Lower harvest and storage losses. Less weather damage compared to outside stored hay. Individual wrapped silage bales are more portable 7. Small amounts of forage can be ensiled 8. Feeding baled silage does not require specialized machinery.
Bales can be very heavy, leading to larger tractor requirements.
Plastic wrap material can tear or puncture, leading to spoilage. Disposal of used plastic. All of the major forages grown in Kentucky can be harvested effectively as balage. To do this, cut at the proper stage of maturity so that the forage contains adequate levels of fermentable carbohydrates for good ensiling. However, silage baled too wet is subject to excessive storage losses due to seepage and to deterioration.