Latest news with #haybales
CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Tips for preventing fires during harvest
In this photo taken using a drone, a farmer is seen leaving a field with a load of hay bales, Thursday, August 18, 2022 near Moose Creek, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The Fire Department of North Huron is offering tips, so farmers stay safe while harvesting hay and wheat this season. Here are the department's signs when it comes to hay, straw, wheat, and field fire risks: Field fires Field fires can start from: Hot bearings, belts, or exhaust from balers or tractors Sparks from metal hitting rocks Overheated baling equipment Dry stubble and low humidity Friction during baling or machinery issues Bale fires Bale fires, applicable to hay, straw, and wheat, will often start inside the bale. These are what can indicate a fire could start: Musty or sweet caramel smell from bales Rising internal temperatures Visible smoke or steam from bale stacks If your bale is over 65 C internally, that is a dangerous sign. If it's over 80 C internally, you should call 911 immediately. The fire department also offered safety tips for baling and storage:
ABC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- ABC News
Hay run bringing bales — but also smiles — to drought-stricken SA farms
At Elbow Hill, near the Lincoln and Birdseye Highways, the delivery of donated hay bales is a life-and-death matter for the sheep of Antonia Haselton and Michael Shakes. Their property outside Cowell on South Australia's eastern Eyre Peninsula has, like countless farms across the state, been in the grip of devastating drought. "We're new to this area, too, so it has been a big struggle for us, that's for sure." Michael said that, after two bad years in a row, the venture was "not making any money" — but he could barely conceal his delight when he contemplated the arrival of relief. Michael and Antonia are among hundreds of property owners across South Australia who have looked west in search of salvation. On Friday, scores of trucks carrying thousands of hay bales left Norseman in WA to cross the Nullarbor, bringing fodder to desperate farms. "We haven't fed them for about three weeks now. "The lambing percentages were way down because it was so dry and the ewes weren't looking after the lambs, they were just leaving them behind." Organised by the charities Farmers Across Borders and Need for Feed, with support from the SA government, the 85-truck convoy arrived at Ceduna on Saturday afternoon and then pushed onto its final destination in Wudinna, before the drivers went their separate ways to deliver hay to farms across the state. Another recipient of the donated fodder is Daryl Smith, who has a couple of properties around Cowell on which he grows crops and runs between 2,000 and 3,000 sheep. His feed stores have been running extremely low. "We're probably down to about two weeks' worth, I would say, so what we pick up today hopefully will just get us over the line," he said. Daryl has had to reduce numbers from his stud, and he said his upcoming ram sale in a week's time would be down quite a bit. "Too many people have had to halve their numbers — it was just too hard for too long and there have been quite a few people that have had to get out altogether, and we can understand that," he said. "When the country is bare and you have to make sacrifices somewhere." The arrival of the convoy — and the 30 bales of hay he was allocated for his Glenville poll merino stud — has replenished not just his much-depleted feed stores, but his spirits. "You look at what's happening around the world and you sort of lose faith in humanity," he said. The trek has also warmed the hearts of the truckies. At Wudinna, where a hot meal was waiting at the end of the arduous crossing, several were openly moved by the scale of the operation. "The camaraderie — yeah, it's been really, really good," said driver James Demetriou, whose cargo was destined for farms around Adelaide. "It gets quite emotional, the farmers are so thankful. It makes you feel good. "A lot of people need a lot of help, and I'm in a position where I can help people so I'm more than willing to do it." Gippsland driver Ken Schultz said it had been a "pretty emotional" experience for him too. "It always is when you go to the farmers' places, they're pretty special people," he said. "It's good to give something back. It's just what we do." Mr Schultz will make his deliveries in the hills south of Adelaide, not far from the home of fellow convoy participants Jack and Tanya Traeger, who have deep personal reasons for wanting to be involved. "It's an old truck so I've been sitting [in] it since I was about six months old, so it's good to be driving it. "I think he'd be pretty proud. "It's a great cause and it makes it even more special, more important." Cleve farmer Cassandra Elson said the hay delivery had arrived just in time for the lambs on her property. "I was happy to get out and help today and it's just amazing that it has all come together in the end and we have ended up with something out of it," she said. "It's good to see in this part of the world." Brady Siviour, who farms at Verran near Arno Bay and who applied for support, described the arrival of the fodder as a game changer for his livestock. "We ran out of feed months ago and [it's important] to keep them happy and give them a bit of variation, instead of the grasses so they don't just eat that down to keep their stomachs full," he said. "Some days have been harder than others, and I was a bit emotional when we got approved — I was like, 'far out', and there was a bit of a tear in the eye last night." When it comes to expressing their gratitude, all the farmers have been singing from the same hymn sheet. "I just want to thank our Western Australia counterparts for bringing this hay and taking time out of their busy schedule," Brady said. Elbow Hill's Michael Shakes seconded that motion. "Western Australia's very generous," he said, and he was unequivocal about the impact the hay would have. "We won't have any dead sheep, we'll have live sheep. "That's the main thing."
