Changing Agriculture. Changing Lives.

Transcription

1 Changing Agriculture. Changing Lives. Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

2 Table of Contents 3 About Us 4 Timeline 6 Machine Features 8 How Does It Work 9 Benefits 10 Your Operation 11 Owner s Talk 12 Common Concerns 14 Spec. Sheet Staheli West Inc. was started by David Staheli in While managing a hay farm, Dave was also trying to find better ways to do things. Finding moisture to make quality hay in the desert climate of Southern Utah was always a problem - a problem that led Dave to seek inspiration from above. That inspiration came in the form of a memory as he recalled an experience at a local taco restaurant. About Us At this taco restaurant, Dave saw the workers put a cold tortilla into a steamer oven. The tortilla came out warm, soft and pliable. After remembering this experience, Dave wondered if steam would have a similar effect on dry, crunchy hay. After directing steam from his wife s pressure cooker into a box of very dry loose hay on the kitchen counter, he discovered that hay and steam were a perfect match. After some time at the local library, a lot of prayer, and some trial and error, the DewPoint was born. For nearly 15 years the DewPoint was used, changed, improved and tinkered with. The DewPoint 6110 was taken to the market in 2010, and the hay industry was changed forever. Between , over 150 machines were sold around the US and even a couple in Australia. In 2015 the DewPoint 6210 was released, bringing even more improvement to the forage industry. 2 Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

3 2011 On a leap of faith, Staheli West purchases old Scott Machinery facility to produce DewPoint machines. Six new employees are hired. Cedar Welding and Western Powder Coating, along with several other local businesses, and a few in Europe, participate in commercialized production of the DewPoint. Jan DewPoint 6210 is released. June 1994 Taco experience is recalled, pressure cooker is used to produce steam, and the idea is born The first prototypes were created and tested with a 3-string baler. After some work, they worked! 2010 After two successful seasons with the 6110 prototype, Staheli West hires its first two employees, and in a hay barn and farm shop builds five DewPoint 6110 Machines for commercial sale. Oct A DewPoint 6110 ventures across the pacific ocean to RyanAg Farms in Victoria, Australia May 1984 Dave Staheli starts managing Brent Hunter Farms in Cedar City, Utah The first steamer to be placed between a tractor and big baler is operated in the field. SUCCESS! Staheli West licenses a major U.S. ag machine manufacturer to take DewPoint Technology to the market. Eight years of research, analysis and great experiences The DewPoint Technology license returns to Staheli West Inc. Dave takes his original concept and 10 years of experience back to the drawing board While continuing to manage a 2,000 acre alfalfa farm, Dave designs and builds the first DewPoint 6110 for Brent Hunter Farms. July 2013 Needing more room to meet demand, Staheli West purchases and upgrades vacant facility on Airport Road in Cedar City. Spring machines in the field - 20 outstanding employees - Expansion of local support businesses to meet manufacturing demand - Loving what we DEW! Dec 2013 Machine #100 is sold to Valley View Ranch in Dyer, Nevada Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

4 DewPoint Features 1. Boiler A custom boiler design allows for maximum efficiency at a low pressure. As exhaust gases from the burner pass through tubes, water surrounding the tubes is heated and turned to steam A diesel driven generator powers the lights, and all electrical components on the DewPoint Burner 6. Tires A diesel-fired burner is the heat source for generating the steam necessary for today s high-capacity balers. The DewPoint 6210 comes standard with bias ply flotation tires (550/45R22.5, 20-ply) but can be equipped with the optional radial flotation tires (620/40-R22.5). 3a. Burner Fan The radial tires reduce compaction on the field by 38%. 7 The DewPoint 6210 comes equipped with a self-cleaning burner fan. This design eliminates debris build-up on the fan blades resulting in more efficient burning with less maintenance. 3b. Burner Nozzles 3a 4 5 3b The DewPoint 6210 can hold 1,000 gallons of water. Depending on crop yield and the amount of steam being produced, an operator can bale acres of hay with one load of water. In order to keep the boiler and boiler tubes clean and running efficiently, supply water should be treated (usually with a water softener) before being used in the DewPoint. 2. Generator 3 5. Water Tanks Another improvement on the DewPoint 6210 is the Simplex Nozzle system which simplifies the fuel delivery system, and makes on-the-fly fuel to air ratio adjustment possible. 7. Feed Water System A unique boiler feed water system keeps steam pressure consistent through a wide range of operating parameters. 8. Propane Ignition Propane is used to ignite the diesel-fired burner. Propane facilitates consistent ignition pilot lights. 4. Fuel Tanks 6 6 The DewPoint 6210 runs on #2 diesel fuel. The two tanks hold a total of 300 gallons. The DewPoint uses an average of 1/2 gallon of diesel fuel per ton of hay baled. Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

