Secure Covers

The Better Half

2009-11-16T15:28:00.002-06:00

This fine dairy put Secure Covers on half of the larger section of the bunker. You should've heard the workers begging the manager to buy more. Wow! Are tires really that bad to throw up there? Yes they are!

The big, big, big, big pile!

2009-10-29T13:39:00.001-05:00

I'm thinking that they were able to sell some of those sidewalls!

Secure Covers on Silage Bags

2009-10-29T13:29:00.002-05:00

This application for Secure Covers has done surprisingly well. Most of the time this becomes necessary to battle birds. However, we do have a farmer who used them to protect long term storage that had previously been victimized by an unscrupulous deer.

Birds poke holes not only with their beak, but with their claws as they hold onto the bag landing and walking. Secure Covers allow the birds to keep their talons to themselves and do a great job deterring opportunistic feeding on your valuable silage.

We Love Landrollers....

2009-09-15T16:42:00.004-05:00

....so much that we take pictures of them when its ten below.

We have 3 34' Used Landrollers for sale, and cheap! We can get other lengths if you want a different size from 12' to 60'. Call 1-800-796-5333 for more!

http://www.afsbagman.com/mandako%20manufacturing.htm

Doggone Blues

2009-09-11T15:59:00.000-05:00

We all love fermentation!

2009-09-08T09:05:00.003-05:00

According to a Hoards article, corn silage takes about 4 months to complete fermentation. Cows milk best on fully fermented silage, so care should be taken to keep it all sealed and secure until completion.

If you've ever had a beer or wine that just tasted wrong. Its probably due to some problem with fermentation. Its the easiest thing to mess up. So the next time you're tempted to skimp on time or materials, just remember that experience with drinking a nasty beer. You wouldn't drink it or serve it to your family, so don't serve nasty silage to your cows.
Here is picture of a 5 gallon batch of beer during its primary fermentation, which takes about two weeks depending upon yeast strain and conditions.

Resourceful!

2009-09-03T08:42:00.002-05:00

This speaks for itself. Simple, quick and effective bird protection.

Bird Behavior

2009-09-02T08:28:00.004-05:00

From "All about birds" website: All the European Starlings in North America descended from 100 birds set loose in New York's Central Park in the early 1890s. The birds were intentionally released by a group who wanted America to have all the birds that Shakespeare ever mentioned. Today, more than 200 million European Starlings range from Alaska to Mexico, and many people consider them pests.

A recent Hoards article a Starling can consume up to 50% of its bodyweight in grain a day. I immediately want to call this bird a pig but that just confuses me.

Secure Covers do a great job in the fight against birds like these. (Crows and Turkeys too!)

California on fire again.

2009-09-01T09:24:00.002-05:00

Most of my family is from California. I move out here during the San Diego fires a couple years ago when half a million people had to be evacuated. This view is from Pasadena where my sister is a teacher.

It isn't pretty when this happens. All our prayers and hopes to the people in harms way.

You be the judge

2009-08-31T10:38:00.001-05:00

It may be just me, but that far side looks like a lot of work.

Interesting Map

2009-08-28T13:58:00.001-05:00

R & D

2009-08-27T08:17:00.003-05:00

We've been beta testing these clips for attaching any weight or ropes to Secure Covers. I cliped on one of our 40lb Gravel Bags three months ago. No signs of wear in the clip, no tears or stretches in the Secure Covers material. So far so good!

Roto Grind For Sale

2009-08-24T08:54:00.002-05:00

Our Demo Roto Grinder is for sale. It is still shiny and rearin' to work. Click here for more! http://www.afsbagman.com/bag_mans_hot_deals.htm

Tornado next door!

2009-08-20T08:14:00.002-05:00

We had some strong thunderstorms yesterday. A few tornados touchdown. We hope and pray nobody was injured in the mêlée.

Newest Secure Covered Bunker

2009-08-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

This dairyman just got back into the game last year. He didn't have any tires or sidewalls to hold down his bunker cover. His choice was importing a semiload of tires or Secure Covers. Looks Great! Covered Fast and Easy! No landfill of old tires on the farm!