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Tractor, house and hay bales wrecked in Carmarthenshire blaze
More than twenty firefighters tackled a serious fire which began in a tractor before spreading to other vehicles and a incident was first reported on the A484 near Llangeler, Carmarthenshire, just after 14:00 BST on 18 July and continued for over three and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said the fire at the house was confined to the kitchen and sets of breathing apparatus were used, along with a main jet of water and three hose reel jets to contain the blaze. It's believed the fire started in a tractor but spread to a load of hay bales that were under other vehicles then caught fire, with the flames spreading to a nearby crews from Llandysul, Cardigan, Carmarthen and Lampeter were sent to the incident along with a small response vehicle from Newcastle Emlyn, and an environmental protection unit from fire appliances were used to shuttle water to the scene and burning bales were taken into a field. After extinguishing the fire, firefighters remained at the scene to monitor any hot incident was declared under control at 17:43 BST when fire crews were able to leave the scene.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Rush hour warning as lane restrictions cause delays on major motorway
A warning has been issued to drivers during rush hour as lanes are restricted on a major motorway. Two lanes on the M8 Westbound at Arkleston Interchange have been restricted due to hay bales in the live lane. Drivers have been asked to approach with care and expect delays. Delays are currently expected to be around 18 minutes. READ MORE: Morning travel chaos as train line defect causes major delays NEW❗️⌚️09:17 🛣️#M8 - Junction 27 (WB) ⚠️Two lanes RESTRICTED due to hay bales in the live lane 🚗Road users are advised to approach with care and expect longer travel time ⌛️Delays approx. 18 minutes 📣Further updates as we get them@SWTrunkRoads — Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) May 20, 2025 Traffic Scotland said in a statement: "Two lanes restricted due to hay bales in the live lane. "Road users are advised to approach with care and expect longer travel times. "Delays are approximately 18 minutes." "Further updates as we get them."
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
FENZ to investigate cause of fire that burnt thousands of hay bales near Ashburton
Photo: RNZ / Nathan McKinnon A fire investigator will examine the cause of a fire that has burnt through 14,000 hay bales south of Ashburton in Canterbury. The blaze broke out in two hay sheds housing 214,000 bales at Andrew Quigley Contracting in Winslow shortly before midnight on Wednesday. FENZ incident controller Carrie Swanson said the fire had been contained but 50 firefighters remained on site. She said it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage or how many bales had been destroyed. "Crews are working really hard to make sure that the exposures are protected, so that's other assets and buildings that are nearby, just to make sure that no embers are transporting onto those," she said. Swanson said heavy machinery was being brought in to remove the bales and crews expected to be there for the next day or two. It was not yet clear how the fire started, she said. Photo: RNZ / Nathan McKinnon Ashburton district councillor Rob Mackle saw smoke coming from the business the morning. He said Quigley was well-respected in Ashburton and the farming community. "It's a large contracting business, employs a number of staff, and they will be out there helping Andrew at the moment," she said. "There'll be a massive cleanup for him going ahead, but it is a great community here, they'll all be pitching in to help I imagine." Ashburton mayor Neil Brown was at the scene working a day shift for the fire brigade, Mackle said. He said he assumed the fire was caused by combustion, although that was yet to be determined. "If you put hay into a shed, there's always an element of risk of it heating up and catching alight. There is always that risk, but you do your best to mitigate that," he said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
