximizing relative feed value, ...

Research found the moisture content of the hay at the time of baling is the primary factor affecting the likelihood of a hay fire. However, even with favorable curing conditions fires can still occur.

A fire in a shed filled with hundreds of hay bales is being investigated as possible spontaneous combustion, a phenomenon more likely to pose a risk for farmers with this year's soggy summer. Some ...