Quick answer: Clover makes good feed but, like alfalfa, it's a wet-stemmed legume that's heavy, sheds leaves when over-dried, and heats easily — so most operators wrap it as baleage rather than fight it dry. Cut it before it gets stemmy, and don't try to dry it right down: it dries faster than you'd think (often 30–40% in two days) and over-drying just beats the leaves off. It's safe to bale after a light frost. The two clover-specific cautions: bloat is mainly a grazing risk, much lower in hay or baleage; and never feed moldy sweet clover — spoiled sweet clover produces a compound that causes fatal internal bleeding, so clean, well-preserved bales matter.
Clover — red, white, crimson, alsike, or sweet — turns up in a lot of hay fields and cover-crop mixes, and it makes palatable, protein-rich feed. But it behaves like the legume it is: wet, leafy, and a little temperamental to put up. Here's how to bale it well and the safety points worth knowing.
Wrap it, don't fight it dry
Clover stems hold moisture and the leaves carry the protein, which is the same bind you face with round-baling alfalfa: dry it enough for the stems and you shatter the leaves; bale it for the leaves and the stems are still wet. The cleanest answer is to wrap it as baleage. The field wisdom is refreshingly simple:
"Best done before it's too stemmy. It will be wetter and heavier than grass bales, but makes good feed. No use trying to dry it right down and beat the leaves off it — if they're too heavy, just make bales a touch smaller."
— Supa Dexta, Nova Scotia · AgTalk thread 929879
Two practical takeaways there: cut before it's stemmy for the best quality, and if the wet, heavy bales are straining your baler or handling, just make them a touch smaller rather than over-drying the crop.
It dries faster than you think — don't overshoot
The most common surprise with clover baleage is how quickly it comes down. People expect it to take forever and end up too dry:
"Cut one day, bale the next… ours tested high-30s to low-40s in two days." … "Yes. Almost got too dry."
— Doing my thing & 3-gen, Ohio · AgTalk thread 929879
A cut-one-day, bale-the-next schedule lands a lot of clover right in the baleage window of roughly 35–45% moisture (some aim 30–40%). In bright, breezy weather it can hit that by the afternoon of the next day — so check it early rather than assuming you have another day. As with any legume, the bottom of the windrow stays wetter than the exposed top, so confirm with a probe; our baling-moisture guide covers reading it. If a tough spell leaves it borderline for dry hay, a preservative buys margin.
Clover heats and caramelizes easily
Because it's wet-stemmed and leafy, clover is quick to heat if you bale it a little tough — and clover in particular caramelizes. Cattle love the brown, sweet result, but love isn't the same as nutrition:
"My cows eat caramelized hay like it's candy… especially clover." … "The heating that caused the changes ties up at least some of the nutrients. There's more to hay and nutrition than just energy — feed the caramelized stuff along with some good hay."
— wayneNWAR & Jim, on caramelized clover bales · AgTalk thread 983959
So: don't bale clover tough expecting to "candy" it — the heat burns off feed value. If you do end up with caramelized bales, feed them alongside good hay (grain alone won't make up the difference, especially for cows nearing calving), or mix them into a ground ration to sweeten it. The same heating and storage rules as alfalfa apply — keep an eye on bale temperature and fire risk, and don't stack questionable bales tight in a building until they've cured.
Baling clover after a frost
Clover is a legume, so it does not carry prussic acid the way the sorghum family does — that frost worry simply doesn't apply here. Baling clover after a light frost and feeding it to beef cows is fine, and a common practice late in the season. The only frost-related judgment calls are the usual ones: frosted growth wilts and changes moisture, so check before you bale, and badly winter-killed, weathered clover loses quality the longer it stands.
The two clover safety issues worth knowing
Bloat — mostly a grazing problem
Lush clovers (especially white, red, and alsike) can cause pasture bloat when grazed green, because the leaf proteins foam in the rumen. The good news for hay and baleage makers: bloat risk is much lower in conserved clover than in fresh-grazed clover. It's not zero — introduce clover hay or baleage gradually, make sure cattle aren't turned in hungry, and keep good dry roughage available. But you don't have to avoid clover forage over bloat; it's primarily a grazing-management issue.
