Topwrap X-treme 340 passes the test

25 June 2008

Topwrap X-treme 340 passes the test

Glyn Pugh, Nantmawr, near Oswestry

For the majority of farmers, bale wrapping is usually a job involving scores of bales. However, for Glynn Pugh it’s one that involves thousands. To be more accurate, this season he’ll be wrapping more than 6,500 small haylage bales specifically for the equine market.

Haylage making is a business that Glyn has developed over the last nine years at Cefncoed Farm, Nantmawr, near Oswestry. “It’s a precise procedure that requires quality control to achieve a consistent product, which is vital if we’re not only to maintain but to expand the business working with Wynnstay Farmers and Corwen Farmers,” he says.

“For example, we take one cut per season from 70 acres of purpose drilled leys, a mix of several Italian ryegrasses and Timothy, which we reseed every two to three years. The leys are carefully managed and treated like an arable crop,” he explains. “We cut approximately 15 acres per day once the grass has headed and then wilt for up to three days. We bale with a New Holland 570, transport indoors and wrap using three Tanco 404 mini wrappers within two hours, a period critical to avoid forage deterioration. We target 65% to 80% DM.”

Glyn Pugh is one of several UK farmers asked by Volac International to trial a 340mm wide green pre-stretch film specifically designed for small haylage bale wrapping. Three seasons on and the wrap was officially launched as Volac Topwrap X-treme 340 at the Grassland and Muck Event, and is the only film of its specification available in the UK and Ireland.

“The new wrap has brought significant cost benefits to the operation,” says Mr Pugh. Each 2,400m roll of pre-stretch film carries sufficient plastic for approximately 50 small haylage bales with six wraps depending on bale dimensions; that is approximately 40% more plastic per roll than conventional 360mm wrap. Consequently, plastic use together with subsequent wastage is reduced by around 40% per roll. Add together the fewer roll changes required, the reduced time spent in roll and waste handling, lower logistic costs together with the extra output, and more than 10% cost savings over conventional 360mm film can be made.

“Other films we tried in the past were prone to snagging and tearing, and we had to make bales weighing 35kgs or more, or else they were pulled off the wrapper and production was slowed down. The new 340mm pre-stretch wrap is narrower, there is less neck-down, but it still covers the bale well. The film’s pre-stretch characteristics mean it can be used to wrap preferred lighter bales, those between 28kg to 30kgs, and hence speed up the wrapping operations. Wrapping speed has improved and overall, output has significantly increased by more than 80% to 55 bales per hour per wrapper.”

He adds: “Since we started the haylage business 10 years ago, demand from the equine market has led us to more than double the volume we initially baled, and it looks as though the trend could continue.”

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