Wine in a barrel? No it’s silage in a barrel
Here’s a look at what made the headlines this week in Waikato community newspapers.
It is the Kiwi version of grape stomping.
With only one house cow to feed, Tirau lifestyle block owner Sheryn Clothier finds large bails of silage go rotten before they are fully eaten, so has developed a system for making small amounts in barrels.
‘‘It is labour intensive, though very social with music and a group all gathering and stomping. It is definitely a lot more fun than going to the gym and of course, we all sit down to a good meal afterwards,’’ she said.
Originally told by those in the industry that it was impossible to make silage on a small scale, Clothier and her husband Steven, who is a mechanic but more known for creating corrugated iron sculptures, spent several years experimenting.
‘‘We have tried bags and buckets and all sorts of inoculations and additives. We have even had the vacuum cleaner out on the front lawn sucking the air of it,’’ she said.
Eventually they got the right combination to enable them to make good silage out of the excess grass on their lawn with only a lawnmower and some good oldfashioned footwork.
Clothier said her husband has ideas to create small-scale machines to make it even more efficient but she claims it is not worth the investment.
She said one of the problems facing lifestyle block owners was the need for a huge range of specialised equipment that is not economic.
‘‘Versatility, economy and efficiency have to all combine to make something worthwhile,’’ she said.
Silage stomping is just one of the methods the innovative couple have come up with to produce a wide range of food from their 3.5 hectares north of Tirau.
They have over 250 food-producing trees and shrubs, beef cattle, sheep, pigs, bees and a range of poultry.