Samco’s latest innovation, the BagPress, will solve the challenges faced on dairy farms in relation to buffer feed storage.

Samco’s business idea is to provide farmers with a low-cost solution to on-farm storage of high-quality fermented feed without the need for drying.

Samco believes that there are two challenges facing Irish farmers in terms of storage. The first is that the level of secondary fermentation while buffer feeding can be excessive in many farm situations. This leads to large losses in quality and, in severe cases, overall loss at the pit face. The other challenge facing farmers is that they do not have the required storage facility for a high-value product when it is in small amounts.

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The air-tight environment inside the bag creates the conditions for the fermentation process to occur, giving farmers the best quality feed possible.

The small surface face of the bag reduces the risk of secondary fermentation as it is less exposed to oxygen than a traditional-type pit or clamp system, according to Samco.

This system can provide buffer feeding during the grazing season, storing forage maize, brewers’ grains, chopped sugar beet and potatoes, all of which can be mixed and then stored tightly in the bag.

The BagPress is also available with a crimper. The bulk hopper can be removed from the body and the crimper can be fitted onto the Samco chassis, which has the capacity to crimp and bag up to 40t/hour of moist grain, beans and other such products. Grain going through the Samco BagPress can be applied with most types of additives. The machine is capable of working grain at high and low moistures, ranging from 35% down to 15%.

Dried products

The Samco BagPress benefits farmers who have no storage area for such products but rely on dried products at high input costs. Contractors can also use the Samco BagPress to store dry grain, bulk fertiliser, chicken litter, miscanthus or other waste products used in energy production facilities.

How the Samco BagPress works

The Samco-patented paddle brake system is unique to the Samco BagPress. The adjustable hydraulic paddles are applied to the rear tyres of the tractor, which allows the machine to move slowly forward without an operator as the bag is tightly packed.

The steering system is adjustable from the cab by using the hydraulics to keep the bagger and tractor in a straight line.

A heavy-duty drive chain is submerged in an oil reservoir where is it constantly lubricated while working.

The large auger in the Samco BagPress can bag up to 200t/hour on farm. The rear propeller is shaped to ensure that the bag is tightly packed to full capacity.

The Samco BagPress hopper is fitted with an additional agitator assisting the main auger to prevent bridging of different materials.

Samco offers different bag sizes of 1.5m, 2m and 2.4m. The 2m bag is most common and stores 2.5t of forage maize per metre and 3t of moist grain with no waste.

The Samco BagPress bags are marked with two guidelines which indicate that the bag is packed to the correct pressure.

The pressure can be changed by adjusting the paddle pressure on the rear tyres of the tractor.