Bunker silos provide economical storage NEWARK, Del. As herds get bigger and the money squeeze tighter, dairymen are looking for ways to produce more of their own cattle feed. Silage is the least expensive way to give your cows the food energy they need, says University of Delaware extension dairy specialist George Haenlem. But he doubts whether most of the area’s dairy farmers are presently feeding it to all their cows, all year round. One problem you may face if you decide to increase the amount of' silage you feed is finding a good place to store it. If space is inadequate, you have the option of buying a new tower silo, adding to the capacity of your old one, building yourself a bunker silo, or simply storing the silage on top of the ground under plastic taip. Haenlem and extension agricultural engineer Ernest Walpole say that for temporary ' storage the cheapest thing you can do is pick out a high, well-drained Mr. Farmer: SEALSTOR BUILDS A SUPERIOR STRUCTURE ■ Many of your neighbors have compared the various systems available and purchased a Sealstor. Much lessbeat is transmitted through the Seals tor fiber glass roof. The feed is better protected and there is less stress on the Sealstor breather system. ★ We now have 13.47% lease money for Sealstor Structures. ★ Don’t be fooled by companies that offer you ridiculously low interest rates. ★ Our leasing program offers a fair rate of interest with no gimmicks or hidden costs. You won’t find a better one. (Ask your area Sealstor salesman about Borg/ Warner no nonsense approval to leasing!) I LEASE A *20.000 SEALSTOR GRAIN STRUCTURE FOR JUST *364 PER MONTH WITH A TOTAL DOWNPAYMENT OF ONLY *364 (Credit Approval By Borg-Warner Leasing Required) ■ ■ ■ ■ Please Clip & Mail Coupon to ■■■■■ LFS/9 ■ PENN DUTCH FARM SYSTEMS, INC. 1730 Highway 72 North, Lebanon, Pa 17042 lam interested in D Hi*h Moisture Com . Storage U Liquid Manure Storage □ Please add my name to your mailing list name_ addrei CITY STATE TELEPHONE (including area code) NO OF BEEF DAIRY site near your feedlot, dump silage there is a big loaf-shaped stack, and cover it with polyethelene tarp. Use bales of hay or earth to anchor the edges tightly all the way around so that air can’t get in and cause spoilage. Another temporary solution to your storage needs might be to take a tractor and scoop out a trench. Fill this with silage and cover it with plastic tarp anchored down with old tires. Storing silage directly on the ground this way will result in some feed contamination, warn the specialists. Also, your equipment may get bogged down during sloppy weather. For these reasons they don’t recommend using a temporary bunker for more than one year. For permanent horizontal storage provide the bunker with either wood or cement sides and a cement floor. Use 12 foot posts or railroad ties for the sides, setting them 4’ into Scaktor roof are hey are actually re ft roof panel. On if a Sealstor, you built-in solidarity underfoot. Fiber {laMk tram lucent. When checking inside a Seabtor, you' are not peering into total darkness. t~l Hayloft or Corn Silage Storage Replacing my old or l-J broken bottom unloader with the Laidif HOGS Did You Know? Boon Holding Off on Your Storage Plans? Ist cutting Haylage is just around the corner. We can still build you a Sealstor. (this offer is limited) ATTENTION Owners of Gravity flow auger or chain type unloaders - Special sale on Laidig Jr. grain unioader conversions. See ad page 832. the ground at 4 foot intervals. Then nail pressure treated planks to them. Or line the sides of the bunker with precast concrete slabs tilted on their edges. Concrete is preferable to wood because it will resist mechanical damage better, notes Walpole. Pour a six inch pad of concrete reinforced with welded wire for the floor. Be sure to slope it toward the unloading end of the bunker to provide runoff for rainwater. If wood sidewalls are used, extend the floor six inches beyond the walls so the posts are encased in concrete. A well-constructed bunker silo will'cost you about half as much as a new tower silo, so this storage system represents a considerable savings. But it’s not practical unless you make it big enough. There will always be some waste. The smaller the bunker, the greater the percentage of feed lost. So you need a large herd to warrant building this kind of silo, say the specialists. A bunker 40 PENN DUTCH FARM SYSTEMS, INC. 1730 Highway 72 North, Lebanon, PA 17042 717-273-9324 feet wide, 8 feet high and 180 feed long will hold 1000 tons of silage enough to provide the daily needs of 100 cows for a year. Another consideration with bunker silos is the fact that you’ll be opting for a system that requires a chuckwagon or self unloading wagon to deliver silage along the feed bunk. If you want a push-button system with con veyors, you almost have to stay with a tower silo. Because there’s a greater chance of spoilage with feed stored in bunkers, Walpole recommends feeding from them only during cooler weather. Save your tower silage for wartn weather use. Even well-covered binker silage may begin to spoil at the exposed end where feed is removed each day. If you decide that a horizontal system would solve your storage needs, now is a good time to build one. It will soon be tune to harvest this year’s silage crop. Blueprints for building a bunker Take a look at the Sealstor features, then make your buying decision. 2. The font* distributor in every Sealstor forage structure packs the crop more evenly and with up to 15% greater density than is possible in other storage structures. The key to han dling this additional weight is in the bottom unloader used by Sealstor. It’s like owning a larger structure without pay ing for the extra storage capacity. 4. Greater dependability, fewer service problems and sim pler maintenance are the Scalstor bottom unloader advantages often mentioned by owners who have experience with other unloaders. A sevcn-ycaf study indicates mainten ance savings often exceed one thousand dollars per year when the Laidig un loader used by Sealstor is compared with chain-type unloaders. toC* HIGH MOISTURE GRAIN t STRUCTURE AND ® UNLOADER SALE ★ Get a free service tunnel installed in your structure ★ Early order discount ★ 5% discount on purchase price of a roller mill and/or distributor ★ Immediate erection if you desire Delivery required by Sept 1.1981 “Reputation” is a very important word. At Sealstor we are building our Reputation, that’s why we sell you a structure and unloader that best suits your needs. It would be much easier to sell you something “cheaper” and let you pay a price later. Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 9,19t1—A37 Scafator’s glass-fused-to-sted sheets are larger which means a comparable size Sealstor structure has fewer feet of seam lines. This, combined with closer boh spacing, provides maximum pro tection against leakage and feed spoilage. silo are available from the ex tension engineer in many states. Or, write or call: Extension Agricultural Engineer Ernest Walpole, Agricultural Hall, University of Delaware, Newark, DE19711302/738-2468. What should you serve with corned beef? Buttery Caraway Potatoes and Cabbage are the perfect menu-mates. To make four servings, peel six small, new potatoes and cook in boiling, salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Dram well; set aside. Melt three tablespoons butter in large skillet; add three cups diced green cabbage (about 1 lb.), one teaspoon caraway seed, one-fourth teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper. Cook, covered, until cabbage is cnsp tender, about three minutes. Add cooked potatoes; heat to serving tem perature. STRIKE IT RICH! SELL IT m A LANCASTER FARMING CLASSIFIED MEMO HAY, STRAW & EAR CORN SALE EVERY MONDAY At 11 A.M. NEW HOLLAND SALES STARLES, INC. Phone 717354-4341 Lloyd H. Kreider, Auctioneer
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