Livestock 2013: Vying for top RABDF equipment honours
This year’s RABDF Livestock Machinery and Equipment Awards attracted more than 20 entries, of which the best ones will go forward to the judging at this year’s Livestock Event on 3 and 4 July.
Easy Cow Lift
Jonathan Caygill
North Yorkshire dairy farmer Jonathan Caygill designed this cow lifter. It allows a downer cow to be lifted from either side, front or rear. The cow can then be left in the raised position for relatively long periods while it is stripped, milked or suckled.
It can also be left under the cow until the next time you need to lift her and is easily removed once she is standing.
It fits all beef and dairy cows and costs £345.
Tyre sealant
Air-Seal Products
Air-Seal Products’ tyre sealant uses an inert blend of fibre and fillers that seal the puncture using a mechanical action. No chemical action is used and the repair lasts for the life of the tyre.
Once the tyre has been treated, tread punctures up to 15mm diameter and all rim, wear and slow air-leaks are effectively eliminated.
Tyre life is also extended by working at the correct tyre pressures and fuel economy is improved by the fact that the tyre works efficiently and rolling resistance is reduced.
Trackacow
Dairymac Animal Health Products
Trackacow’s long-range heat detection system is said by its maker to be the world’s first ultra-long-range electronic heat detection system.
Each miniature leg tag is designed to pick up real-time heat detection information at distances up to anywhere between 500-2,000m. Heat detection information is fed to a long-range receiver, which then transmits it to the farm office up to 2.5km away.
Ecofloor livestock flooring
De Boer Housing Systems
De Boer says its Ecofloor livestock flooring with rubber inserts can cut ammonia emissions by 50% compared to traditional slatted or closed flooring.
A combination of concrete and rubber is said to give good grip and comfort, leading to improved claw health. The optional valves can be fitted at the time of installation or at a later date.
UVMilk Filters
Gera
Gera’s UVMilk filters claim to be able to remove 98% of small foreign particles from milk, including somatic cells and up to 5% of bacteria.
The system is aimed at anyone in dairy production, from dairy farmers to large-scale dairy factories. By raising the milk grade, it increases the quality and price of milk.
The UVMilk filters, which were introduced in 2011, require no special servicing.
MilkWorks Gold pasteurisation machine
G Shepherd Animal Health
This new unit can chill, pasteurise, thaw and reheat calf colostrum within a single unit. Designed to be used with the company’s Perfect Udder bags, it means pooled colostrum fed to new-born calves is safe to drink and eliminates the danger of diseases being passed from adult animals to calves.
The 3.8-litre Perfect Udder bags are single-use disposable bags with screw-on nipples and feeding tubes. The bags can thaw and reheat their contents four times faster than standard bottles.
Cost is £3,800 a unit and the bags are £1.80 each.
PipeFeeder
Hanskamp Agrotech
Hanskamp’s PipeFeeder parlour feeder can be used in milking parlours and both pig and goat sectors. It uses special electric motors that are claimed to both be quieter than conventional types and use less electricity.
It’s also a precise system, says the company, thereby cutting feed costs. Servicing requirements are said to be non-existent and the motor is mounted high up to stay dry.
Installation costs range between €375-425 and energy usage is just 1Amp for each motor.
Platinum T35 livestock transporter
Houghton Parkhouse
Houghton Parkhouse’s 4×4-drawn livestock trailer is claimed to be the only one capable of carrying two decks of sheep or pigs or one of full-sized cattle.
Its electro-hydraulic lifting deck eliminates legal ramp angle issues and is rated to 2t. It also carries its own battery that allows stand-alone operation away from the towing vehicle.
Both the lifting and lower decks are fully aluminium-planked and tanked on both decks, so overhead fouling becomes a thing of the past.
Below decks the T35 has a compensating suspension with torsion arms on cranked stub axles. This gives a lower centre of gravity and allows the trailer to automatically redistribute weight between axles when travelling over uneven terrain. Prices for the full lifting deck start at £10,556.
Vredo Agri Twin overseeder
JC Machinery
The Vredo Agri Twin overseeder has been designed for overseeding and reseeding existing pastures and turf in situations where the grass cover is too thin or there are open patches in the turf.
Each sowing element of the overseeder is spring suspended, so the machine can follow the undulations of the ground and maintain an even sowing depth.
Precise positioning of the seed pipes between the discs means the seed is sown in the soil and clamped in the seed trench. Prices start at £30,750.
