HAY sheds are valuable infrastructure and setting your farm up with on-farm storage ahead of harvest is forward thinking and a proven way to future-proof your business, providing opportunities regardless of how the season plays out.
New hay shed projects are proving popular in 2025 and look to be smart investments.
The 4000-bale shed recently completed by Action – The Big Shed People at Patchewollock is a great example of how to maximise capacity and lower the storage cost per bale.
Besides starting with a tried-and-tested 64m x 24m hay shed kit, the secret to success is a well-planned project.
While the 64m x 24m hay shed kit is a common choice, it typically has a height of 7.5 metres which allows bales to be stack eight high.
However, for this project, the kit shed design has been tweaked and the height increased to nine metres.
This serves two main purposes. Firstly, increasing the height of the shed is a cost-effective way to increase the capacity of the shed compared to either increasing the length or width of the shed.
Secondly, it is a good idea to increase the height of the shed to provide additional clearance when there is a canopy. This is because a canopy typically decreases the clearance height by around 500mm.
A cantilevered canopy has many benefits, including being a cost-effective way to gain some extra storage space. For example, the combination of the 24-metre span and eight-metre canopy is more cost-effective than a 30-metre span hay shed.
This hay shed project also uses the popular eight-metre-wide bay which allows you to stack three big bales across, between the columns. This is an efficient use of space and provides good airflow between the bales.
The building consultants at Action often recommend upsizing the bay spacing to 8.5 metres wide. While this doesn’t increase the capacity of the shed it does provide more “wriggle room” to make loading and unloading the shed easier and less stressful.
Finally, it is hard to go wrong with an open-front shed and that is certainly true for hay shed projects.
In fact, the open-front shed configuration is the most effective way to protect your hay from weather damage, while still ensuring the hay can be easily accessed and that there is good airflow around the bales.
Another advantage of the open-front hay shed is that it can be easily customised such as installing sliding doors in the back wall or gable end – or both – to make it easier to access the hay at the back of the shed.
Looking to increase your on-farm storage? Be sure to visit the Action team at Mallee Machinery Field Days. Visit Site 98 to chat about your farm shed project.
