Mobile machine for making feeds

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33448, 1 February 1974, Page 13

Mobile machine for making feeds

These days farmers are becoming accustomed to more sophisticated and streamlined systems of feeding livestock. Another machine to facilitate that process is now being introduced in Canterbury. It is a “feedmobile” or mobile farm feed compounder.

The feedmobile is a pretty big machine. It weighs 19 tons and mounted on a semi-trailer the unit is about 40ft long. Made in England it is also expensive costing many thousands of dollars.

The firm introducing the machine, the first of which arrived at the end of November. is Feedmobile Services Ltd, of Hornby, and according to their representative, Mr R. 0. Brinkman, their hope is to build up a chain of clients or customers, whose properties they will be able to go round about once a fortnight preparing feed for their stock.

The intention is to base the machines on Ashburton — a second is expected this month — and to work in a district roughly between the Selwyn river and Temuka and Geraldine, but clearly if there is a worthwhile demand the service will be extended beyond those limits also.

Mr Brinkman says that about 150 of the machines are used in Britain, mainly in association with intensive farms and feedlots, and they are also being used in Europe and South Africa.

The feedmobile, powered by a 200 horsepower diesel motor, can hammer mill or roll grains and also hammer mill straws and mix the ration. Feeds can be

prepared to any specifications. Concentrates can be added and hot molasses can be injected into the mix — the molasses is warmed by the heat from the motor that drives the unit, and there is also an attachment which in winter allows the molasses to be heated by the motor that powers the truck that carries the feedmobile as it travels along the road.

It Is Mr Brinkman’s contention that mixing of straws with grains in the feedmobile results in such improved utilisation of the grain by the animal that the saving in grain will more than pay for the cost of the mixing.

While a mixture can be produced to any specification, .Mr Brinkman says that a typical sort of mixture would include about 12001 b or 12501 b of grain — about 70 to 75 per cent of ration — and 2701 b of straw and 801 b of molasses. The machine can do four of these comfortably in an hour

A mix producing about 18 or 19 bags of feed will cost the farmer about $9 and where more than five mixes are made during one visit of the machine to a farm a lower rate will be charged for the additional mixes.

The rations prepared can

be blown by air hose into silos or on to concrete floors or bagged off. They can be used for both production and maintenance purposes. It has been suggested that they could have a place in beef fattening and in beef studs, and for maintenance purposes for both beef cattle and sheep. Mr Brinkman says that on the basis of buying in grain at $7O per ton a maintenance ration of 41b per day for beef cows, including milled straw and molasses, could be prepared for a cost of $1 per week to the farmer. Town milk supply farmers have also shown interest in the system and one has spoken about a ration including mainly wheat and barley, with also some

lupins and lucerne hay and! molasses. The unit can also be! used for chaffing oats. ' For the rations to be in optimum condition it is felt! that they should be stored! for only short periods and] hence the idea of a regular i round for processing of ra-i tions about every two weeks. Early this week the feedmobile was working on the property of Lt. Colonel R. S. Mackenzie, Akanui, Eiffelton. He is currently experimenting with feed pro-! duced by the feedmobile! using it with ram lambs, ram hoggets and older rams. He also sees this feed as possibly having a place for flushing ewes before tupping and also for feeding before lambing.