The annual hay day of the Balfour Farmers’ Association, in combination with AFGRI, is an annual must on the calendar of all serious haymakers as demonstrations of all the latest implements and haymaking methods can be seen in action.
This year’s Hay Day was again an outstanding event and many manufacturers exhibited their products, showing off their smartest implements and haymaking methods.
Gert Kriek of the
Balfour Farmers’ Association, and owner of the farm where the hay day is held,
is excited about the fact that the number of exhibitors and farmers grow every
year.
“This year we had about
a thousand people through the styles,” says Gert. “We are also looking forward
to the tenth anniversary of the Hay Day in 2021 and we will start our
preparations for this event later this year. However, as far as we are
concerned the spotlight of the event will always fall on the implements which
process fodder for the animals on a farm.”
Below is a synopsis of
the implements and equipment exhibited and demonstrated by exhibitors:
The CLAAS Jaguar 960 self-driven silage cutter demonstrate how silage can be made quickly and efficiently. The shredder picks the grass up in front and arranges it in windrows, shreds it and then blows it into the loading bin of the trailer or truck. The grass is raked only to form a windrow and may be wet during the process unlike when it is to be utilised for baling. The Claas Jaguar 960 is used in combination with the Budissa Bagger so that the mowed grass can change to silage in the sausage-like airtight bag. In the bagging process all oxygen is forced out of the bag to prevent rotting and the shredded grass turns into the edible product in the airtight bag. The Gallignani G660 bale wrapper demonstrated how hay and grass bales are wrapped tight and securely to allow the making of silage without the necessity of wieldy bunkers, allowing the silage to be transportable. The Sitrex QR 12 harrow is an Italian product imported by Northmec. Twelve wheels enable the rake to do its work fast and efficiently, leaving a neat windrow making the task of the baler so much easier. The American 504R Premium wide camless hay picker collects a wide belt of material in front of the implement. The absence of cams also means that this baler requires fewer maintenance breaks. John Deere exhibited its new 8R-trekker tractor which will be launched in South Africa shortly. The JD8R is dubbed the “smartest tractor” ever and is available with a choice of standard tyres or caterpillar tracks. Massey Ferguson was also there with its RB 3130 F Xtra baler. The chamber of this implement can be cleaned from inside the tractor cabin as the floor of the baler chamber can be lowered enabling blockages to be removed quickly and easily. BHBW demonstrated the Massey Ferguson BM 357 TL mower. The mower ensures a clean and even cut and the blades can be replaced within seconds on the land.
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