5 How Does the DewPoint Work? Steam produced through the DewPoint 6210 is delivered through a series of manifolds and nozzles When the injected steam contacts the dry into the hay as it is lifted from the windrow by the crop material it instantly condenses and baler pickup, and further as it passes through the bonds with other water molecules in the feed chamber of the baler. vicinity, which causes instant absorption into the dry crop material. This is the reason the DewPoint system works so efficiently. The machine operator has full control of baling moisture enabling production consistency over a wide variety of ambient conditions. Consistency Marketing hay is much easier when your bales are consistent from the first to the last. Your customers will know what to expect every time. Leaf Retention University studies have shown that baling hay with the DewPoint system consistently cuts leaf loss in half compared to baling with good natural dew. I ve picked up at least pounds per bale. When I first looked at it, I used to think it was all water weight, but you look at the leaf in those bales, and you understand exactly where it s coming from. - Jeff Wood Steam is an extremely effective moisture medium for controlled hydration of hay during the baling process. One gallon of water will produce approximately 1,700 gallons of steam. Therefore, when baling hay on a warm windy afternoon you will likely add about 5-7 gallons of water in the form of steam to one ton of dry hay. This equates to only 2-3% moisture addition by weight but this 5-7 gallons of water applied to this 1 ton of hay is converted into 8,500-12,000 gallons (or more) of steam which allows every leaf and stem in that ton of hay to be treated without becoming too wet. You can normally bale acres in a 10-hour day with one machine. Several owners have baled 500+ acres in a hour period to beat rainstorms. Once your hay is dry, the main limiting factor for baling with the DewPoint system is too much natural dew or extreme high temperatures. Even when natural dew is heavy, you ll be able to bale from noon to 1 or 2 a.m. using the DewPoint system. Try that with a conventional baler. Bale Weight DewPoint Benefits When using steam, bale density can be increased by 20-25% if desired, while baling at higher speeds. Increased bale density allows more tons of hay to be stored under valuable barn space. Fewer bales are needed on trucks to reach legal weight limits. Yield Baling on your schedule means getting your hay off of the ground faster, and getting your water back on quicker. This has resulted in DewPoint owners getting extra yield at the end of the year. Quality Due to more leaves in the bale, your bales can test higher. When baled side by side, steamed hay came back RFV points higher than conventionally baled hay. 8 Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

