Nelson MacKinnon hopes to use "made in PEI" technology to provide greater comfort to his animals this winter.
With funding help from the PEI ADAPT Council, which administers funding from the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada CARD Program, Nelson will be testing a self-propelled bale chopper on his Grand River farm this winter. The machine has been designed by Hoke Reeves of Reeves Manufacturing in Miscouche.
"As far as I know, there isn't a machine like this anywhere in the Maritimes," explained MacKinnon. "There are some other models of bale choppers, but none of them are self-propelled." He said human hands don't have to touch the bale.
Reeves explained the prototype has been designed to meet the specifications of MacKinnon's operation. The operator stands on the machine to steer it as it picks up the bales, chops them up and places the straw in the pens.
Since the animal's bedding has to be changed on a regular basis, the machine has tremendous time saving potential. MacKinnon said he tried out the machine earlier this summer and fall to help Reeves fine tune the process, and he likes what he has seen so far.
Reeves explained this machine is designed to use either round or small straw bales; However, he said the technology could easily be modified to use bigger bales, or to attach the machine to a loader or the back of a tractor to more easily manoeuvre around corners in the barn.
"There is very little dust associated with the operation," Reeves explained. He said his company has been manufacturing balers for the past number of years. The summer and fall are always a busy time as farmers order new balers or need repairs to their equipment. After that, he plans to turn his full attention to getting the machine ready for a winter of operation.
Both Reeves and MacKinnon said there has been a great deal of interest in the machine already. Once it is up and running, MacKinnon said he plans to hold a demonstration day to let other farmers, "see just what it can do."
Reeves understandably did not want to divulge too much about the inner workings of the machine, citing concerns competitors might try to copy it. He added, "I'm pretty excited about it -- I go to agricultural trade shows throughout Canada and the United States and haven't seen anything like it yet. We really have something unique here and it's nice we were able to develop it right here on Prince Edward Island."