Many Mini-Bales: Homemade apparatus permits high-volume production

摘要

Gary Thering and his family can turn an 800-lb round straw bale into 150-160 mini-bales, bagged and labeled, in about 20 minutes. This ability to make large numbers of small bales in a short time has enabled Thering, of Lyndonville, NY, to keep pace with a growing demand for his 8 x 10 x 15" bales marketed as fall holiday decorations. Since he started making minibales nine or 10 years ago, his business has grown about 10% per year. But he did much better than that this year, making 36,000 bales, 9,000 more than in 2006. He sells them through a broker, and the bales end up in a variety of retail outlets throughout the Northeast and as far away as Florida and Texas. He won't divulge his selling price, but says the 4- to 6-lb bales retail for up to 6 dollar apiece in large urban areas.