Hair Net For Haystacks

Hair Net For Haystacks HAY & FORAGE HARVESTING Bale Handling (5) 1-5-3 Howard Hanson finally found it ù a low cost way to keep freshly-made stacks of loose or chopped hay from blowing away. His solution: A "hair net" for hay stacks that keeps the tops intact regardless of how hard the wind blows. "We've tested it on all kinds of stacks made by a wide variety of one-man stacking systems. We know it works," Hanson told FARM SHOW. He manufactures and markets the Hanson Dry Chop system which tows behind a forage chopper to stack dry chopped hay or roughage as it's harvested. "Even stacks of straw, milo or cornstalks ù which generally are the worst to blow ù stay put when they're protected with this netting," says Hanson. The netting is moisture proof, rot resistant and colored black to resist ultra-violet rays of the sun. "We figure it can be reused every year for at least 5 years," says Hanson. He has the netting custom fabricated in 100 ft. rolls measuring 12 ft. wide. One roll will cover four or five stacks, depending on how close you measure and how much "lap over" you allow for the ends. "One man can put the netting on but it works best if there's someone at each end of the stack. It takes two persons only a minute or two to cut off a 20 ft. length of netting from the 100 ft. roll, lay it over the top and then tie the ends with twine. You can hang weights around the edge of the netting to help hold it down but our experience indicates that adding weight isn't all that necessary. Simply tying the net together at both ends of the stack with twine seems to do the job," explains Hanson. To introduce the new "hair net" for hay stacks, he's offering the 100 ft. rolls (12 ft. wide) at $35 per roll, including shipping anywhere in the U.S. That figures out to right at $1.40 per stack per year, assuming the net can be reused for five years and that one roll will take care of five stacks. Hanson recommends netting stacks as soon as possible after they're made, then leaving the netting intact until the stack is ready to be fed or processed. Stacks can be moved and handled without disturbing the netting. For more details, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Hanson Dry Chop Systems, Box 306, Wolverton, Minn. 56594 (ph. 218 995-2344).

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