Fertiliser season is in full swing and many farmers are busy handling tonne bags. Often farmers put themselves in dangerous positions leaning under a hanging bag with a pen knife to release the fertiliser into a spreader. Once the hole is made at the bottom of the bag, it has to be emptied. Other farmers cut the bag from the top and scoop armfuls of fertiliser into the spreader, but this can be messy and time-consuming.

Michael Crowley, a dairy farmer from Skibbereen, Co Cork, always uses a quad and small spreader in the spring to spread fertiliser. In the past he would reverse the spreader against the tonne bag of fertiliser and cut the top of the bag to empty it by hand.

“I would stand in the spreader and pull the fertiliser into it, but found some was being wasted and if all the bag wasn’t used it would start to go off,” said Michael. This year, he bought a big bag dispenser from Brian Murnane, Bantry, Co Cork. The dispenser is made from hardened plastic, it looks like a funnel with a sharp point at the top.

“When I want to empty a bag in a spreader now I lift the bag with the front loader of the tractor and leave it down on top of the dispenser. The sharp point pierces the bag and allows the dispenser to enter. Special gills on the side prevent it from falling out. The bag is lifted up again and placed over the spreader, the handle on the bottom of the dispenser can be opened to allow fertiliser flow out the bottom and closed again when there is enough in the spreader,” said Michael.

He likes the invention because he has more control of the amount of fertiliser leaving the bag and if all the fertiliser is not used it will keep. Brian is the first importer of this product in Ireland. It comes from France.

He is selling it nationwide himself and through a number of distributors at a cost of €161 including VAT, postage and packing. He says it can also be useful for tonne bags of cattle meal and cubicle lime.