Versatile storage requirements are no longer an option within a farming business: they are an absolute essential.
Cereal grower Sandy Galbraith is a case in point. Currently farming across two sites close to Linlithgow in Scotland’s Central Belt, he grows 500 acres of cereals – all to seed production standards.
He explains:
“The land at home has been in the family for over 400 years and our business has an exclusively arable footprint.
“Crops of winter wheat, winter barley, spring barley and oilseed rape are grown exclusively to seed certification standards.”
“I am particularly delighted with the progress made by our rape crops last year. Yields of up to 2t per acre are a distinct possibility moving forward.”
While activity in the fields is obviously important in the context of any arable operation, growers are increasingly aware of the need to have appropriate facilities available in their farmyards.
As confirmed by Sandy: “Adequate storage is crucially important on the farm, it was this need that led to our investment in a range of precast products from Moore Concrete” Sandy further explained.
With this in mind, Sandy has recently converted an existing building on the farm into a fit for purpose store that can be used for seed and straw.
He explained:
“The outer shell of the building was pretty much fit for purpose. However, internally, the main requirement was to put in place a dividing wall.
“We looked at all the options: using blocks, pouring concrete or going with precast wall panels.
“At the end of the day, the precast wall panels represented the best option. They are extremely strong and allowed us to get the conversion completed in the shortest period of time.”
When it came to selecting the wall panels, Sandy opted for Ballymena-based Moore Concrete, supplied via Scottish agent, MJ Harrison Supplies.
“I have worked with Moore Concrete on numerous occasions in the past,” he said.
“The quality of the product range is excellent. All the panels that we needed for the fit-out were delivered on time and were installed very quickly.”
Sandy also procured bunker walls form Moore Concrete via MJ Harrison Supplies.
He explained:
“In our case we don’t need excessive storage options when it comes to dealing with our winter cereal seed business. The turnaround in this regard is quite quick.
“However, we do need sufficient facilities to store our spring barley seed over the winter months. We also need the sheds to treat and bag the seed that we sell.”
“Moore Concrete’s Bunker Walls are a very flexible storage option for any farming business. The big benefit for me is how easily they can be moved around the farm as things change and also, where Moore Concrete is concerned, they are manufactured to last.”
Moore Concrete’s Johnny McKinney was a recent visitor to Linlithgow.
He commented:
“We were delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Sandy and it’s always great to get positive feedback from a customer.
“Our prestressed wall panels are available in a range of heights and thicknesses depending on the application and are suitable for a wide range of construction purposes. Prestressed panels offer significant time and cost savings over traditional methods as there is no need for foundations, the panels can rest on the post foundation or on a landing bracket, they are then clipped to or slotted in between the RSJ beams, creating a smooth finish.
The Ballymena-based company is also reporting a strong demand for their bunker wall units as storage needs increase in farms across the UK & Ireland.
According to Johnny McKinney, they are a versatile option, which makes them appealing to any farming business. He explained:
“Cereal growers recognise the flexibility the bunker walls offer when it comes to storing grain,”
“But all farms need a flexible storage option.”
Johnny continued:
“Units range from 1.5m to 4.3m metres in height and weigh between 1.2 ton up to 3.7 ton.
“The unique curved shape of the base has been developed to allow the free flow of material to the floor.
“There is a 100mm straight portion at the bottom edge to aid the removal of material from the bay.
“Walls up to three metres in height do not need bolted down when retaining material such as grain, solid fuels, recycling materials, wood chip, potatoes etc.
“Another feature of the bunker wall is the narrow base, thus minimising its footprint.”
For further information, telephone (028) 2565 2566 Ext 1 or view the Moore Concrete website at www.moore-concrete.com
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