Seriously?

2009-08-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

Why buy somebody else's trash? Why import a difficult chore?

Bird Behavior

2009-08-17T08:18:00.003-05:00

Look closely and you'll see the bird damage. It is easy to miss, until you find all your feed spoiled.

For the Birds!

2009-08-14T08:43:00.002-05:00

This farmer was having trouble with birds on the top of his bags. They would peck through up and down the bag. He would tape it up. They peck again. He tapes again. They peck again. He tapes again. Etc Etc Etc.

The other thing about it was he found later that the bird's talons would puncture tiny holes which went unnoticed but caused just as much spoilage.

The Secure Covers did a great job counteracting the birds, not to mention a rather energetic dog that liked to do sprints on the top of the bags!

Pile of Great Silage

2009-08-13T08:48:00.002-05:00

This farmer has some of the best management I've seen around. His dairy really is clean. When they decided to move to pile storage, they had the decision to order a semi load or two of dirty sidewalls or Secure Covers. You can see for yourself that they went with Secure Covers. Every time I talk to the farmer's son, he boasts that he has never thrown a tire. He has a big grin ear to ear.

Another Silage Bag

2008-12-19T16:45:00.001-06:00

This farmer wanted to cover the entire bag as he was having racoon and bird problems.

Long Long Bunker

2008-11-20T16:30:00.005-06:00

Double Plastic, 10 Secure Covers...less than 3 hours. And it was WINDY!

Covering a Silage Bag!

2008-11-06T08:08:00.004-06:00

When considering the value of your feed, fuel, seed, fertilizer, labor, machinery and time spent, do you really want to leave it all to the whims of a crow, racoon or hail? Does your dog ever run on the top of the bag?

Nice Little Pile!

2008-10-29T09:10:00.002-05:00

A local farmer who usually rents a Kelly Ryan bagger from us had some extra feed and wanted to try the Secure Covers. It's pretty nice that he didn't have to bust his back throwing tires to cover some extra feed.

Busy Busy Busy

2008-10-29T08:50:00.003-05:00

Well, the past month has been very busy. But lots of work is always better than no work. So we are thankful for the activity. The World Dairy Expo was a lot of fun. It was great to meet so many farmers from all over the world. We met farmers from Turkey, Sweden, Japan, Uraguay and a lot of other countries that are more difficult to spell.

We also got another issue of the Buzz out. Here is a link if you want to download it. http://afsbagman.com/Buzz%203-10.pdf. It is a big file, so if you still are using a dial up connection, make sure you have another project you can work on while the computer downloads it.

Fresh Baggers! Get'em while they're hot!

2008-09-25T07:23:00.002-05:00

This has very little to do with Secure Covers. But new equipment is aways fun. These baggers are destined to make hundreds of farmers and thousands of cows grin from ear to ear.

Silly Photographer

2008-09-19T13:29:00.001-05:00

I don't think he realizes that his shadow is going to ruin the picture.

Hmmmmmm!

2008-09-17T15:24:00.002-05:00

I wonder which approach will enable you to cover your pile without making a call to all your neighbors and friends for help.

The BUZZ is Back!

2008-09-11T14:38:00.005-05:00

After a long hiatus, our beloved newsletter is back and badder than ever! It is circulated to over 3,000 farms now from coast to coast. If you or anyone you know would like a copy. Give us a call and we will send it right out.

MMMMMMM!!! Silage!!!!

2008-09-10T08:52:00.000-05:00

This is the last portion from this pile.

Word from the pasture is that the cows love it!

Don't Worry About It!

2008-09-05T14:04:00.000-05:00

Gary, a very generous and meticulous farmer from Wisconsin, allowed me to walk on his bunker and take some pictures. He said, "I'd never let anyone, not even my dog walk on the plastic. But with the Secure Covers, I don't worry about it. Really, I haven't had to worry about my bunker since I got the covers." If only his silo could provide such peace of mind, Gary could write that book he's been thinking of writing all these years.

