Since many of our products require the use of Ag plastic, whether in grain bags or plastic film for wrapping hay, a natural thought has been about what customers do with the plastic once they are finished with it. Most Ag plastic cannot be used after initial use for the same purpose (ie. You can only wrap bales once with most plastic and grain bags are not reusable for bagging grain again with the same bag). Burning plastic is not a good idea as it has environmental effects. Similar to our products like Lemken tillage and Tubeline Nitro spreaders are concerned with the environment and help organic and traditional farmers alike, we strive to be educated on what the options are for farmers who have left over plastic from wrapping hay or grain bags. We carry a product called the BR48, shown below, which easily rolls our grain bags into rolls simple for recycling. Where to recycle? First check with your local recycling plants and see what type of plastic and quantities they accept. There are other services across the United States that will pick up grain bags and plastic for free from your farm, if the quantity is approx. 40,000lbs or more and it is in some sort of bale (like the BR48 will provide). One place is called Delta Plastics, and they will go anywhere in the Midwest and Delta regions if the above specifications are met. When we talk about our grain bags, 40,000lbs is only about 60 bags. We have talked to farmers in the Midwest that get together in a season and store their used bags together, to get the 40,000lb requirement and then have a company come pick it up at a central location/farm. Other options we have heard of is reusing the plastic on your garden to cover for weeds, or to cover machinery.
Below are several resources for recycling Ag plastic in your region. Minnesota & Wisconsin (they are hoping to expand to other regions) www.revolutionplastics.com/index.php#join East Coast http://recycleagplastics.css.cals.cornell.edu/ Mid West/Delta http://www.deltaplastics.com/Recyclers/Recycling/recycling-ag-plastics 800-277-9172 Canada http://albertaplasticsrecycling.com/resources-education/agricultural-plastics/ As part of the Sustainability Series Increase Efficiency, Reduce Your Footprint we are going to discuss Richiger Grain Bagging Systems. Grain bagging has become a popular technology in the United States recently, although places in South America have been bagging grain for many years, and Show Me Shortline has been in the grain bagging business for over 10 years. Farmers are finding out that bagging grain is a cost effective way to increase efficiency by bagging grain right in the field. Grain bagging is also better at reducing fuel- there is no back and forth to the grain bin, you can unload right into the bagger in the field and create an infield grain terminal for yourself. Also, you will use less electricity if you bag grain because you will not have to use fans on your grain. The grain bags are recyclable when you are done with them as well. We carry grain baggers that will load approximately 25,000 bushels an hour. We carry a roller mill bagger that is essentially two machines in one- the R950MX, which can process 88tons (approx. 3,150 bushels) per hour. The unloader that we carry will unload 12,000 bushels and hour, approximately 5 minutes to unload 1,000 bushels. With these time savings products you are saving money by reducing your time for tractors running and money you spend on hired help, as well as reducing your fuel costs. By reducing your use of fans, electricity, fuel and ability to recycle the plastic-grain bagging can help reduce your footprint and increase your savings. Increase your efficiency, reduce your footprint: a new series from Show Me Shortline Less time and fuel= more money in your pocket, less carbon footprint for the environment. We are starting a series on how using our machines can save you money by reducing the number of operators you need, reducing time spent in the field, reducing fuel costs, and thus reducing your carbon footprint and also increasing your overall income, efficiency and time to do other tasks or spend time with family. We have a wide variety of machines that are faster and more efficient than their competition. So check back often to see our continued series. The first machine that can save you obvious time, money on fuel and labor costs thus reducing your carbon footprint is the McHale V660 baler. The V660 baler makes dense bales, reducing the number of truck loads to haul bales around. Since the McHale V660 baler has a chopper unit in it, the hay is partially already processed when it reaches your TMR mixer or direct livestock- which makes it easier to digest and reduces TMR mixer times significantly. This saves you fuel costs and cost of labor because with faster mixing times, your whole operation is running faster and more efficiently- reducing cost to you and to the environment. The McHale V660 Baler also has a faster transfer speed time than other balers. 