CEREAL crops are being turned into ruminant feed called Alkagrain by a new system commissioned by rural contractor John Austin Ltd, Te Awamutu.

The RoMill CP2 mobile grain milling and storage machine, from Czechoslovakia, opens a new window for grain as animal feed. It is seen as ideal for rural contractors, who would typically move it to a crop site, then move on.    

The RoMill processes moist or dry grain into a feed product which can be tailored to farmers’ requirements.

Webbline Agriculture Ltd imports and markets the machine.

The model seen at John Austin’s processes 40 tonnes/hour. It takes grain harvested at 18-35% moisture and processes it, storing it immediately in an air-tight bag for keeping up to 18 months.

Mixed with the grain in the John Austin operation are Home n Dry feed pellets supplied by Winslow Feeds Ltd, Canterbury.

Because no grain drying is needed, the finished feed is produced at lower cost and is good quality, with high digestibility, Winslow nutritionist Bob Derrick says.   

He says various methods of preserving slightly moist grain have been tried before; one advantage of Alkagrain is that ammonia in the Home n Dry pellets prevents mould and raises crude protein levels, useful for higher yielding herds and winter milkers.

Austin points out Waikato is a good region for growing grain but the crop inevitably has to be dried before storage.

“Paradoxically, the extra costs incurred in drying may actually detract from the feed value of the grain because drying makes the grain prone to excessive shattering when processed, creating particles that may ferment too quickly in the rumen.

“Processing slightly damper grain is better because it tends to produce larger particles that ferment more slowly in the rumen. Also, fed indoors it sheds less flour so is more appealing to the animals.”

Webbline Agriculture North Island sales manager Cameron Smith says the RoMill costs much less than other grain-feed systems because it incurs none of their drying, transport and silo storage costs.

“Using this machine saves a farmer capital outlay. It also gives flexibility in feeding and saves money by harvesting direct to farms for storage there.”

Crops handled by the RoMill include maize, Triticale, oats, wheat, barley and dried peas. The material passes through four milling rollers, the cracking size adjustable by a screw mechanism. Product samples can be checked during processing.

The finished product is augured direct into plastic bags 60-150m long x 2m diameter. Once full the bags are sealed but can be vented if necessary. Any flat, firm surface, without snags, is suitable for storage. Tractor power requirement is 160hp.

The filling hopper can be divided to process two different grains simultaneously, for immediate mixing and storage.

The feed hopper is filled by telehandler or grain auger from a holding bin. Water and other liquid additives are added during processing.

For feeding out the bag is opened and resealed as needed. A front loader is used to shift the feed to feeder wagons or bins.

If the consistency is suitable Alkagrain can be fed through an in-shed feed system.

Tel. 07 872 0000 (John Austin Ltd)  

www.webblineagriculture.com