More eyes on the silo
When Andrew Barraclough was investing in two new silos Collinson mentioned their new low-cost silo monitoring, FeedAlert. Andrew immediately knew this was going to be an asset for his farm, why, read on…
Andrew already had two Collinson silos on his Dairy Farm in Penrith, a high-level discharge model that uses gravity to quickly discharge feed into the mixer wagon and a centre discharge silo complete with auger to deliver feed to the parlour. Knowing the benefits of storing his animal feed in the silo, mainly bio-secure storage and the feed reaching the animals in quality condition as purchased, obviously resulting in less wastage, so Andrew had decided to invest in two more silos to store his Beef and Heifer corn. Even though the reordering of feed was a task his son James managed Andrew knew this would not only benefit them but also long term, the industry as a whole too!
To promote their new silo monitoring concept, Collinson are running a special offer on all FeedAlert products purchased with new silos so Andrew placed the order for the new silos complete with FeedAlert, he also purchased two more systems for the existing silos, to give them an overview of the feed being used on farm meaning all the silos feed levels could be more easily managed via the FeedAlert App.
FeedAlert can be easily installed on all types of silos, with a simple zero and calibration process setting it up for monitoring. Readings are taken once daily at 11.30 in the evening, daily usage and forecasting can be monitored on the silo, Andrew has local displays next to three of the silos but for the Beef corn, he went with the cheaper Envision unit as he said, ‘I look at everything on my phone’, there is a small monthly subscription for each silo which covers the inclusion of the SIM, data transfer and the functionality of the App.
Andrew purchased the silos via his contracted feed supplier Dugdale Nutrition using their Silo purchase scheme. FeedAlert also facilitates users to share their data with a chosen feed supplier, as the concept of silo monitoring is new to the industry, Dugdale Nutrition currently share access to a small number of their customers silo data, with Andrew’s permission the data is shared so both parties have their eyes on the levels.
“It’s a new product and a new concept, my ideal would be that my feed supplier would be able to manage the deliveries on my behalf, making sure there was always enough in the silo for that particular feed type, the industry isn’t there yet but that’s what I can see”
Andrew told us “It’s a new product and a new concept, my ideal would be that my feed supplier would be able to manage the deliveries on my behalf, making sure there was always enough in the silo for that particular feed type, the industry isn’t there yet but that’s what I can see”.
Andrew added “For now I’ll use it as a management tool, staffing is short on farms and this is one less thing to manage. I’m in contract with Dugdales and they can see what’s in my silos too, the alerts give me a nudge when to place orders so they get scheduled in good time; for me as a farmer, that boxes that task off and I can move on to the next job. For my feed supplier, the extra notice they get means they can plan production and deliveries better. Ultimately, it’ll mean less road miles and it’ll be these small changes that all add up to reducing our carbon footprint and meeting our environmental goal. It’s got to be a positive thing and good for the whole industry hasn’t it?! If technology is what will get us there then so be it, hopefully in time those savings would work their way back down to the farmer and it’s a win win for everyone!” Andrew continued “It’s early days yet but that’s how I see the industry benefits long term and for now the alerts prompt the reorders and importantly we have a plentiful supply of feed”.
“Now, when my Account Manager calls to see me, we just log in to the app and take it from there. It’s so easy’ he added.”
Andrew farms with his son James at Gatelands Farm, Penrith. Milking 170 cows with year round calving, they also keep youngstock and beef calves. Whilst milk prices increased in December 22, current trading is seeing a downward trend linked to supply and demand and as Andrew pointed out ‘every investment has to have a return, FeedAlert can help me better manage my feed supply and I’m looking forward to seeing the platform grow!’
More and more farmers are taking advantage of silo monitoring and also choosing to share the data with their feed suppliers, the platform is growing, so watch this space Andrew.
