When we first moved here thirty years ago our Serbian neighbour David used to build traditional hayricks in the small field behind us which he owned and farmed. I wonder what he would make of this monster in a nearby field. The photo doesn’t really do the scale justice. It is the size of a mid sized office block!
The Obvious? 
Euan, I couldn’t help but wonder what is hidden within this monster. A fully functioning dwelling? A refugee shelter? Seems a great way to avoid planning legislation.
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Your title is perfect. For sure the machinery has got bigger. The stacks can be fewer and larger, but is that progress? or just “because we can”. So many questions come to my mind, so few answers. Does the weight affect soil compaction? Do fewer stacks affect the environment in ways we can’t understand? Fewer hiding places for the small mammals that relied on them when the grass was cut? Etc.
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Yep, it just feels wrong in so many ways.
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As a not very competent builder of traditional stacks, my main observation would be that your discomfort is part of the price for cheaper food. Some machinery-based, lower workforce, time and motion calculation will use the stack as the most profit-efficient method for managing the hay.
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