15 seconds, or 25% of your day might be spent waiting for a bale to transfer if you ran another baler. This saves you time and money and with all machines getting done 25% faster, you are reducing the fuel, money and energy it takes to create bales. The V660 has other great features that are forward thinking including a drop floor. With the touch of a button and never getting out of the tractor cab, a blockage can be eliminated and you can go about your baling, reducing labor costs, time spent, and fuel going back and forth from the field getting tools and help-possibly parts too-to remove a blockage with another baler. This week our warehouse is hard at work putting together new McHale machines! One of the bale wrappers we are excited about is the 991 high speed. This wrapper provides 50% higher output for large producers or contractors who need to get their job done in a timely manner. We would like to share with you what other producers are saying about this machine, to allow you to discover if it might be right for your operation. So check out the reviews below and watch the video link at the bottom to see the McHale 991 High Speed running against another great McHale bale wrapper, the 991B series. Contractor Ben Fraser from Co. Cavan in Ireland does on average 5000 bales per year. Having used McHale products for the past 6 years Ben decided to buy a McHale wrapper “because of the excellent performance of the McHale products I have used in the past and because of their brilliant back up service”. Ben commented that one of his favourite features on his McHale wrapper is “the twin wrapper dispenser which can easily keep up with a baler, whatever the crop conditions”. When it comes to McHale’s back up service Ben is very impressed with McHale’s service, both for the wrapper and his McHale F550. Ben summed up, “This is a very fast, well-built wrapper that has so far been extremely reliable”. Colin Price, England says: "I was running two McHale 991BER single dispenser round bale wrappers, which were fully electronic and could be operated with a remote control and a HS2000 twin satellite machine. After having the 991 High Speed on demo for 1 day, I had to get in touch with my dealer to ask him if I could buy it because of its speed of wrapping and ease to use. This machine is very practical, has high output and can do the same work of a twin satellite with fewer things to go wrong." Diarmuid Geaney from County Cork, Ireland, purchased a 991 High Speed to speed up his wrapping in the yard. “As I do all my wrapping in the yard, I used to use a 991 BER linkage bale wrapper. I then bought a 991 High Speed to speed the job up, with the two plastic dispensers the 991 High Speed is always waiting for the next bale even when wrapping with six layers.The cut and tie works well by catching the 2 tails at one point.” Diarmuid was also very impressed by the 991 HIgh Speeds ease of use. ” The wrapper is very practical and easy to use. My old remote control did not work very well in bright sunlight or in tractors with tinted glass.The radio remote control on the 991 High Speed does not have any problems.” Diarmuid finished by saying “When I changed to the 991 High Speed for yard wrapping my output doubled,I can now wrap the bales as quick as i can load them even with 6 layers of plastic." Willie Talbot from County Kildare, Ireland purchased a 991 High Speed and is impressed by it’s speed and ease of use. “We find the 991 High Speed an excellent machine. It is fast and simple, this is what a contractor needs in a machine. We can get 75 bales an hour out it with ease, which allows the wrapper man leaving the field the same time as the baler.”
Willie added. “Changing the 2 rolls together at 60 bales saves time getting up and down changing plastic on a single dispenser. The wrapper can be used with the one roll of plastic but we work with the two rolls all the time unless we run low on plastic.” For Tipperary contractor George Hayden from Crohane, Killenaule, Co, reliability, performance and low running cost are key features of his McHale bale silage system. George operates two McHale round balers and a wrapper from the McHale range, to provide a bale silage and hay baling contractor service in the south Tipperary region. One of the unique machines we feature in the Richiger Flexi-Grain Storage Systems lineup is the Richiger R950MX Grain crimping roller mill bagger. This machine can output approximately 3,150 bushels per hour, making it the largest 9ft crimper-bagger in the business.
