Back to Basics Pays Dividends

Andy Myatt of Park House Farm, Ellenham, Staffs, has 200 dairy cows plus 150 followers. Back in the 90s, like so many dairy farmers, he opted for a diet feeder as the answer to his winter feeding programme. In 2008 however he reverted to a forage box and is pleased that he did.

So why the change? Having used the diet feeder for six years, Andy questioned just what he was achieving. “What the hell was I doing spending 2 1/2 hours a day mixing individual diets according to my different lactation groups while I was hardly using concentrates in the yard? Moreover I was using more diesel in the winter than I was during the summer months when I was harvesting and carting forage!”

Before the diet feeder, Andy had used a small Foster Forage Box, and he now decided to invest in a larger model, the Foster 990, a 6  tonne / 9.9 cubic metre wagon with tanalised timber sides and floor. A reversible, hydraulic driven floor with variable speed control delivers the forage to two heavy duty auger beaters which effectively mix layered brewer’s grain, maize silage and grass silage. Audible slip clutch protection is fitted on the PTO drive shaft. A weigh cell on Andy’s Terex loader ensures a balanced mix in each load.

“Visitors have commented on what a good job the diet feeder does, only to be surprised when they see that my ‘diet feeder’ is in fact a forage box!”
The floor conveyor comprises hardened steel link chains and slats with self-cleaning drive sprockets, with chain tension designed for easy adjustment. The floor conveyor is instantly reversible under all conditions with the hydraulic drive giving total independence from the beater drive so the load can be moved away from the beaters while they remain static, avoiding potential damage. The same system allows any remaining forage to be discharged from the machine at the end of feeding.

The double discharge cross conveyor has a wide cleated belt with an integral moulded ‘V’ section which eliminates any risk of misalignment. Self-cleaning ‘open’ drive rollers with internal groove scrapers are mounted on easily adjusted greasable bearings with user friendly hydraulic controls give the operator total control from the tractor cab.

The grouping of the cows has been abandoned with individual supplements now administered via the feeder system in the dairy parlour.
Andy was preparing and delivering 5 loads a day with the diet feeder. This has been reduced to 2 loads with the introduction of the forage box. With a capacity of 4 ½ to 5 tons with 35% dry matter, each load feeds 100 cows in around 4 minutes.

And it’s not just time that is being saved.

“The diet feeder was a heavy piece of kit which made big demands on the tractor’s fuel consumption and we were refuelling every fortnight. With the forage box we refuelled just 3 times over the whole season and whereas the diet feeder required ¾ revs from a 540 PTO, the forage box can easily be powered by our most basic tractor.”

The bottom line is a very small drop in milk yield which is more than compensated by the savings in time and fuel.

For further details of products and dealers contact Foster Sales Company by email: sales@fostersalescompany.co.uk