Analysis conducted by Harvest Tec around sunshine and rainfall data from the Met Office has shown that recent summers have been duller and wetter.
According to the company, this makes the use of preservatives such as Baler’s Choice a prudent precaution to ensure that forage quality is maintained.
The study looked at both the duration of bright sunshine during spring, summer and autumn across the last six years, as well as total rainfall and days where rainfall exceeded 1mm.
In the past three years, there has been a 22% drop in sunshine hours during the spring and a 16% reduction in the summer. As you might expect from that data, the number of days with more than 1mm of rain increased by 47% and 39% respectively, while the total rainfall rose by 70% and 49%.
This has led to tighter weather windows, especially for hay producers who rely on the crop naturally drying down to 15% moisture content.
Harvest Tec notes that Baler’s Choice could be a lifeline for these operators, with costs as little as £1.43/bale. It enables hay to be baled above that 15% moisture content while minimising the risk of bales heating up, developing mould or combusting.
Its core ingredient is a near-neutral, buffered propionic acid, which is combined with citric acid to aid colour retention and palatability.
The company offers both preservatives and applicators, with models suitable for conventional, round and large square balers.
Last year, Harvest Tec set up its own distribution network in the UK, supported by Carrs Billington.
For more information go to www.harvesttec.com