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Steve, Sorry, but I got to disagree with some of the previous posts - been there, done that. I have 10 years of fighting the same problem with the moisture wicking up from the crushed gravel base of a pole barn. When the hay is put up dry, it will absorb moisture - especially from the floor. I have tried pallets and don't like em cuz they attract way too many varmints like rats, possums, coon, etc. The pallets are also a pain to work with and to walk on. Now that I have an automatic bale wagon, they are not even an option. I have tried the old hay trick which increases the moisture, probably because it acts as a wick. I had also tried placing plastic under about 2 inches of crushed limestone to act as a barrier and although it was better, it was not good. For the last 3 years, I have been using clear plastic laid down over the crushed limestone. It works much better with a double layer since walkin on it will cause some small holes from the stones. I have found this to work very well. I have no spoilage/mold in the areas where the plastic is intact. I will notice a small amount of spoilage wherever a hole is in the plastic. It is really helpful to put the first layer down on its side so the strings are not on the ground. The real challenge I have is how to get the plastic under the stacks when I use the automatic balewagon.
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