Patent ID: 7093406

Claim:
A method of producing large round bales covered for protection against the elements when stored outside, comprising the steps of: a. providing a baler having a bale chamber surrounded in part by bale-forming elements for rolling up crop into a bale; b. providing a wrapping mechanism for introducing sheet wrapping material into the baler for enveloping at least a circumference of a formed bale with the wrapping material; c. loading a semi-permeable wrapping material for use with said wrapping mechanism, the semi-permeable wrapping material being one of a micro perforated plastic film, woven fiber or bonded fiber, the moisture permeability of which is diminished with additional layers; and d. operating said wrapping mechanism so as to apply at least one layer of wrapping material to the circumference of a bale located in said bale chamber and so as to apply an additional length of said wrapping material sufficient to additionally cover said bale in a pre-selected region of said bale; and e. manipulating said wrapped bale for storage, and placing said pre-selected region of said wrapped bale into ground contact, whereby said pre-selected region is additionally protected from ground water and soil moisture due to the diminished moisture permeability of the wrapping material in said pre-selected region.