Small hay bales: Start at 18 × 35 × 14 inches (46 × 89 × 36 centimetres) and weigh about 50 pounds (23 kilograms). Large hay bales (generally round): Measure 5 feet wide by 6 feet in diameter ...

My husband makes small squares the old school way, leaving the bales scattered across acres of ground, and alongside our son, we heft them up and sling them onto the hay rack for stacking.

Even with hay under cover, it’s easy to overlook how much its nutritional value can degrade over time. Moisture, temperature ...

For baling, farmers were excited to bale 6 tons an hour with a 15 by 16 small square baler. A modern round and large square baler can push 50 tons an hour of capacity.

Fremarq Innovations Co-Owner Renea Fredrick said they’ve gathered 14,000 large round bales, 450 large square bales, and 4,000 small bales of hay through donations.

Spontaneous combustion is less common with small bales. Hay should be protected, covered, and stored in a dry area. Sun bleaching of bales only has a relatively small impact on quality.

Pack’er up: Krone’S BigPack 870 HDP XC Multi-Bale bundles together small bales into a neat pack. SINCE the advent of small square bales, the challenge has been in their handling.

CLITHERALL, MINN. – Once in a while, on a summer afternoon, my husband will ask if our young son and I are ready to help with the small square hay bales. Hardly anybody makes small square bales ...