Rumax Hammer Mill Grinds a Profit on This Dairy Farm

To farm smart means that a wise farmer must always make sure that his farming sums add up.

It extends beyond just the revenues and balance expenses, because a farmer has to also calculate the profit margin of each farm operation to ensure a productive and profitable farming –one that can grow from strength to strength.

The math behind the Rumax hammer mill is exactly what persuaded a dairy farmer from the Western Cape to to invest in one. The Rumax round bale hammer mill has proven its value over the past one-and-a-half years is indispensable.

Dairy cows need feed that is cut into specific lengths so that optimal milk production is achieved and this hammermill delivers just that! "I can now feed more cows at the same time than before," explains the farmer; his sums show it!

The total feed which has been through the hammer mill over a period of one year as follows:

• ± 300 round bales of barley, approx. 90 tons;
• ± 4,000 round alfalfa bales, approximately 1,200 tons;
• 4,000 large bales of oats, approximately 160 tons;
• 500 round oat bales, approx. 125 tons;
• 800 tons of straw bales.

 "From the hammer mill the feed is moved to different rooms where it is stored. We use feed mixers and tractors to move the feed to the storage rooms to the feeding troughs," explains the farmer.

“With the switching to the hammer mill our diesel consumption halved. The tractors also work fewer hours per day, which means their service intervals are longer and so is their lifetime. “The farm is equipped with solar power and it is used to turn the hammer mill onto float, but there are also emergency generators on hand. “When it is on power consumption, the hammer mill uses about 30 kW/hour. We use a variable speed drive (VSD) to lower the power consumption," he adds.

Thanks to the hammer mill's efficiency, labor costs is also reduced. Where longer hours (and therefore a higher pay) was the order of the day, the feeding of animals now a faster and simpler task. Just like with any hard worker machine maintenance is essential. On this dairy farm the procedure is to check the hammers and blades weekly and make sure everything works like it must. This ensures that the hammer mill operates quickly and efficiently. “The machine's productivity is good," explains the farmer, "especially if it is well looked after. "Regular maintenance ensures that there are less and shorter downtime, rather than waiting for the machine to break.

 "It is important to use feed that do not have foreign objects such as stones or sticks, so that the lifetime of your hammer mill's blades extended and become less will breakable," notes the farmer. Because sometimes it can happen by accident, make sure you have enough feed ready to be able to feed cattle for two days. "The moisture content in alfalfa and oats make it more difficult to cut bales and it blunts the blades and hammers. This is why the moisture level must be low as possible before it is fed through the hammer mill," says the Dairy Farmer.”

One of the reasons why Rumax is the right choice for this farm, is because the Rumax factory is close his farm. It makes the service even beter for the farmer that he receives from Rumax.

When he needs help, Jaco is there. "We had a problem with too much dust on the hammer mill. Jaco did enlarge the chamber of the hammer mill and it reduced the dust," he says.

Source: https://rumax.co.za/news/

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