6 The DewPoint and Your Operation Baling on your farm with the DewPoint opens a whole new world of When Can I Bale? You can bale anytime the hay is dry profitability with less capital, labor and maintenance overhead. enough. If your stem moisture is gone, and steam application does not raise your bale temperature above 135 F, you re good to keep baling. How Fast Can I Bale? Not to mention, you ll get much better hay. The DewPoint will not slow you down. Enough steam is produced that it will easily keep up with your baler. Because steamed hay packs into a bale easier, you can increase your field speeds by 15-25% and still have higher bale density. What will it do for my hay? Your hay will be consistent from start to finish. You will add 5-10% more weight in each bale because of a significant increase in leaf retention. This will also add feed value. How Much Moisture Will I Be Adding? You are in total control of the amount of steam injected into your hay. You will normally add 1-4% moisture depending on how much it takes to bring your hay up to an ideal bale moisture condition. How Many Acres Can I Cover Per Day? With a 2-ton/acre yield, you can bale acres in a hour day depending on field size and irrigation practices. On several occasions we have even baled 500+ acres in a 24-hour period. Will It Change My Crop Management? Your baler will no longer be the bottleneck of your operation. Many DewPoint owners choose to double their baling capacity while cutting their conventional baler fleet in half. This may require some changes in how you balance other hay harvesting equipment like windrowers, rakes, etc. Shorter harvest times conserve precious growing days which adds more yield per acre per season for a quick return on your investment. DewPoint Owner s Talk In an interview with Jeff Wood, he related the following experience. There was a guy coming to look at my hay. I saw him driving, and he was talking to me on the phone as he was coming in. He said, Yeah I want to come test your hay. He pulled up and he looked at it as he was talking to me and he said, Never mind, I don t think I can afford this hay. That s how nice that first crop looked, this machine made a huge deal. I figure I picked up pounds per bale. I used to think well it s all water weight but it s not. You look at the leaf in those bales and you understand exactly where it is coming from. - Jeff Wood I can bale 500 acres of hay in 24 hours with one machine. - Brent Hunter I paid for the machine in one crop last year. In third crop I baled over 600 acres in around 30 hours. We were just stacking the last load of hay when it started raining. All my hay was put up and it rained for a week. My hay was over 200 relative feed-value and green. I figured I would have baled for 3 hours with regular dew, but I put up 1,200 acres with steam. - Perry Van Tassel Ryan Schwebach, speaking of custom baling with the DewPoint 6110 said, I had a 1,300 acre, $35,000 job and it was finished and paid out in 52 hours. He also discussed his own farm. My quality overall has increased by 25% over last year in visual appearance, in bale weight, and in [preventing] damaged hay. Where it s making us money, is in [beating] the afternoon showers we ve been getting. Three times now, we have made that last pass while it started raining on us, and all but a few bales were in the barn. Before, it would have been 120 acres of damaged [hay]. I ve got two other balers hooked up [without the Dew- Point]. On those 1,300 acres they ve baled approximately 500 bales between the two of them [this whole season]. That s all they ve baled. We have guys ready, waiting for the dew to come in but by the time it gets there, we re already done. 10 Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

7 Common Concerns I don t need to add moisture. I already have too much. When the dew burns off, go bale hay. Situations that would normally create dry, shattery hay, are perfect times to start up your DewPoint. This might mean baling in the middle of the day, but why not? Any time your hay is dry, the DewPoint shines. Some customers have even paired the DewPoint with hay preservative systems and significantly expanded their baling window especially during monsoon weather and in higher humidity areas. Not only will you make great hay, you will lose less leaf than you would with a perfect natural dew. The DewPoint is currently being operated in 14 states and 3 countries. Moisture levels, temperatures and growing seasons vary widely, but the DewPoint can still get the job done - and done well. I don t think I can operate such a complicated machine. Running the DewPoint consists of adjusting the steam rate into 4 steam manifolds mounted in your baler. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. Simply choose the type of hay you want to make, and adjust the steam rate until your bale moisture reading is where you want it. With redundant safety features, and a clear user-interface making, great hay isn t as difficult as you might think. I don t have enough acres to justify buying one. Every operation is different, and everyone will utilize the DewPoint differently. After completing a financial assessment with us, you will see how even smaller farms can increase revenue with the DewPoint. We ve seen operations with as few as 400 acres boost quality, production and profit. The user-interface was completely redesigned for the DewPoint Added consistency in the menus and notification screens have made controls more intuitive without sacrificing functionality. 12 I don t think my customers will pay more for steamed hay. The DewPoint gives you more control over several aspects of baling hay. This extra control can result in reduced leaf loss, increased baling window, higher year-end yield, and improved overall bale quality when compared with conventional baling. DewPoint owners have reported that customers have paid from $5-$40/ton more for steamed hay depending on their local market. Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah

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9 Staheli West Inc. 600 N. Airport Road Cedar City, Utah