Farm Diary

AN inch of rain in 24 hrs, followed by hot and sunny conditions which would rival the height of summer; and its still May (just!). The perfect spring continues, with a good soak for the grass, especially on the sand at Tillington, and a hefty drink for the maize. What more could I ask for? More work and less holidays on the anaerobic digester site for a start!

The German workers are away for another week's holiday, wasting glorious weather, ideal for high productivity and long working days. We on the other hand have a solid three weeks work on the site in order to pour concrete foundations for the gas cleaner, the pump room, the two feeders, and various other chopping and mixing devices.

Both tub feeders have arrived, one is a sizeable 20 cubic meter vertical feeder, but dwarfed by its big brother which is a massive 40 cubic meter affair. These have no wheels and drawbars (as our cow feeders have), but are static units on a concrete plinth, driven by a bank of rather large electric motors.

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I had specified that we only wanted to load feeders once a day and these are big enough to cope with 24 hrs worth of muck, grass silage and maize. The large one feeds the primary tank, which will produce 80% of the gas, and the smaller one will feed the secondary tank, with a more concentrated ration, whilst it digests the remaining fibres from the first tank. In this way we can boost the overall gas production which will take us up the target of 1 megawatt/hr.

Our brand new large capacity, high-spec trailer, with ABS brakes, and 'active steer' broke down after just over 100 miles. Too clever for its own good? No, just the usual problem of brand new wheels and hubs, with paint in between, causing the wheels to move although the wheel nuts are murder tight. With a damaged rim and hub, a rather difficult conversation took place between myself and the company that built this trailer and delivered it 6 months late!