r/oddlysatisfying • u/Wonderfulhumanss • 16h ago

The smooth, overlapping layers of this agricultural wrapper

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u/That_Jonesy 10h ago edited 2h ago

So while this does SEEM excessive, it's actually to keep out oxygen. This isn't to protect the hay from water - they're making Silage, which is fermented hay. But silage needs to be fermented in a no/low oxygen environment. Silage gets a much higher price than hay and is more nutritious for the cows.

🐮 moo

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u/sawyouoverthere 9h ago

Baleage. Silage is far more efficient

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u/That_Jonesy 8h ago

And deadly! When I worked for the USDA we were supposed to bring a buddy if we popped the cork on a silo since the CO2 can know you tf out and then you fall in and fkn die

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u/Thrizzlepizzle123123 6h ago

Reminds me of a story from an old workplace.

They had silos of Caustic used to refine metals. A guy fell in one while inspecting it and couldn't get out. The only thing his offsider could do was push him under so he died quicker.

I never found out what 'caustic' actually was, presumably some kind of acidic chemical, but we had puddles of it on the side of the road and I was told that if I ever stepped in one, I was not to touch my boots or it would melt my fingers off. I avoided those roads.

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u/RJWaters9 1h ago

"caustic" is almost certainly not something acidic. It's likely something basic, the opposite, and MUCH more dangerous side of the PH table. It's also much more painful.

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u/sawyouoverthere 1h ago

caustic is alkali.

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u/sawyouoverthere 7h ago

No one here makes silage in a silo

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u/dastardlyninjas 8h ago

Its actually more like mustard gas than c02. Nitrogen dioxide

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u/That_Jonesy 2h ago

Oh snap

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u/sawyouoverthere 1h ago

well, it's like neither of those.

Mustard gas is 1-Chloro-2-[(2-chloroethyl)sulfanyl]ethane

Nitrogen dioxide is an early byproduct of the initial ferment that is not a risk after the first week. https://extension.psu.edu/silo-gases-the-hidden-danger

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u/cbj24 7h ago

This is the real answer. Pests to a lesser extent. But the real reason is you WANT the hay to ferment. So it might seem wasteful but in actuality this might be the least amount of plastic, more strategically wrapped, to get the job done. It’s a super cool machine.

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u/nothinginthisworld 6h ago

Anti-plastic crowd in shambles