9 minute read
Grassland and Silage
P r ofessional Quality fr om Silotite
For over 35 years, Silotite has been used by farmers and contractors all over the world to wrap millions of silage and haylage bales every year. As part of its mission to continually improve efficiency, ease of use and sustainability, Silotite have added new products to their Professional Range of bale wrapping films.
BaletiteGo
Our new BaletiteGO baler film has a high holding force, meaning the bale is more compact and denser. With less oxygen in the bale, the fermentation process will be better, resulting in less mould and improved silage quality for livestock. BaletiteGO comes in easy to use sleeve packaging, with cardboard disks to protect the reel ends, each reel is fully protected, until it is ready to be used. Due to our advanced pro technology, BaletiteGO is pre stretched on the machine and it only needs to be tensioned around the bale. A low stretch level of 10-15% is needed. With a 20µm thickness, BaletiteGO is more tear resistant and can be used in challenging bale conditions, and allows less layers to be used in the right conditions. It is also easier to open during feed out, with no fodder becoming enmeshed because of its smooth surface. Whether opening manually or mechanically, even frozen bales are easy to open and feed out, saving you valuable time.
Silotite1800
Designed specifically with contractors in mind, Silotite1800 is perfect for both round and square bales and can be used on any type of crop and bale wrapping machinery. With its 1800m length, contractors get up to 20% more bales per reel, meaning less downtime to change reels. Along with the quality of film you’d expect from Silotite, our new Silotite1800 is a technically
advanced stretchfilm that has an enhanced oxygen barrier and UV protection for bales, whatever the weather.
The innovative sleeve packaging offers significant advantages for farmers and contractors. Being lighter than the standard cardboard box, there is a reduction of almost 20kg in packaging material used on every pallet.
Cardboard also takes up a lot of space on the pallet. By using sleeve packaging we can add an extra 300m of film on each reel. Along with time savings, Silotite1800 means there is 20% less handling, transportation and storage space required.
Both BaletiteGo and
Silotite1800 come in unique sleeve packaging that means no bulky boxes to handle, and recycling is easy, as the packaging is made from the same film as the bale wrap. No separating of recycling materials is needed. Another advantage of the sleeve packaging is that the reel is more protected when it is stored on the baler.
With feed prices set to rocket this year, maximising the quality of home-grown forage with the use of a silage additive has never been more beneficial. Andrew Sincock, commercial director at Agriton UK, explains silage additives will potentially play an important role in supporting the bottom line this year and shouldn’t be scrapped in a bid to cut costs. “The recent dry and cold weather conditions we have experienced during the spring, along with the rising input prices, could lead some farmers to risk skipping the use of silage additives this year. But with feed prices set to rise and the changeability of the weather, it’s not worth chancing. Quality silage can make a big difference to farm productivity,” he says. “In addition to this, finding a suitable silage window after the wet weather in May could cause further difficulties for farmers so the use of silage additives will be more important than ever this year,” he adds. Andrew explains that the benefits of a silage additive should not be underestimated particularly when it comes to the ability of additives to help create a stable clamp environment. “Microbes in additives can help to lower the pH of forage faster and further, compared to untreated silage. This reduces the likelihood of moulds forming and causing spoilage of the silage, or worse, mycotoxin contamination.
