Drying out, again!

[rusty]

I’m on 24 wrapper spins here,must be a hell of a stack you’ve got with 3000 bales in a heap any pics? NASA must be able to spot it

I drove past today on a tractor run and yes, it's a fair stack!

 

[Gee]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what do you gain by putting a roof on your clamp?

 

[Shebb90]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what do you gain by putting a roof on your clamp?

Stops Water running off it and going places it shouldn't. We so much water just can't deal with it, lot less waste to. Plus you can put bales on the pit, and use the shed for other things when not full with silage. Lots of reasons to be fair

 

[Bossfarmer]

Ahdb reckon all sorts of crap,do they factor in loses for damage on bales?

Far more wasted bales kicking about the countryside than wasted silage in clamps,there should be a law regards stacking bales and leaving to rot in fields.



No law for having walls on clamps,big concrete pad and make a dome clamp.

Looking at roofing my clamp,1st quote came back at £145k obviously I’ll need to do it for half that.

yes its very scientific there are a lot of losses on top of pit/sides/ field losses with pit system

 

[buffalo_soldier]

yes its very scientific there are a lot of losses on top of pit/sides/ field losses with pit system

Have you got a link to this research?
Does it compare on a similar DM basis.?

 

[Blue.]

22' eaves would be minimum youd wsnt to go too wouldnt it? Loading shovel must be 11' tall

I'm having a 17.5 degrees pitch,so will be circa 44' in the centre.

Also dont want to go over high in case it ends up with cows in it.

 

[The Agrarian]

It is and it isn't- I can think of far more ridiculous things that farms might spend 150K on.

Just the idea of baling, wrapping, stacking and then feeding out 3000 round bales puts me off. Did a spell on a farm where the cows were predominantly fed with round bales- absolute nightmare. Build a pit and face feed if you really want an easy life.

And a huge amount of slurry and water where I farm.

 

[vantage]

If you get a grant to roof yards and pit areas ,they may make a decent return. For me the saving in pumping,twice a month in wet spells and saving in soil damage soon adds up. Also do not forget the reduction in stress. Having a slurry pit under control and the chance of a court appearance minimised has to be good.

 

[lazy farmer]

...says the biggest concrete pourer in the west country.

I do get that. But I see more benefit from having good tracks which means every cow currently comes into the parlour voluntarily under there own steam than having extra roofing.
I have no doubt that ammonia rules in the future will mean I have to put in extra roofs but at least in the mean time I get the benefit of having reduced lameness. It’s all about the cows here.

 

[Shebb90]

If you get a grant to roof yards and pit areas ,they may make a decent return. For me the saving in pumping,twice a month in wet spells and saving in soil damage soon adds up. Also do not forget the reduction in stress. Having a slurry pit under control and the chance of a court appearance minimised has to be good.

That's how we done it though grants well worth it will soon pay

 

[Cows 'n grass]

I do get that. But I see more benefit from having good tracks which means every cow currently comes into the parlour voluntarily under there own steam than having extra roofing.
I have no doubt that ammonia rules in the future will mean I have to put in extra roofs but at least in the mean time I get the benefit of having reduced lameness. It’s all about the cows here.

I was only joking. If I owned the land and had the cash I would have concrete tracks from end to end every bit I farm.

I am planning on building a clamp by this time next year and it will be built with sufficient sized steels with pre drilled plates on top of all the steels so that a roof can be attached when a suitable grant arrises or when legislation enforces it.

 

[pappuller]

I do get that. But I see more benefit from having good tracks which means every cow currently comes into the parlour voluntarily under there own steam than having extra roofing.
I have no doubt that ammonia rules in the future will mean I have to put in extra roofs but at least in the mean time I get the benefit of having reduced lameness. It’s all about the cows here.

You truly could be a robot farmer all my cows come to the parlour voluntarily at the moment, simple reason we put a pit with a roof is because we wanted to and we have another one that is an outdoor clamp that will hopefully get the same treatment in the next few years.
Hell of a demand for industrial storage in our area so that's always a consideration for us, being within a mile of a mway junction means we always have a plan b should the need arise

 

[Beef farmer]

You truly could be a robot farmer all my cows come to the parlour voluntarily at the moment, simple reason we put a pit with a roof is because we wanted to and we have another one that is an outdoor clamp that will hopefully get the same treatment in the next few years.
Hell of a demand for industrial storage in our area so that's always a consideration for us, being within a mile of a mway junction means we always have a plan b should the need arise

Farm just before jnct14 on m6 north seems to be taking full advantage of the government doing up the motorway.

 

[Blue.]

The rainfall on my clamp and lagoon is 1.1m gallon in a year,all round housing means I already have enough slurry to deal with.

 

[William Mellor]

It is and it isn't- I can think of far more ridiculous things that farms might spend 150K on.

Just the idea of baling, wrapping, stacking and then feeding out 3000 round bales puts me off. Did a spell on a farm where the cows were predominantly fed with round bales- absolute nightmare. Build a pit and face feed if you really want an easy life.

You really don’t like bales do you
We are set up for bales, can do near 300 in a good day but 100-200 is better and easier going. Feeding bales isnt hard, in winter spend less than half an hour each day getting the bales ready for the following day (cutting wrap open and getting then down off the stack) then about an hour feeding them (last year feeding 120 milkers, around 20 drys, and around 120 young stock) hold over feed ring with loader and just cut netwrap off, simple, then pick wrap up off yard onto loaders bale spike then lift into silage trailer, job done

 

[Kingofgrass]

You really don’t like bales do you
We are set up for bales, can do near 300 in a good day but 100-200 is better and easier going. Feeding bales isnt hard, in winter spend less than half an hour each day getting the bales ready for the following day (cutting wrap open and getting then down off the stack) then about an hour feeding them (last year feeding 120 milkers, around 20 drys, and around 120 young stock) hold over feed ring with loader and just cut netwrap off, simple, then pick wrap up off yard onto loaders bale spike then lift into silage trailer, job done

Got a prodig shear bucket here for the clamp,but it’s great for doing bales don’t have to touch the wrap.surpised you haven’t got something to take the wrap off with all them bales

 

[Shebb90]

You really don’t like bales do you
We are set up for bales, can do near 300 in a good day but 100-200 is better and easier going. Feeding bales isnt hard, in winter spend less than half an hour each day getting the bales ready for the following day (cutting wrap open and getting then down off the stack) then about an hour feeding them (last year feeding 120 milkers, around 20 drys, and around 120 young stock) hold over feed ring with loader and just cut netwrap off, simple, then pick wrap up off yard onto loaders bale spike then lift into silage trailer, job done

Still sounds a lot to feed that many, but obviously works for you so all that matters

 

[William Mellor]

Got a prodig shear bucket here for the clamp,but it’s great for doing bales don’t have to touch the wrap.surpised you haven’t got something to take the wrap off with all them bales

Have thought about a bale shear before but often think why fix something when it’s not broken I.e if it’s working why change

 

[Kingofgrass]

Have thought about a bale shear before but often think why fix something when it’s not broken I.e if it’s working why change

YouTube it might speed it up for ya.you tried film on film or do u prefer net ?

 

[William Mellor]

Still sounds a lot to feed that many, but obviously works for you so all that matters

To fair I don’t think we’ve ever made as many as we have this year probably because we have never used as much fertiliser before but we are planning on expanding the dairy herd this autumn from 120 to 150 with a twice as many calving heifers than usual, all due between now and end of January so having ample stocks of silage is a must