They Turn Straw Into Erosion Control

2013 - Volume #37, Issue #5, Page #06

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They Turn Straw Into Erosion Control "Waddles"

“Waddles” made from straw and designed to control soil erosion by capturing sediment and spreading out the water, have been on the market for years. They’re widely used on highway construction projects.
     Since Tim Gogerty of Hubbard, Iowa, was already in the business of “rebaling” big round bales into small square bales, it seemed like it made sense to get into waddle-making.
    The absorbent, sponge-like waddle is a large straw sausage that’s held in place by wooden stakes and performs like a mini-terrace on bare slopes.
    Gogerty and his sons, Jordan and Jason, produce waddles in 10, 20 and 25-ft. lengths and diameters of 9, 12, and 20 in. They follow Dept. of Transportation specs and use wheat straw purchased from certified weed-free fields. They bale the straw in small square bales and feed the slices into a home-built waddle maker.
    Neighbor Randy Funke worked with the Gogertys to design and build the waddle maker, which operates off a tractor’s hydraulics. A rotating shaft equipped with hammers flails the straw and feeds it into a 9-in. dia. auger. The auger compresses the straw into a circular chamber and pushes it into biodegradable netting. Different size circular chambers can be attached to the machine to make waddles of various diameters.
    The netting is cut and tied according to the length of waddle needed. Then the finished waddle is coiled and stacked on pallets for shipping.
    “The machine can turn out a 25-ft. long waddle in only about 20 seconds. That’s as fast as industrial models,” says Tim. “Besides having an accelerated production schedule, our Iowa location is close to a lot of construction sites in the middle of the U.S. That means lower shipping costs than the waddle manufacturers on the East and West coasts.”
    The Gogertys rebale and make waddles in a 40 by 60-ft. hoop building.
    Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tim Gogerty, 33094 K Ave., Hubbard, Iowa 50122 (ph 641 487-7825).

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They Turn Straw Into Erosion Control Waddles TILLAGE EUIPMENT Erosion Control “Waddles” made from straw and designed to control soil erosion by capturing sediment and spreading out the water have been on the market for years They’re widely used on highway construction projects Since Tim Gogerty of Hubbard Iowa was already in the business of “rebaling” big round bales into small square bales it seemed like it made sense to get into waddle-making The absorbent sponge-like waddle is a large straw sausage that’s held in place by wooden stakes and performs like a mini-terrace on bare slopes Gogerty and his sons Jordan and Jason produce waddles in 10 20 and 25-ft lengths and diameters of 9 12 and 20 in They follow Dept of Transportation specs and use wheat straw purchased from certified weed-free fields They bale the straw in small square bales and feed the slices into a home-built waddle maker Neighbor Randy Funke worked with the Gogertys to design and build the waddle maker which operates off a tractor’s hydraulics A rotating shaft equipped with hammers flails the straw and feeds it into a 9-in dia auger The auger compresses the straw into a circular chamber and pushes it into biodegradable netting Different size circular chambers can be attached to the machine to make waddles of various diameters The netting is cut and tied according to the length of waddle needed Then the finished waddle is coiled and stacked on pallets for shipping “The machine can turn out a 25-ft long waddle in only about 20 seconds That’s as fast as industrial models ” says Tim “Besides having an accelerated production schedule our Iowa location is close to a lot of construction sites in the middle of the U S That means lower shipping costs than the waddle manufacturers on the East and West coasts ” The Gogertys rebale and make waddles in a 40 by 60-ft hoop building Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tim Gogerty 33094 K Ave Hubbard Iowa 50122 ph 641 487-7825

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