A question for those that make haylage..

[Honey08]

We made haylage about a month ago, while the weather was wonderful and hot. We got about 50 big bales. They have been stacked neatly in the edge of a field while we get some more hardcore tipped and levelled, then they will be moving onto the edge of the yard. Was feeling great that all our haylage is sorted for our horses for the winter.

THEN, our neighbours started their new sweeping drive up to their house. The builders (well digger man, who also farms) dug a pathway out, down about a foot to the clay, and at the lowest part of the drive, dug a spur off the end of the drive so that the water runs off. The problem is that this spur runs straight into the gateway of our field, so all the water off this new drive is now rushing into our field, and the ground that our lovely, perfectly dry bales are sitting on is now boggy.

I spoke to our neighbours, as calmly as I could (we have had other issues with them letting builders park on our drive etc) and asked if they could get something done. They said that the digger man had done it without them knowing, and they would be digging a new trench along the egge of their field/garden with some drains in on Thursday. I asked if they could get him to come earlier to move it. They said they'd ask, but haven't come back to me. This was two days ago..


We had a farmer round last night who is going to do the hardstanding for us. He can only move the bales next week, but thought they would be alright as they were stood end up, so there is more plastic wrap on the ends. He also said that it was meant to be dry all week.

Now I've seen two forecasts since then that have said it will pour down in our area, and I'm worried sick that the dug out drive will create a river of water right down to the bales. There are about 30 bales stood on the wet ground.

My husband doesn't seem bothered. He thinks we should trust the local farmer's weather prediction. I can't relax. Its really stressing me out. We are pretty skint this year, and I can't replace the haylage if its wrecked. Until this year I've always had a good savings account that can do emergencies, but don't this year. We've just had a big row about it!!

Am I being silly?? Does it not matter if good haylage is sitting in wet for a couple of weeks? When I say boggy, its enough to wet your socks through trainers.. Its a bit stagnant water too.

Also, is it actually legal to drain water into someone else's property without sending it into a drain? These people bought the house from us a few years ago, and they have a septic tank that has a soakaway in our field. They are determined to build a new "soakaway" for their small field that they want to make garden. The old Sep tank soakaway goes into an established drain, so is not too much of a problem (although does become a bigger bog each year that they add extensions and ensuites with new power showers), but a simple channel into our field will turn an already wet pennine clay field into an unusable one.

Thanks for reading!!

 

[The Xmas Furry]

To answer the last question, yes: its not permitted to 'create' your own drainage rights without permission......

I've had problems in the past with neighbours down at the yard, due to them 'cutting out' part of my boundary (their access lane had sunk) to drain off the huge mucky puddles into MY fields.
Eventually saw a solicitor about it & he said I was in the right to prevent them from doing that. (tho I couldn't have stopped them making their track higher to drain off!)
When told what he'd said, they stopped it & I filled the 1 ft wide channels in again........

Just re-read your post - you say soakaway, but it goes into a drain on your land - has this drain been inspected recently & is it operating properly?

Good luck!

 

[Honey08]

Thanks for the answer. I feel like going to a solicitor too!

Re the soakaway, no the drain hasn't been inspected for years, and TBH, most of the drains are old stone drains that all need attention - we just don't have the money at the moment.. The house is 300yrs old, and has always had that system. We lived there for 40yrs without problems, but had well water and were pretty frugal with useage of water. The new owners have updated the house, added three bathrooms, dishwashers, and put in a borehole to cope with the demand of the water (old well would have dried up). The problem is, they've updated how the water comes into the house, but not how it leaves.. The old soakaway was designed for the days when people had a bath once or twice a week etc, not for dishwashers and washing machines on every day and whole families power showered every day.. The water goes through the septic tank, which takes most of the yukky stuff off, but runs out down our field, resulting in a perma-bog that I can't let the horse near anymore.

ps. Thats pretty much what they've done to us - dug a one foot channel to the edge of our boundary - it doesn't go right to it, but stops about a foot before, so the water is sitting there in this channel going smelly and gradually seeping through into our field.

 

[Dry Rot]

Trust your farming adviser! Your haylage should be alright as the wrap is designed to exclude air from the haylage -- and if it can exclude air it will exclude water. Just be careful when you move the bales and watch out for any holes or punctures. Have some agricultural tape handy to do running repairs! And try not to worry.

 

[Baggybreeches]

Yeah the haylage should be fine, the bale wrap will keep the water out even if they are sitting in a bog.
Re the drains, they will actually require planning permission as they are effectively performing 'civil engineering' we needed to submit plans showing our drains in our sand paddock, even though we were draining into a sump on our land and then pumping the sump water up to our own pond/field drain.

 

[dotty1]

My field floods badly, sometimes right up to the stables. Often my haylege bales are sat in 8 inches of water. They have always been dry when I came to use them. My farmer does wrap them well.

 

[amage]

Echoing the once wrapped all should be ok! My boss makes awesome haylage that is so well wrapped they store it outdoors in all weathers and it is perfect!

 

[Honey08]

My field floods badly, sometimes right up to the stables. Often my haylege bales are sat in 8 inches of water. They have always been dry when I came to use them. My farmer does wrap them well.

Thats reasssuring!

Thanks everyone. The farmer that made them came over today to have a look. He is going to move them today - said its not ideal to move them twice (some will have to be moved again next week once the hardcore area is done) and that they should be ok in a bit of damp. However he had a good look at the wet, and we think that they have gone through the septic tank soakaway line, so the water is dirty - so that makes it even more of an issue.. We decided that moving them was the best bet overall - especially as it has now started to rain, and the already flooded gateway will get even worse. Its going to leave our field in a nightmare state, and I'm so annoyed with our selfish neighbours. Despite not getting back to us since Sat, and seeing us walking around the bales in the wet with various farmers they have not even said a word. Grrrrrrr!!!!!

 

[Wagtail]

I think they will be in trouble over the soakaway, especially if it creates standing water or if it finds its way into any ditches. It is ILLEGAL. A soakaway should be able to deal with all of the waste water so that none of it finds its way into any waterway. The only time you are allowed to drain into ditches or ponds is if the water has been treated by something such as a biobubble or other filtration system, and even then you have to get permission from the environment agency. Your neighbours are obligated to sort this out or they could be presecuted.