DTX slurry separator
KITT AGRI
The DTX is a combined screen separator and roller press that can cope with sand-laden slurry. Unlike a screw press separator (where the manure is forced against a static screen) the DTX’s rotating screen throws the solid material to the outside, while the liquid and fine particles fall through the centre. The separated solids are then scraped through to the roller press for more moisture to be squeezed out.
The main benefits are a reduction in volume of storage needed, less maintenance of the slurry tank and less frequent sludge removal. The longevity of the slurry tank is also increased, the liquid slurry is easier to deal with, pumping hp is reduced and the solids are more easily transported.
MF5600 tractor
Massey Ferguson
The Massey Ferguson 5600 series has features specifically aimed at the dairy and livestock farm. These include good manoeuvrability, compact dimensions, high-visibility bonnet for loader work, good hydraulics and a powerful three-cylinder engine.
The Dyna-4 transmission is simple to operate and all functions can be controlled without having to press the clutch pedal. Standard features include brake-to-neutral and anti-stall and the pto can be selected from the rear fender-mounted button.
Engines with power outputs of 80hp, 90hp and 105hp are available and prices range from £49,298 for the MF5608 to £54,406 for the MF5610.
Greenline foam unit
MS Schippers
The MS Greenline foam unit is designed to provide a simple means of cleaning out livestock buildings, whether they house cattle, pigs or poultry. The foam unit is made from stainless steel and has room for two foam containers. There’s also a fixed wall unit from which you can soak and disinfect areas such as milking parlours.
There’s room for a foam lance as well as a regular lance and the unit is designed to be connected to a high-pressure cleaner. With one turn you can switch between soaking, rinsing and disinfection.
Price for the standard foaming unit is £645.
Roll Baler baler-wrapper
New Holland
New Holland’s Roll Baler range of balers and bale wrappers are aimed at the professional contractor and large-scale dairy farmer.
The three-model line-up includes the standard Roll Baler 125 and two baler wrappers called the Roll Baler 125 Combi and Roll Baler 135 Ultra.
Key features include efficient feeding and precision chopping, precisely engineered rollers to give uniform bale formation, flexible wrapping with both net and plastic options, a monitor that gives fingertip control, exceptional stability and easy servicing.
Cow Tipper
Nothern Engineering
Northern Engineering’s Cow Tipper is a hydraulic roll-over crush designed to reduce stress on both the animal and operator.
Features include a weight transfer axle with anti-roll bars and brakes on the mobile model, a hydraulic rump rail to aid stubborn animals and a dung chute to take waste matter away from the operator.
The aim of the unit is to reduce lameness. Cost is £8,900 for the stationary model and £22,500 for the mobile one.
Diesel utility vehicle
Polaris Ranger
Polaris says its Ranger utility vehicle is ideal for sheep and dairy farming. The ability to use red diesel from the farm’s own supply cuts running costs, while the service indicator light lets you know when servicing intervals are due.
The company says servicing costs are lower than on many rival machines, and the tank holds 34 litres of fuel. Power comes from a 904cc diesel engine delivering 24hp and the Ranger has on-demand 4wd.
Towing capacity is 907kg and the machine costs £11,199.
Intra Clean quick scan kit
Quill Products
The Intra Clean quick scan kit is an advanced analysis kit that enables the hygiene levels of housing, equipment and drinking water to be tested quickly.
Results are available in seconds, says the company, and the kit helps support good biosecurity practices that benefit animal welfare and production.
Using the kit gives distributors and producers confidence in their hygiene and biosecurity measures, says the company. This product is new to the UK market this year. Cost is £1,550.
Agriplastics group hutch
Teemore Engineering
The Canadian-made Agriplastics hutch has a rear bedding door that gives the farmer easy and safe access for inspection as well as allowing machine bedders to be used. The rear doors also have built-in adjustable ventilation apertures.
The product is made in one piece from engineered resin, making the hutch the strongest on the market, says the company.
Rota-Roll
Twose Engineering
Twose Engineering’s £7,250 Rota-Roll allows farmers to hydraulically switch a high-performance heavyweight roller from transport mode to working position in less than 30 seconds. This helps users save time and removes the risk of strain and injury from manually positioning the machine.
The system allows the user to simultaneously turn the roller through 90deg into the working position, lock it securely in place and raise the transport wheels – all from the cab.