“It’s for fodder growers, customers and managers, anyone who uses hay, silage or straw,” AFIA chief executive officer John McKew said.
“The easily accessible guide, complete with diagrams and pictures, can be used to train new employees or as a skills refresher for long-term workers or business managers.”
The Hay Stacking Guide includes best practice tips, such as stacking two bales together to reduce the chances of building an unstable stack and practical ‘rule of thumb’ measurements to ensure stack stability.
There are also guidelines for stacking round bales, storing hay near power lines and loading and unloading trucks and trailers.
Nanneella farmer Jason Palmer, from Palmer Agri Con, said the guide would be a good refresher and training tool.
“I suppose a lot of it is common sense certainly, but it's not bad to get a refresher,” he said.
“There's new people doing cereal hay and it's good to have something to look back on if we are doing something new.”
To read the guide, visit: https://www.afia.org.au/index.php/projects/safety/hay-stacking-guide
For more safety tips and fodder information, visit: www.afia.org.au