Plastic bags offer storage alternative UNIVERSITY PARK Huge high-strength plastic bags could make conventional silos obsolete for some farmers. Using large “aggie baggies’’ to store grass and alfalfa silage for animal feed is an energy-, time and cost-saving method currently under study at Penn State. Agricultural engineers at Penn State say that storing silage in plastic bags could also result in a higher quality livestock feed than Brand New 400 7:00 am 10:17 am 4:10 pm IIBPt j All in a day’s work The all new hydrostatic4oo Series > Liquid Cooled, Gas or i * Wok g Diesel, Skid-Steer and fIKSk MjjUk ' Articulated Carlisle, PA PETERMAN FARM EQUIPMENT 717-249-5338 Chambersburg, PA CLUGSTON IMPLEMENT HR. 717-263-4103 hay they recommend the “aggie baggie” method especially for small or part-time farmers. Penn State has been ex perimenting with the technique for two years, and the bags already can be spotted throughout Penn sylvania’s fanning regions. “This is an energy-conserving harvesting alternative,” says William KJelgaard, associate professor of agricultural Drums, PA HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY CO. 717-788-1127 Honey Grove, PA NORMAN 0. CLARK & SON INC. 717-734-3682 WENTZ FARM SUPPLIES INC. 215-679-7164 .. .. „. Myerstown, PA _ .. . Martmsburg, PA rumor o OICUAK IMP Tunkhannock, PA BURCHFIELD'S INC. , BARTRON FARM SUPPLY 814-793-2194 717-933-4138 717-836-3740 8:35 am 11:02 am 4:35 pm ClflßK ‘bobcat*. DEALERS: Mill Hall, PA OUNKLE & 6RIEB BENDER IMPt. INC. 717-726-3115 814-443-4611 Palm. PA engineering. “It’s not practical for large farms, but it can be adapted for small or part-time livestock farmers or as an emergency feed recovery for large farms.” With the bags, farmers create an oxygen-free environment for storing silage, explains James W. Garthe, Penn State extension agricultural engineer. “You can store feed indefinitely if the bag is totally airtight," says Mr. Garthe. “The beauty of the 9:27 am 2:42 pm 6:19 pm 10.75 % INTEREST •from Clark Equipment Credit Somerset, Pa Slatington, PA SCAT ENTERPRISES INC. 215-767-1711 baggies for small farming operations is that you can bale the green crop quicker, sooner, and avoid the high capital costs of silos.” The bags help farmers conserve energy by eliminating the machine power required to fill and unload the silo, he says. Also, the farmers use less energy because they need to operate only one baler for the bag method, as opposed to several pieces of Quarryville, PA GRUMELLI’S FARM SERV. 717-786-7318 Rising Sun, Md. AG-INDUSTRIAL 301-658-5568 Harrisburg, PA HIGHWAY EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY CO. 717-564-3031 Lancaster Fanning, Saturday, October 22, 1983-033 equipment needed for conventional harvesting techniques, Garthe adds. The average plastic bag used for storing silage is about four to five feet in diameter, 10 to 12 feet in length, and has a maximum capacity for holding one ton of hay The method was first developed in Manitoba, Canada. Professor Kjelgaard says. Penn State's research includes determining how much time it takes to adequately ferment the silage for feeding, as well as treating it with chemicals to enhance the feed quality. Average storage time before the silage can be used as feed ranges from one to six months, says Professor Kjelgaard. “Often, the sooner the material is fed the better,” he states. Because the bags do not provide a 100-percent guard against oxygen penetration, he states, Penn State researchers decided to inject a chemical treatment in the bale before it is bagged. They came up with an ammonia ap plication method which has been demonstrated throughout Penn sylvania. Using a probe device, fanners apply ammonia directly to the (Turn to Page D 34)
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