Another Silage Bag

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

Long Long Bunker

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

Covering a Silage Bag!

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!

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

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!

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

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

Hmmmmmm!

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!

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!!!!

This is the last portion from this pile.

Word from the pasture is that the cows love it!

Don't Worry About It!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Have you ever heard anyone say that before?

That is one ugly pile!

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!

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

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

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!

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!

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!

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

Gravel Bags

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

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.