Planning how you store your hay can go a long way in saving the quality of your feed.

A common misconception is thinking hay is a stable product when it gets put into a bale.

Beef and Forage Specialistst, Barry Yaremcio, says that unprotected bales that have been through rain and winter, decrease 10 percent in digestibility.

He shared some tips for storing round bales.

"Try to stack them in single rows make sure the bales are 6 inches apart, one right beside the other one, like a row of marshmallows, Yarmecipo said. "You don't want the bales to touch, cause any place the bales touch when you get rain or when the snow melts that's where the mold starts to form, and the deterioration will occur, so leaving the 6 inches between the bales and in single rows is the best way."

Yaremcio says before storing the bales, it's important to give the bales a sweat period by letting them cure for 7-10 days.

He added what that stacking round bales in a pyramid scheme can cause the most damage. 

"Producers in different parts of the province have different ways of stacking bales, some of them like to put them in them into the pyramid stake wheres it 4,3,2 and 1 as you go from the base to the peak, that's probably where you get the most damage to the hay in a bale. Wherever those bales touch and water get in the spoilage will occur."