Drying costs sensation on the Bereuter family farm in Vorarlberg
| Detailed picture of the farm: | |
| Cultivable area: | 28 ha grassland |
| Livestock: | 20 dairy cows + 15 head young cattle |
| Drying system: | -1 x HSR 50 air dehumidifier -SR 900 15 kW ventilator -Vario comfort control -1 x drying box, 60m2 and 4m hay fill level -2 x drying boxes, each 130m2 and 5.5m fill level |
It is obvious at the first glance that, together with Laurin and Luca, Merbot and Andrea Bereuter manage their hay milk farm in Alberschwende in the Bregenzerwald (Vorarlberg) with loving devotion. Twenty dairy cows and 15 young cattle live on the farm. The hay required to feed them is produced on some 28 ha grassland. The best for animals and the environment has always been an important concern for the family, which is why in 2014 they decided to convert to a modern, fully automatic, intelligently-controlled hay drying system from HSR.
Independent of weather conditions
Right from the start the switch to a modern hay-drying system began paying for itself, because the HSR system made it possible for the first time to bring in hay totally independently of the weather even during very short periods of good weather and to dry this cost-effectively with energy-efficiency and to produce high-quality hay. Therefore the first cut was possible on 6th May and the last cut could be delayed until 30th September 2016 - totally impossible without modern hay-drying methods.
Minimises energy costs
The HSR drying system was particularly popular for its low operating costs.
Hitherto the Bereuters have dried their hay with a conventional oil-fired oven, which used six to seven litres of oil per hour. A considerable amount, if you take into account the length of time the oven takes to dry the hay.
The HSR system set new benchmarks here. And that was despite - possibly even because of - the rainy summer of 2016 and a mean annual rainfall of 1,760 mm. These unfavourable conditions allow the HSR system to show off its true class to best advantage.
