In a recent episode of Cattle Chat podcast, experts at Kansas State University’s Beef Cattle Institute tackled the question of whether or not it’s ok to leave the plastic on round hay bales when grinding.

A producer raised concerns after discovering that one of his deceased cows had a ball of plastic in her stomach, likely from ingesting bale wrap. This plastic blockage likely caused an intestinal obstruction that ultimately led to her death. 

K-State veterinarian Bob Larson said that overall, it’s best to take it off.

“Even chopped plastic can form a ball in a cow’s gut that will accumulate over time and can in some cases lead her to die,” Larson said.

This issue affects how food moves through the rumen, one of the chambers in a cow’s stomach, explains Phillip Lancaster, a beef cattle nutritionist at K-State. Normally, food sinks through a liquid layer in the rumen to reach the next chamber. Dense food particles sink easily, but lightweight plastic tends to float and can build up over time.

Lancaster points out that if enough plastic collects, it can form a ball that blocks gas release or food movement in the digestive tract, which can be fatal. Cows, with their longer lifespan compared to feedlot steers, face higher risks from eating small bits of plastic over time.

 “A greater percentage of a cow’s diet is hay, and she is consuming it over a lifetime compared to a steer who only has about 10% of his diet as hay and he is only in the feedyard for about five months before being processed,” Lancaster said.

Experts agree that the best approach for herd safety is to remove all plastic wrap from hay before feeding it to cattle. Besides reducing digestive risks, K-State’s Brian Lubbers points out that removing the wrap also protects cattle physically. When plastic wrap gets trampled into the mud, it can tangle around their legs, sometimes causing lameness.