What are the advantages of bagging moist grain? The Richiger R950MX bagger saves time and money because once crimped and ensiled using the R950MX, the grain undergoes lactic fermentation because it has a lack of oxygen, so no further processing is required afterward. - Therefore, you save on money and energy because your grain does not have to be dried. -Crimped grain with this bagger is dust free, so it is healthier for you, your workers, and livestock. - You can harvest an average of 3 weeks before conventional dates with a 950MX bagger, at the peak of nutritional value-and before most fungal diseases emerge. The grain that comes from being crimped, then bagged, is ideal for livestock from calves to sheep along with dairy and beef cattle because they digest it better due to its high concentrated nature. All grains that are harvested with a combine can be crimped with the Richiger R950MX bagger. In regards to moisture, Cereals are generally bagged at 30%-40% moisture, pulses at 30%-35%, and corn around 25%-33%. This is a unique machine because it is essentially two machines in one, streamlining the process of crimping and bagging grain. Other features of the Richiger R950MX include choice of roller grooves: you can choose between 4, 6, or 9 teeth per inch for different sizes of desired grain; large industrial type tires, command station to allow you to monitor brake pressure and make sure you are packing the bags well; and dividers in the hopper so both roller mills get equal amounts of grain. The Department of Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri had this to say in reference to corn and milo harvested early for use as high grain feed for beef cattle: "There may be as much as 10% improvement in the feed value of the grain for cattle. Field losses at harvest may be reduced by 5-10%. Losses average about 13% for 15% moisture grain vs. 2% for 26% moisture grain. (In regards to field grain losses diminishing when combining ahead of time)." Want more info? Click the link below. This past week Show Me Shortline traveled with our salesman and several dealerships to McHale’s factory in Ireland for a training session and visit to the factory. McHale is among the most forward thinking companies specializing in hay products in the business. They specialize in balers, baler/wrapper combination units and high speed bale wrappers along with hay handling products and grass mowers. After the trip I talked to two salesmen who went about their trip. Brent Thomas is with Sydenstricker Implement in Mexico, MO and Ruben Downing is with S&H Farm Supply in Lockwood, MO. Both dealerships have locations across Missouri. You can check them out on the links at the bottom. What was your motivation for going on this trip to the McHale factory in Ireland?
Brent Thomas: Going over there I hoped to learn how the V660 baler was built, how it works, see production and get a better understanding of how their operation runs. Ruben Downing: I wanted to go to Ireland to see the factory and how their machines are made and talk to the people that make them, the owners, and bring that back to my customers. How was the trip beneficial? BT: I was impressed. The factory was new, clean, the lines were streamlined, quality control was really good. One of the biggest things that impressed me was most people in management were also farmers themselves. McHale assured us that all people in research and development come off a farm, were custom baler people and could get in a tractor and bale hay. So they really are building these by farmers for farmers. And you don’t get that with a lot of other machinery manufacturers. It was also helpful to hear that parts are quick and easy to get, usually 3 days from Ireland, if Show Me Shortline doesn’t already have them. RD: It was great to go to the factory and visit with the research and development. I learned that the workers in the plant are working on farms there in Ireland as contractors as well. They don’t just build the balers, they run them too. I got to have dinner with Martin McHale himself and learn about their family business. Which Mchale product are you most excited about and why? BT: The McHale V660 baler. We’ve already sold two since the trip to Ireland. This baler will allow customers that wouldn’t otherwise come in the door to get excited about a product that has chopper knives on it among other features that other balers just don’t have. RD: the McHale V660 and V640 balers gave me ammunition. The 640 has 5 bar pick up and a lot of other features that are standard whereas some of the other balers have those features as options only not standard. I like how the V660 makes the bale, the durability of the baler, the cutters, and that its capable of wet or dry hay. One of the great trends in ag machinery is when one machine can do two jobs for you on the farm.
