Avondale Farms, a thriving agricultural establishment in Terrappee, Northern Victoria is home to 2,500 hectares of lentils, wheat, barley, canola and export hay.
Peter Sexton, owner of Avondale Farms, believes bunkers play a major part in the logistics at harvest time. “Without them, the headers would be pulled up waiting for trucks. But with the bunkers, we’ve found it keeps the harvest rolling quickly, which is a big thing when you’ve got weather around and you want to keep the header moving.”
Over the years, Peter Sexton and the team at Avondale Farms have worked diligently to increase their on-farm storage capacity, successfully scaling up to three bunkers with a total storage of 1,200T Wheat and 1,500T of Barley.
Searching for a reliable bunker tarp supplier, Peter came across Polytex and got in touch with the team. “From the initial contact we found their service exceptional with valuable advice on what to do and how to setup and run successful grain bunkers. Their products have been easy to use and good quality.”
In 2023, Peter’s team built a new bunker pad to store up to 800T of Wheat. The yield was higher than anticipated and the bunker filled up quickly. The bunker was designed with 400mm high earth walls and a rounded end, matching the natural filling shape of the auger. These walls increased the capacity Peter could store on the same size pad and with similar tarp sizes.
With some heavy rainfall last year, Peter learnt the importance of good drainage. There is a natural gradient away from the face of the bunker, allowing for quick water runoff and reducing the risk of water damage to the grain.
Operating the bunker is a simple process, as Peter explains, “One person is here at the bunker unloading and another is just transporting the trucks from the field to the bunker.” With 2 to 3 trucks in rotation, there is always one at the field, one at the bunker, and one in transit. We’ve just got a swing away auger. Every few truckloads, they reposition the auger to maintain an even top ridge.
During harvest, concrete tyres are used to secure the tarp down. Once the bunker is filled, they spread dirt around the perimeter to pin the tarp down and form a good seal.
Peter has had no Weevil issues in the 3-4 years they’ve been running bunkers. He emphasises the importance of regular bunker monitoring, keeping the area clean and timely fumigation to maintain optimum grain quality.
Polytex supplied Avondale Farms with ground sheets and top tarps for their bunkers along with repair tape and fumigation zips. Fumigation zips can be welded into the top tarp for easy fumigation and monitoring access.
Bunkers play an important role for Avondale Farms in terms of a very cost-efficient method of storing grain while providing options for marketing throughout the year. Peter estimates the cost of running the grain bunkers including tarps, labour, machinery, fuel and maintenance to be around $10/T per year, a significantly cheaper option than vertical storage. For those looking for an economical way to store large quantities of grain on-farm, bunkers are the way to go, provided there’s a suitable spot on the farm with good drainage.
How Polytex can help
Polytex is a leader in providing economical methods for on-farm grain storage. If you are looking for a way to protect your produce contact the team on 1300 059 003.
