Revolutionary system dramatically reduces wet-wasted straw
12th January 2024
With weather extremes continuously impacting UK farming, maintaining the quantity and quality of your straw has never been more important, says ProStraw Systems.
The unseasonably cool weather and significant amount of rainfall from the start of July, followed by a battering by various monsoon-like storms, caused big problems for UK farmers in 2023. Crops were slow to mature, and there were very few sequential dry days, flooded fields and waterlogged soil, leading to a frustratingly stop-start harvest.
The challenge of finishing off combining the last of the spring cereals, followed by the baling and carting of straw, was met with eventual relief – however, while the straw yields were significantly improved compared to those of 2022’s drought summer, the challenging harvest meant more turns for straw and swathe, with very few windows of opportunity available to dry the straw.
Post-harvest, the wet weather has shown no sign of stopping, so protecting straw bales is of paramount importance. Maintaining the quality and quantity of straw stocks is something that Suffolk farmers Paddy and Will Reed sought to address a number of years ago. They came up with a revolutionary system that applies covers to straw stacks mechanically, thus dramatically reducing the annual amounts of wet-wasted straw.
The ProStraw Systems straw stack cover has proven to be a great asset for those stacking straw outside, and the company said it had experienced a huge amount of demand in 2023, due to the good availability of straw as well as the adverse weather conditions for storing it. While no one can predict how wet the weather will be this year, an investment in a ProStraw Systems stack cover is repaid within the first 12 months, the company says.
Importing the Denmark-made Parkland Bale Accumulators has proven yet again to save massive amounts of time and extra cost, ProStraw Systems says. Coupled to the baler, this technology offers the solution of controlled traffic, reducing soil compaction. The range of three- and five-bale accumulators will help you save time, fuel and labour costs, as well as avoiding wear and tear on your valuable machinery by dropping the bales on the headland. As the sole importer of the Parkland Bale Accumulators, the company currently has new and used machines in stock ready for the 2024 season.
The ProStraw Systems team will be at LAMMA ’24, ready to answer any questions you have. Visitors will also be able to see products up close and personal.
Stand number: Hall 6, Stand 406
View LAMMA 2024 latest news, updates and top exhibitors to visit
