Silage wagon seminars

By Jim Breen

Interested in silage harvesting systems? If so, Pottinger is hosting seminars which will focus on various silage harvesting systems from the perspective of cost per acre, fuel consumption, labour requirement and total running costs.

Other topics for discussion will include feed quality and the range of harvesting options open to farmers and contractors.

The seminars, which will be staged in conjunction with Pottinger's Irish importers, Traynors of Clonmel, will be held at three locations around the country in the first week of December.

The indoor events will examine current harvesting systems in Ireland and on the continent. Pottinger, which has a vested interest in both precision chop and wagon-type harvesting systems, will display a number of forage wagons at the events - with models aimed at both farmers and contractors.

Personnel from both the manufacturer and the importer will be on hand to discuss the characteristics of modern forage wagons, and how they can be used most effectively in the current economic climate.

Of course, the forage wagon almost became extinct in Ireland over the past two decades, as huge self-propelled high-output foragers became ever more prevalent. But recent years have seen a small revival for wagons, particularly over the past two seasons.

Traynors report that the wagon market in Ireland was almost dead three years ago, with just a couple of machines imported from year to year - typically Krone or Pottinger models. But 20-25 years ago, the market for new machines was quite healthy, with per annum sales in excess of 100 machines - of any number of makes.

Now, following the interim collapse the market is recovering. In fact, Traynors report that they have ordered 44 new Pottinger wagons for the coming season - most of which are contractor-spec machines.

Traynors say that the wagon is coming back into favour for a number of reasons, not least of which is the fact that modern examples incorporate marked improvements over earlier wagons, with more a robust frame and the facility to produce shorter chop lengths.

The seminars will be run twice daily (lunchtime and evening time) in Antrim (Monday, December 4), in Westmeath (Wednesday, December 6) and in Tipperary (Friday, December 8). Soup and sandwiches will be served at each venue.