We'll see you at the World Dairy Expo in Madison!

2008-08-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

http://www.worlddairyexpo.com/gen.home.cfm

We will have samples and those handy Secure Cover tool bags for all.

Here is a map of the Arena you can use to find us. We will be in the Alliant Energy Center, Arena Building, booths 417 and 418.

http://www.worlddairyexpo.com/media/2008_map_arena.pdf

Weight Uniformity...and FAST!

2008-08-23T11:46:00.000-05:00

As you can see, the Secure Covers provide an easy and effective means to keeping the pressure on each square foot of your bunker or pile. This uniformity of pressure is key to providing the right conditions for proper fermentation.

Check out this article from the University of Wisconsin.

It was written byR. D. Shaver. He is a Professor and Extension Dairy Nutritionist.

Exerpt from http://www.wisc.edu/dysci/uwex/nutritn/pubs/cshvst.PDF

"Bunker silos should be filled rapidly and quickly covered with uniformly weighted plastic. Silo covering is important to reduce loss of DM and quality in the top layers of silage. Special care should be taken when weighting the plastic to prevent billowing and the creation of a wind tunnel under the plastic. Also, care should be taken to avoid introducing soil into the feed during filling."

Fight Spoilage!

2008-08-16T08:04:00.000-05:00

We want to avoid altering your silage management as much as possible. Hopefully the progression on your farm is toward decreasing labor and increasing effeciency. We all want a better quality of life and more power to get out of our work what we intend.

If you are looking at your pile, thinking that you could do better. Think Secure Covers!

That's a great looking pile!

2008-08-13T13:30:00.001-05:00

Have you ever heard anyone say that before?

That is one ugly pile!

2008-08-13T13:19:00.000-05:00

Appearance says a lot. What does this pile say? “WASTE!” Waste of all kinds: wasted time and fuel spent chopping, piling, covering, and throwing tires.

The Birds!

2008-08-09T10:53:00.000-05:00

Birds can be beautiful creatures. Except when they attack! Have birds attacked your silage? Have other critters like racoons, possums, or rats indulged themselves? How much spoilage will be under these holes?

Fresh Gravel Bags

2008-08-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

Throwing these does not lead to anger or disgust. Also, the tractor can hold more gravel bags per bucket than tires, saving a little on fuel. Plus, the operator doesn't feel so bad for the guys on the pile.

Effective Edge

2008-08-07T16:31:00.000-05:00

This is a nice shot showing the advantage the gravel bag has over your sidewall. Straight objects definitely sit against walls better than round sidewalls.

We have lift off!

2008-08-06T09:08:00.000-05:00

Look closely at this shot. The silage is actually pretty flat. But what is that hump in the plastic? The normal smooth plastic surface of the bunker cover actually lifts with the wind like an airplane wing. Have you ever seen the plastic move with the wind? The Secure Cover has a rough surface which creates air turbulance on the surface. This stops that lifting effect, providing better security when facing high winds.

We got it handled!

2008-08-02T09:45:00.000-05:00

Tires aren't easy to carry. Sand bags without a handle don't help out your hands too much either. Our gravel bags come with a tough, easy to use handle. What do your hands look and feel like after years of farming?

Whew!

2008-08-02T08:39:00.000-05:00

Jim was so happy that he only ended up throwing 35 sidewalls on this bunker.

Gravel Bags

2008-08-01T11:23:00.000-05:00

The Gravel Bags are filled with 3/4'' Pea Gravel so they don't hold water. When filled, they weigh about 40 lbs. They are zip tied with a UV resistant zip and have a sturdy handle on the oppsite side.

Tirelessly Covering Your Silage

2008-08-01T10:40:00.000-05:00

This blog is dedicated to the universal disdain of throwing tires.

We hope to rid this rotten chore from your farm. Secure Covers and gravel bags can help you in your efforts to reduce wasted feed, energy, time and worry.