infonews.co.nz
INDEX
AGRICULTURE

Stack cover puts a tough top on silage.

Tuesday 13 March 2012, 7:49PM

By Laurich Communications

646 views

With bumper crops of maize silage around this year the only downside is the task of throwing old tyres onto the stack, and keeping Pukekos out. The tyre job is possibly the least popular of any on the farm, and Pukekos the least popular bird given the damage they can do to valuable silage stacks.
Craig Lipscombe, owner of South Auckland covered feed-pad system company Dairy Diner, is now importing a silage cover promising to eliminate the need for tyres. It also ensures feed quality is locked in, and makes stack management easier.
Secure Cover Silage Covers are a common feature in the United Kingdom & North American farming landscape and Lipscombe believes they will attract strong interest here.
The polyethylene UV resistant netting is placed over standard polythene sheet, and can be held down along any seams and edges using bags made of the same material and filled with pea metal.
The dense, strong nature of the knitted cover places it close to the polythene’s surface, reducing wind lift and minimising unwanted air intrusion to damage silage quality.
Craig Lipscombe says he happened upon the covers after designing two silage bunkers for a farmer, and was having to allow extra room just for tyre storage.
“I thought there must be a better way and started researching on line. The Secure Covers had a proven record in the United Kingdom and North America and were exactly what we needed.”
Sourced from the United Kingdom company Thomas and Fontaine, the covers have established a reputation for their ability to withstand Force 7 storm conditions on the Orkney Islands through winter in over 150kph winds.
Here in New Zealand high UV levels as well as wind can reduce longevity of plastic based products, and farmers will welcome the seven year UV stability guarantee.
While Force 7 conditions may be less common here Lipscombe says Pukeko damage is one peculiarly New Zealand problem the covers protect valuable maize and grass silage from.
“One of the first covers we supplied was for a farmer who had his whole stack devastated by Pukekos picking holes in the plastic. The dense, tough polyethylene on the Secure Covers is impossible for Pukekos and pests to penetrate, keeping them and the air out.”
Opotiki farmer Ian Brown has had the covers for over seven years, protecting over 1 million tonnes of dry matter held as maize or grass silage every season on the 1500 cow operation.
“The beauty of it is that you can walk on the stack when sealing it up and not worry about putting a hole in the plastic, it is far tougher than the polythene you lay underneath it. Stock could walk over it and it would not be damaged”
Some farmers may prefer to continue using the tyres they have accumulated over the years, and the tough nature of the cover means tyres can be thrown onto the stack without fear of ripping a hole in it.
The Secure Gravel Bags offer a flexible alternative, being easily filled with pea metal and tied off with supplied cable ties. The bags are a particularly appealing alternative to concrete posts for holding down stack sides, and unlike tyres can be easily stored on a pallet when not used.
A cover and gravel bags for a typical 12m by 30m silage stack costs around $1800.
“The beauty is it will also mean you can use the polythene below again, and you will get the job covering it done quicker, and without messy tyres.”
To learn more visit the website: www.dairydiner.co.nz/silage-covers
ENDS