We all want more time, to spend less money and to do jobs faster than the year before-so we love it when machines can offer us the completion of two jobs instead of just one. This is why we chose to sell silage balers that will also wrap your hay. For instance, we have two machines currently in our warehouse that do two important jobs in one machine, and they do it fast. McHale makes a machine called the Fusion 3+, a silage baler that also puts net replacement film on, and then wraps the bale at high speeds. When we used this on our own farm we found just how much time we saved, and how much less fuel we had to use. The Fusion 3+ will bale and wrap 4x4 bales, has a 25-knife chopper unit, and customers have found that this silage baler/wrapper will increase their feed value by pre-wrapping the bale with net replacement plastic before wrapping, instead of the traditional net wrap then plastic wrap. Some customers found up to 20% better feed value once they fed these silage bales to their herd. The other machine that does two jobs in one machine is the McHale Fusion Vario. This silage baler bale wrapper unit is different from the Fusion 3+ because you can vary the size of the bale you create and wrap. This machine is the ultimate for medium to large producers and custom operators who want a job done fast and might need to vary the size of their bales from job to job. And the great thing, too, about these two machines is if you want to just bale that day and not wrap, you can simply change a setting and use the unit as a silage baler only. Then if you want to go back to baling and wrapping, the machine is ready for that too. Check the learn more button below to see these units running in the field! A great new feature of the Richiger R1090 is that putting your grain bags on is easier than ever. Here are the 10 easy steps it takes to get your machine ready to bag grain.
1) The cradle rolls down by an electric winch 2) Place the bag on the cradle 3) Raise cradle back up 4) Place bottom of bag on pan 5) Tilt the machine forward 6) The cradle and the pan install the bag on the machine simultaneously 7) The bag can be installed onto the machine easily by one person 8) Lock cradle and pan in place for field use 9) Unfold bag 4-5 folds 10) Install seal on bag You are now ready to begin bagging grain! Lots of customers have been calling because its winter, and feeding wrapped bales of hay can be a drag if you don’t have the right equipment. We have two different models of Keltec Bale Slicers we sell, one to slice 4ft bales, the KT45, and one to slice 5ft bales, the KT56. These are both economically priced and designed to make your job more efficient. Keltec bale slicers cut the bale from the bottom to the top and holds the plastic wrap on the bale. Here is what Keltec has to say about the bale slicers:
“At Keltec, our aim is to make your life easier: The Keltec Bale Slice is designed to remove the hassle from the way wrapped bales are fed. Our patented system, which speeds up the operation of feeding, is designed to ensure you have the least amount of work to do with maximum productivity, reducing costs and saving valuable time. The plastic wrap and netting is removed from the bale while the bale is cut, all from the seat of your tractor or digger.” The Keltec bale slice has a patented system of grab, cut and removal is all controlled by one double acting hydraulic service which makes it perfect for loading diet feeders, circular feeders or for use in feeding passages. Add to this the advantage of being able to use the incorporated fork which makes light work of the day to day jobs around the yard and also for easy and safe pushing of silage to desired positions, all from the comfort of your cab. The Keltec Bale Slice has been proven to increase efficiency and productivity when it comes to feeding livestock. On average, it has been calculated that a minimum of 6 round bales can be fed directly to the feeding passage in as little as 15 minutes, thats an average of 2.5 minutes per bale without any manual handling of the feed or the plastic. Check out a video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd_IrTptdJM A lot of people we talk to ask if this is the slow time of year for us, and while our busiest time of the year is harvest, when lots of farmers across the country and Canada are buying grain bags and grain baggers, the winter in the Midwest is still busy for us as we sell machines that are for preparing fields as well, like tillage equipment and manure spreaders to prepare fields for planting. Also hay handling never stops which includes bale slicers and bale grabbers for handling your wrapped or unwrapped bales of hay. Feeding quality rations to your livestock never stops either, so TMR mixers are always in season as well as bale processors for feeding and bedding livestock. We also added a new product this year to our lineup, the Snow Wizard Snow Blower that is definitely in season!
Winter is also when the most trade shows occur where you can come see our products in person, ask questions, and find a dealer closest to you. Find the upcoming trade shows here: http://showmeshortline.com/events.html Winter is also a busy time at our warehouse as we are bringing in our stocking parts for the coming season and assembling machines that have come in from our manufacturers overseas to be put together and PDI’d here before they go out to customers or dealerships. Training happens a lot during the colder months around here as well, we have an employee going to Ireland at McHale for 3 weeks at the end of March to learn about the balers and bale wrappers in depth so he can be our on-staff McHale specialist and can troubleshoot, get machines going for the first time on customers farms and be a general resource for all things McHale. We also had our annual sales meeting with our manufacturers and salesman this winter, where we were introduced to the new products for 2017 and discussed competitive pricing to keep providing you with the highest quality and affordable shortline machines. |