We love our Prairie Pride Polybins – here’s why

Dad treats the sow farm like his 5th kid. And this kid is now old enough to be a poor college graduate.

Our sow farm is now 23 years old and even with a quality built site, equipment has been replaced and updated over time. I think it’s typical for producers to approach equipment purchases differently the second time around; value and longevity becomes a higher priority than price.

When Dad (Dave Klocke) started researching replacement bulk bins a few years ago, the search began with a lot of the same designs (and looming headaches) that have been used in the livestock industry for decades. There are quite a few expensive accessories that help with some bulk bin issues, but if anyone knows my dad, they know that’s not good enough.

Luckily, Dad came across Prairie Pride PolyBins. It didn’t take him long to catch on to their immediate and long term benefits. After we ordered and quickly installed our polybins, the real love affair began. Read on for the 4 main reasons we love our Prairie Pride Polybins.

1.  Visibility

I think we all take for granted what visibility will save you short term and in the long run with feed management. It’s typical with steel bins to order feed by knocking on the side of the bin to guesstimate the inside level, only to later realize the side you knocked on was the lower end of the feed slope or where feed was hung up. This mistake is a costly one with either an overflow of feed that will need man hours to clean up or a potential out of feed event that could affect production and your pigs’ daily gain.

With Prairie Pride Polybins, feed levels can be observed from the ground, eliminating any liability issues you have with needing to climb to the top of the bin to get a good view. Any feed problems (hang ups, chunk of bad feed, etc) are visible to anyone around and are swiftly dealt with.

Your feed company will love you for making it easier to deliver the right amount of feed to the right bin during regular business hours instead of making an emergency call for a weekend feed delivery or putting them behind schedule because of an order error. Polybins keep everyone accountable.

I could go on, but a simple photo tells it all; we can view our feed bin levels while enjoying a cup of coffee from the front porch.

Looks like we need to order feed!

2.  Efficiency without all the Bells and Whistles

While attending open houses for PigEasy over the last few years, we’ve seen it all; the scales that link to the apps on your phone, the parts you can add inside of your bins for better feed flow, the list goes on. These are all great solutions, but why go through the rigmarole and spend money on each of these costly accessories when a polybin solves everything?

Prairie Pride Polybins are maintenance free. How?

Polybins are made up of polyethylene plastic, which gives each bin a smooth finish. This allows for a more even feed flow, compared to steel corrugated bulk bins where feed tends to get “hung up” on one side or funnels down from the center.  Because polybins are made from roto-molded plastic, there are no vertical seams and bolt heads, which can also cause hang ups.  Add that to the visibility component and you have quite an efficient bulk bin.

Electronics malfunction and many moving parts mean more opportunities for break downs and wear points. Simplifying the process means less headaches in the long run and offers increased efficiency. Prairie Pride Polybins fit in so well with our motto, “Easier is better.”

3.  Longevity

Polyethylene is an extremely durable plastic that doesn’t crack, crinkle or dent. Basically, it can handle years of abuse and extreme weather without losing its function. In addition, producers don’t need to worry about rusting or corrosion like they would with a steel corrugated bulk bin.

Over time typical steel bulk bins may appear to be in good condition from the outside, but does it look the same inside? Steel bins rust from the inside out, so corrosion may go unnoticed until it becomes a big issue.

Prairie Pride Polybins originated in Canada in the early 1980s and you can find originals still in operation even with their extreme winters. Now that is passing a quality assurance test!

4.  Better quality feed and no feed outages = healthier and more profitable herd

The effects of an out of feed event, or periodic out of feed events are heavily researched and studies have shown it has a big impact on production and your bottom line as well as your daily gain in the grow/finish sector. It’s easy to put a dollar value on visibility when it comes to making sure your herd has available feed.

In addition, there have been links of the amount of mold/toxins in feed to infertility issues in a sow herd. You can invest in quality feed, but then lose that quality during hot summer days in an even hotter steel bin. In our operation we’ve tested the temperature between steel bins and the polybins and found that on hot summer days steel bins get even hotter, while polybins remain cool to the touch.  Because of this we no longer need to add mold inhibitors to our feed supply.

As an industry, we invest heavily in top of the line biosecurity and filtration systems; we know everything what is coming in and going out because one mistake could be catastrophic. The same should be for our feed. We should know that the quality feed that is purchased and filled in our bins should be in the same condition by the time the herd consumes it.

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These are just a few of the reasons why we not only love our polybins, but have acquired a master distributorship of the Prairie Pride product line. This means we will have available inventory and can haul and assemble polybins on site. Prairie Pride Polybins fit with our philosophy; that simple, everyday modifications can have huge impacts on production success in your operation.



Until next time,

Katie

For more information on Prairie Pride Polybins,

call Dawn Buse at 888-354-0112 ext 704

or email dawnb@pigeasy.com.