A water-based dust control system is now available on Kuhn’s range of straw bedders and mixer wagons kitted out with a blowing turbine, and can be ordered as a retrofit option for older machines.

Called Clean Straw, it reduces dust in livestock buildings by applying a fine mist of water to straw as it is distributed for bedding.

The system comprises a 64-litre water tank and three misting nozzles mounted at the exit of the straw-blowing chute. 

The nozzles are fed by a 12v/15amp pump, which provides water at a flow rate of 1.8 litres/min – enough to treat 12-18 bales of straw at a rate of 1 litre of water per 100kg of straw. 

A pressure gauge and manually operated thumbwheel are used to adjust tank pressure and water flow.

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Applying a mist of water in this way eliminates excessive levels of airborne dust by reducing the amount of time that the particles remain suspended in the air.

Trials suggest that the air in a typical livestock building will be dust-free within 30 seconds after straw-blowing with Kuhn’s new system, compared with several minutes under normal conditions.

The Clean Straw’s nozzles and pump components are protected against blockages by a suction filter system and all of the components sit within the original footprint of the machine to which they are mounted. 

The system can be armed or disabled via an in-cab switch, which enables users of a combination straw bedding and feeding wagon to turn the system on when blowing straw for bedding, or off when dispensing feed.

List price of the add-on is £2,009.