What’s better, a chance to save time or money? Why not both?
According to Blaney Agri it has achieved this with the unrivalled 2014 SwathAir Model.
Blaney says its engineers were approached by numerous farmers to design a machine that addresses the problem of drying grass for better quality silage in short windows of good weather.
“This all sounds simple, but given our unpredictable weather if cut grass gets rain after tedding the drying process will become more laborious and time consuming. This combined with raking can mean more water and dirt is introduced to the sward.”
The theory behind the SwathAir machine is that it is better to make the silage higher rather than wider meaning if it rains there is less surface area exposed, going back to the theory of the hay stack.
Blaney claims: “This does not just appear to be the best but the only machine on the market that can offer an extra sward conditioning process to crack up the ligaments in the stalks and assist in further removal of the grass’ water retaining waxy coating.”
It says the unique body, developed through ongoing research and simulation can be adjusted according to the weight of grass to ensure optimum sward rebuild, by breaking up the plugs in the grass and teasing them out.
This helps create a sward ideally suited to the baler. The doors has been developed for better sward control, while the wheels are larger lower ground pressure tyres suited to softer ground conditions.
The 2.5m SwathAir Pro has options that make it capable of working with up to 30ft swards, while the 2.2m model is capable of working with up to 16ft swards. An adjustable angle head-stock moves the position of the sward on the ground after conditioning.
Blaney says this is extremely beneficial when working in wet ground conditions where it is necessary to transfer the grass/straw across onto drier ground.
It comments: “90% of all baled silage in Ireland is currently harvested by contractors, with little grass being ted. The farmer usually wants the grass left lying for it to dry and then needs it lifted before the next rain shower.
But with contractors under increasing pressure to keep everyone happy and get grass baled and wrapped before it rains, this means it’s up to the farmer to make a difference and make the most of his silage crop. Experience shows that consistently good silage results from attention to detail at all stages of silage making – in the field, ensiling and at feed out.”