P.E.I. farmer's new baler does the job of two machines

Barry Uyterlinde says his new machine bales and wraps round bales in seconds

Image | Barry Uyterlinde

Caption: Barry Uyterlinde of Brackley Farm says the days of rushing hay bales back to the barn to be wrapped are over, thanks to his new machine. (Pat Martel/CBC)

When it comes to round-baling, timing is everything. Even just a bit of rain can lead to poor quality.
That's why Barry Uyterlinde from Brackley Farms in Brackley, P.E.I., is beaming about his new baler that does the job of two machines.
"If you have rain coming, you're in a panic. We don't have that panic anymore," said Uyterlinde.

Media Video | CBC News PEI : A P.E.I. farmer demonstrates his new machine that not only bales in the field — it also wraps the bales in less than a minute.

Caption:

Open Full Embed in New Tab (external link)Loading external pages may require significantly more data usage.
In the past, Uyterlinde would make round bales of silage, straw or hay while the sun shone, and then rush the bales back to the barn where another machine would wrap them with plastic to keep out moisture.

No more long, hectic nights

It often meant some long, hectic nights.
"You'd get them hauling home in the dark and then you'd have to start wrapping them in the dark because you didn't want to leave them exposed to the air, especially the silage."

Image | Barry Uyterlinde

Caption: A plastic-wrapped bale of straw is kicked off Barry Uyterlinde's new machine. (Pat Martel/CBC)

The new Kuhn VBP 2160 Round Baler-Wrapper Combination not only bales in the field — it also wraps the bales — all in about 35 seconds.

'I'm more relaxed'

"Really happy with it. Why, because I'm not racing to get those bales home. I'm more relaxed," he said.

Image | Barry Uyterlinde

Caption: Barry Uyterlinde from Brackley, P.E.I., loads another plastic-wrapped bale of straw onto a wagon that will haul the bales back to his farm. (Pat Martel/CBC)

Uyterlinde bought the machine last year for $150,000. He said it's money well spent.
"Every penny. It takes the panic out of baling and hauling bales home, so I'm just more relaxed. I like that."

Image | Barry Uyterlinde's new baler

Caption: On the move: Barry Uyterlinde's new machine wraps bales of straw with plastic to keep out moisture. At the same time, the machine is picking up straw and forming a new bale. (Pat Martel/CBC)