Making roughage is an important process that lets an agribusiness store feed resources for a long time with minimal loss of nutritional value.

Roughage is made from green mass that’s processed in a way that prevents harmful fungi and bacteria from multiplying in it, which would otherwise degrade feed quality. The main methods of preserving roughage are drying or storing it in an anaerobic, acidic environment. The first produces hay, the second produces silage.

So, as the roughage-making season begins, farmers face the pressing question of which baling materials to choose. The most common materials for automated baling with balers are twine and netting.

Twine for baling with balers is an extremely popular, versatile packaging material worldwide, especially among small farms. Polypropylene twine, made from polymer materials, is chemically resistant and can withstand temperatures from -140 to +140 °C. This material has high tensile strength and can also be reused multiple times. By the way, twine is widely used not only for wrapping hay, but also for various items around the farm, tying up greenhouse crops, and more.

Twine from the Agrotex and Cotesi brands, unified for many balers, is especially popular in global agricultural practice and has proven itself well in Ukrainian conditions. Their range is widely represented in the Astra Shop online store.

Twine and netting — modern materials for baling

Advantages of twine for baling with balers:

  • Reduces loss of nutritious hay.
    Dense binding ensures effective compaction of the material, allowing for optimal open-air drying.
  • An automated harvesting process.
    Farmers use balers to form bales, picking up windrows of straw, hay, and haylage, and wrapping them with twine.
  • Storage convenience becomes an economic advantage.
    Traditional hay requires large storage areas, which in turn leads to extra costs for maintaining the feed, raising overall costs. Thanks to baling with twine, pressed bales take up less space in storage areas.
  • Ease of use.
    When preparing total mixed rations, it’s easy to cut the binding material, remove it, and rewind it onto “new” spools for reuse in other farm areas.

At the same time, there are plenty of proponents of netting for baling with balers, used for wrapping hay into round bales. It consists of thin polypropylene threads woven together, forming a strong, elastic structure. The netting has a special design with openings that allow bales to be wrapped evenly and reliably, protecting the contents from spilling and preserving its quality over a long period of time.

Twine and netting — modern materials for baling — photo 2

For example, the premium COTESI EVOMAX 123×3000 m netting and COTESI MAXICOVER 125×3000 m (Portugal), offered in the Astra Shop online store, is built on advanced polymer technology that allows for stronger bales to be formed.

Advantages of COTESI EVOMAX and MAXICOVER premium netting:

  • reliable UV protection;
  • polymer material quality tested in European laboratories;
  • marked end-of-roll warning;
  • each roll of netting has an identification number;
  • rolls come in different lengths, letting farmers plan supply costs effectively;
  • wraps a bale in 2–2.5 rotations, compared with 4–6 rotations for other economy-segment brands.

General advantages of netting for baling with a baler.

  • Wrapping speed.
    Using netting, a baler can produce a complete bale in 12–15 seconds, which is 4-5 times faster than using twine.
  • High bale density.
    Since the netting fits tightly against the material across its entire surface, creating greater pressure, this leads to dense, sturdy bale rolls without air pockets, which could otherwise affect roughage quality.
  • Cost savings.
    Netting significantly reduces the “hidden costs” associated with baler fuel consumption. For example, to reliably secure the material with netting you usually need only 2–2.5 full rotations, compared with 15 rotations for twine.

So every farmer will make their own choice, based on the type of baler, budget, and business goals. Either way, the ASTRA-SHOP online store can serve as your supply partner, where every Ukrainian farmer will find twine or netting at a great price and matching premium quality.

To buy a product, you just need to select it in the catalogue, enter the necessary delivery details, and confirm your order. Our managers will get in touch with you as soon as possible, and the product will be delivered within the agreed timeframe.

Contact details for the Astra Shop online store:
+38 (050) 386-83-87
Webshop@astra-group.ua
08162, Kyievo-Sviatoshynskyi district, Chabany settlement,
5a Mashynobudivnykiv St.

ABA “Astra” Agro-Building Alliance is one of the largest suppliers and service operators of agricultural machinery in Ukraine. The company’s core activities are the sale of new and used agricultural machinery, warranty service, and the sale of spare parts.

“Astra” offers its clients a wide range of machinery for practically every type of agricultural work: Fendt, Valtra, Manitou, Berthoud and Horsch, Framest, Bogballe, Valley, Trimble, Oros. The company supplies customers with the widest range of genuine spare parts to support all models of agricultural machinery from world-renowned manufacturers. Servicing agricultural machinery holds a key place in the company’s operations, covering nearly the entire territory of Ukraine and ensuring a fast response to farmers’ requests.

“Astra” has been operating on Ukraine’s agricultural market for 25 years, providing agricultural producers with quality machinery, innovative agricultural technologies, and a consistently high level of service.