Joel Flesher has been a year-round CRYSTALYX^® user for over three years. And that experience made the Angus producer from Ridgeville, Indiana, a logical choice to evaluate the performance of the new CRYSTALYX^® BioBarrel^® container.

Flesher has used CRYSTALYX^® BGF-30™ for his cow herd and likes what it has done. “We’ve seen this product help keep the cows in good shape,” he said. “It’s easy to use and the consumption is always consistent.” Joel agreed to try BGF-30™ packaged in the BioBarrel^® during the summer of 2006. He kept track of consumption as well as the biodegradability of the containers and overall feeding characteristics.

“The BioBarrel^® container worked well for us,” he said. “During the period of use we had over three-inches of rain. Water didn’t collect on the top of the product, because the sides of the BioBarrel^® wore down evenly as the product was consumed.”

Joel noted that as the containers got very wet in the rain the sides did degrade a little faster. That is a normal degradation rate and it did not affect consumption, which remained consistent.

CRYSTALYX^® steel barrels in combination with BioBarrels^® will be used in Joel’s operation in the future.

“We would probably continue to use the steel barrels in the winter and the BioBarrel^® in the summer on pasture,” he said. “We could also use the BioBarrel^® containers in the barnyard in the winter if we place them in protected areas.”

The new CRYSTALYX^® BioBarrel^® provides extra convenience for producers who like the flexibility of a true Single Trip Container™ that eliminates the need to retrieve and dispose of used containers. Joel Flesher is a customer of Stone Station Elevator in Winchester, Indiana.