The hay bailing process is set to improve with the new John Deere “B-Wrap,” an alternative to indoor storage of large round hay bales. This is according to a release on the John Deere Company website.
Until now, the best storage technique after baling hay was to simply put the large round bales indoors, a practice that often leads to losses in quantity and lowered nutrient quality. The John Deere B-Wrap protects bales with a patented material that features Tama SCM Technology™. This material successfully prevents rain, snow, and ground moisture from gathering within the bale. Tama SCM Technology also possesses pores that allow existing water vapor to escape from within the bales.
Laura Cobb, senior marketing representative for the John Deere Ottumwa Works, says in the release, “B-Wrap protects bales much better than net, significantly reducing storage losses and maintaining nutrient quality of hay. B-Wrap does cost a few dollars more per bale than net wrap, so most hay producers will use B-Wrap mainly to protect their best quality hay, or hay that will be stored for an extended amount of time. Producers involved in our initial field trials reported that hay protected by B-Wrap looked and smelled like the day it was baled, even after spending a winter outside.”
Hay balers utilizing John Deere’s B-Wrap will see positive results, according to the company press release. Protecting hay with B-Wrap will ensure large round hay bales retain their look, feel, and smell even throughout the worst weather conditions.