A new range of forage covers which protects clamps and bales is now on the market after being launched by UK leading company Kelvin Cave Ltd.
The company, which provides products and technical support to farmers and contractors producing home-grown animal feeds, has developed the ClampShield 500 and BaleShield 160.
Both covers are reusable products which can be used for several years and offer a high degree of protection to clamped or baled forage while cutting the need for single-use plastic.
They have long-term ultraviolet stability and offer good tear resistance, as well as giving protection against damage by birds.
The ClampShield 500, which can be used across silage clamps immediately on top of a low air-ingress vacuum film, offers up to 15 years of UV resistance.
Kelvin Cave Ltd says one of the major benefits is the weight of the cover as sand or gravel bags around the clamp’s perimeter and on any joins are usually considered sufficient, with no tyres or weight across the clamp required.
Its textured, non-slip surface is safer to walk on than conventional top sheets, even in icy conditions, as testified by its use in extreme climates as low as -20°C.
The BaleShield 160 version is more suited to covering stacks of straw or hay, or wrapped bales where bird damage is a problem.
Both water repellent and breathable, BaleShield 160 helps prevent the formation of mould on bales and its UV blocking treatment gives the fleece a service life of up to four years.
The bale cover can be secured by a hook and loop tape to join two or more covers together, plastic screws for securing the fleece to the ends of the stack and metal clips for attaching to metal tubes to keep the cover under tension.
“We’ve been searching for a product which is truly resistant to damage by rooks and crows for many years – something that’s particularly important for maize, whole crop and other silages containing grains,” said Kelvin Cave Ltd’s manager director.
“We’re confident we have this durability in ClampShield 500 which also comes with environmental and health and safety benefits, and can save significant cost when used over several years.
