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West Texas | Drawing from my own experience, open-sided barns don't cut down on the dust one bit.
My guess, based on what I see, is the dust results from all the scuffing and crushing that goes on as the layers above are stacked and then removed. All those little bits of leaf and stem settle down between the cracks between bales and get even more scuffed up as the next layer is removed. By the time you get down to the last layer, you've got several inches of dust. Moisture from the ground doesn't appear to play a part in this process, as only the bottom third of the bales are affected, usually in the form of visible mold. If any.
Mechanical stacking appears to minimize the dust problem, since the hay bales are handled without being walked on or otherwise disturbed too much. | |
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Dusty hay -- Old Pokey