Think safety first to avoid silage accidents
Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual is urging farmers to make safety their first priority as a delayed silage first cut gets underway. Andy Manson, Managing Director of NFU Mutual Risk Management Services Limited, said: “Slow grass growth due to the dry and cold spring has delayed first cut – but following recent rain in some areas farmers are now rushing to get grass harvested and time pressures can add to risks. “Silage making is one of the busiest times of the year for livestock farmers and contractors, and puts machinery and workers under a lot of strain. Tractors and trailers which may not have been out for months suddenly get used to the max, and long hours can increase the risk of accidents when drivers are tired.” NFU Mutual strongly supports the Tilly your Trailer initiative. The Tilly Pass is an 18-point inspection procedure and certificate aimed at ensuring trailers are properly maintained, safe for road use and comply with safety legislation (HSE PUWER ‘98). Andy Manson added: “This year, with many more people out and about in the countryside, it’s also important to make all team members aware of lanes and commonly used routes through fields used by walkers and cyclists so they can take care to avoid the risk of a collision. “Even though COVID-19 cases have fallen substantially, it’s still important to maintain precautions - including social distancing, masks indoors and regular hand washing to reduce the risk of infection.” To help farmers avoid accidents and breakdowns through the silage making season, NFU Mutual has updated its silage making safety checklist. NFU Mutual silage safety checklist: • Regularly check moving parts of mowers, tedders, forage harvesters and balers, including guarding e.g. PTO shafts, for wear or damage and carry out all recommended maintenance
“Spoilage and contamination all have knock-on implications to cow performance and this risk needs to be reduced or eliminated where possible,” he adds. In addition, Andrew also says that that the inclusion of yeast in an additive, such as in EM Silage, can help farmers save on additional feed inputs which could pay dividends this year. “Yeast helps to produce propylene glycol, during the fermentation of silage. Many farmers feed propylene glycol to freshly calved cows to combat energy deficiencies, but there is evidence to suggest that 10g/kg DM of propylene glycol is produced when farmers treat forage with EM Silage due to the addition of yeast. This can mean there’s a reduced need to buy in propylene glycol, helping farmers to save costs. “The yeast itself also helps to increase palatability which helps to drive greater intakes, improving feed efficiency and on-farm performance,” he adds. “Through the utilisation of additives, farmers have the opportunity to make top quality silage from their home-grown forage this year, which has great palatability, is nutritionally beneficial for cattle and helps to keep costs down,” he concludes.
• Switch off engines and ensure parts have stopped before clearing blockages or carrying out maintenance. Remove the keys as well to prevent accidental starting • Put in place a system for keeping in contact with lone workers • Keep mobile phones on your person - not left in a tractor or pick up cab • Make sure drivers are aware of the locations and heights of overhead power lines (OHPL’s) and check that the machinery will safely pass under wires and restrictions • Keep children away from working areas • Never overfill a Silage Clamp as this increases the risk of vehicles overturning when rolling or filling • For Indoor Clamps, keep away for the first 72 hours as this is when the dangerous gas nitrogen dioxide can form in large quantities • If possible, use a hook or a pole to keep away from the edge of the face when unsheeting or removing tyres • Make sure new staff are properly inducted and trained for the work you give them – in particular the dangers of working around farm machinery and the risks of being on a silage clamp • Supervise new staff closely until you are sure they are competent to do the work • Ensure trailers are road legal with fully maintained and working brakes, lights, indicators, and flashing beacons • Take special care to check for following vehicles before turning right into fields or yards as this is a common cause of serious accidents • Always work safely when consolidating the silage clamp, following best practice guidance for the task
| Drones
N e w t h e r m a l i m a g i n g s e r v i c e h e l p s f a r m e r s a n d l a n d o w n e r s s a v e t i m e a n d m o n e y
talented photographer whose business was affected by the pandemic has launched a new aerial thermal imaging business - UAV Studio - to help farmers and landowners save time and money using the latest drone technology. Skipton-based Alex Lester has held Operational Authority from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) since 2018 and used lockdown to develop additional drone operative skills, including obtaining Cat1 Certification to perform thermographic surveys and reports. Alex launches UAV Studio with an important addition to his equipment - a Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced drone - which will allow him to conduct hi-resolution aerial thermographic surveys. UAV Studio will help farmers and landowners with stock measurement; locating missing livestock with its thermal imaging capabilities; assess crop health and identify invasive species; and aerial mapping. Its aerial surveying service captures data with downward-facing cameras and sensors to produce accurate 2D & 3D models. Using professional grade drones, UAV Studio captures surveys at up to 5cm accuracy, without having to rely on ground control points or terrestrial surveying methods.
Says MD, Alex Lester: “Adding the new Mavic Enterprise Advanced drone to our repertoire allows us to offer a wide range of services across the agricultural sector. Using the drone to deliver surveys or thermographic reports takes around a fifth of the time it would take to carry out a traditional land-based survey, which saves on costs and is hugely beneficial in obtaining a high level of detail without drawing out the process. “We’ve already experienced a high uptake by farmers and landowners of our services, even in our infancy. We very much look forward to working in the industry to provide clients with the data required to complete the task in hand - whether it’s in harsh landscapes or jagged terrain.”