Sweet clover — never feed it moldy
Sweet clover (the tall yellow- or white-blossomed kind) deserves a specific warning. It naturally contains coumarin, and when sweet clover hay or baleage molds or spoils, that coumarin converts to dicoumarol — a potent anticoagulant that causes "sweet clover disease," with fatal internal bleeding in cattle. The rule is simple and absolute: do not feed moldy or spoiled sweet clover. This is the strongest argument for putting sweet clover up as well-sealed baleage or genuinely dry hay, and for wrapping with enough film that the bale ferments clean instead of molding. If you're unsure, test, or feed alternative forage. (Common red and white clover don't carry this risk — it's specific to sweet clover.)
The wrap
- Bale at ~35–45% for baleage; tight, on the silage pressure setting.
- Smaller bales if it's heavy. Wet clover is dense — a slightly smaller bale handles better than an over-dried, leaf-shattered one.
- Net wrap inside, 6–8 layers of film outside, wrapped promptly — clean fermentation matters double for sweet clover. Quality net wrap holds the dense bale's shape so the film seals without channels.
Baling clover, start to finish
- Cut before it's stemmy for the best quality; clover is leafy and protein-rich when young.
- Cut one day, bale the next — and check early, because it dries faster than you expect.
- Target ~35–45% for baleage; make smaller bales if it's heavy rather than over-drying.
- Wrap promptly and clean with net wrap inside and plenty of film.
- Mind the safety points: introduce gradually (bloat), and never feed moldy sweet clover.
Frequently asked questions
How long does clover take to dry for baleage?
Less time than most people expect — a cut-one-day, bale-the-next schedule often lands clover in the 30–45% baleage window, and in bright, breezy weather it can get there by the afternoon of the next day. Check it early so you don't overshoot; over-dried clover sheds its protein-rich leaves. The bottom of the windrow stays wetter than the top, so confirm with a moisture probe before baling.
What moisture should clover baleage be?
Aim for roughly 35–45% moisture. Clover is a wet, heavy, leafy legume, so don't try to dry it right down — that just beats the leaves off and loses quality. If the wet bales are too heavy for your baler or handling, make them a touch smaller rather than over-drying the crop. Bale tight on the silage pressure setting and wrap promptly.
Can you bale clover after a frost?
Yes. Clover is a legume and does not accumulate prussic acid, so the frost worry that applies to sorghum-sudangrass doesn't apply to clover. Baling clover after a light frost and feeding it to beef cows is a common, accepted practice. Just check moisture before baling, since frosted growth changes how it dries.
Is clover hay or baleage safe — what about bloat?
Bloat from clover is mainly a grazing risk, when cattle eat lush green clover that foams in the rumen. The risk is much lower in conserved clover hay or baleage. It's not zero, so introduce it gradually, don't turn hungry cattle onto it, and keep dry roughage available — but you don't need to avoid clover forage over bloat concerns.
Why can't you feed moldy sweet clover?
Sweet clover contains coumarin, and when it molds or spoils, that coumarin converts to dicoumarol — a strong anticoagulant that causes "sweet clover disease," leading to fatal internal bleeding in cattle. Never feed moldy or spoiled sweet clover hay or baleage. Put sweet clover up as genuinely dry hay or well-sealed baleage wrapped with enough film to ferment clean, and when in doubt, test or feed something else. Common red and white clover don't carry this risk.
The XES Netting team manufactures bale net wrap for round balers and writes these guides so forage operators can find clear, source-cited answers. Every farmer quote in this post is verbatim with a link to the original AgTalk thread — go read the discussions in full. This guide is general information, not veterinary or nutrition advice; test questionable forage and consult your veterinarian, nutritionist, or extension office before feeding.
Featured photo: Round baler 3061 by Flominator, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
