A bale is a large bundle of material, usually farm products like hay, cotton, or straw, that has been tightly compressed and tied together for easier storage and transport. Picture a huge rectangular block of hay wrapped in twine or wire, the kind you might see stacked in a barn or sitting in a field after harvest. Farmers create bales because loose hay would take up enormous space and be nearly impossible to move efficiently.

The process of making bales is called baling, and the machine that does it is a baler. As a farmer drives through a field, the baler scoops up hay, compresses it under tremendous pressure, and wraps it into tight bundles. Some bales are shaped like giant cylinders and can weigh 1,000 pounds or more.

While hay bales are the most common, you'll also see bales of cotton, wool, cardboard for recycling, or even clothing destined for textile recycling.

You might also hear bale used to mean a large bundle of something, like “a bale of paper.”