Improving livestock farmers business efficiency and sustainability

by | Jun 25, 2025 | Business - null

Improving livestock farmers business efficiency and sustainability

1, Spread-a-Bale reduced energy and fuel usage over turbine spreader*

  • 50% less time to load and spread one bale
  • 75% reduced fuel usage
  • 20% longer straw = deeper bed

*Harper Adams University study findings

2, Spread-a-Bale reduced straw usage over turbine spreaders*

  • 50% reduced straw usage
  • 50% cost saving in straw (ROI within 12 months)
  • Reduced time and HP (horse power) requirement

*University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Science, Woodpark Farm: Promar International

3, Time, labour and straw saving over manual spreading*

  • Saving up to 75% labour and up to 50% straw

*Consistent anecdotal evidence

4, Reduced dust over turbine straw spreader*

Air dust concentrations when the Spread-a-Bale was operating peaked at approximately 3.7mg/m3. By comparison, for the same treatment, the turbine straw spreading machine produced just under 7mg/m3 of dust, approximately 89% higher than Spread-a-Bale.

The 3.7mg/m3 value is well within the limits quoted by HSE which requires farmers to comply with COSHH stating their exposure to dust needs to be kept as low as reasonably practicable, below the workplace exposure limit (WEL) of 10mg/m3 limit.

*UK Agri-Tech 2025

5, Reduced carbon emissions over turbine straw spreaders*

Spread-a-Bale reduced CO2e by an average 5.7% up to 12% on farm units compared to turbine machines due to 30% reduction in straw usage.

*CoolFarmTool 2025

6, Reduced noise over turbine spreaders*

Spread-a-Bale consistently produced approximately 20% less noise than the turbine spreader, demonstrating further benefit to the health and safety of farm workers as well as reduced risk of impairment of animal welfare (Angreka et al (2023), Broucek (2014)).

*UK Agri-Tech 2025

7, Improved animal and operator health

Spread-a-Bale’s reduced dust contributes to minimising

  • the risk of livestock health issues including pneumonic eye conditions and on occasions death.
  • the potential risk of dust induced ill health including farmers’ lung.

8, Additional health and welfare benefits

  • Spread-a-Bale’s mode of spreading straw prevents injury from foreign missiles. In comparison, turbine machines use pneumatic forces.
  • Spread-a-Bale spreads straw direct into the animals’ accommodation consequently the operator does not have to enter and mix with boisterous animals.