Square Hay Bale Pellet Conversion Line — Order Confirmed for Livestock Feed Operation in Australia

An order has been confirmed for a 4 t/h pellet production line configured to process square hay bales, for a livestock feed supply operation in regional New South Wales, Australia — the line will convert baled pasture hay (a mix of ryegrass and clover, typical of the region's improved pasture composition) into pelletized feed product.

Square bales present somewhat different handling characteristics for the bale-breaking stage than round bales do — square bales are generally more uniform in internal density and shape, which the buyer noted made for easier integration with their existing storage and handling setup. They already had infrastructure for square bale storage from their hay supply operations and didn't want to change that just to suit a different bale-breaker design.

The equipment includes a square bale breaker (a different mechanical design than round bale breakers, feeding the bale in a more linear fashion rather than the rotational unwinding approach), hammer mill, hay pellet machine (ring die, 8mm pellets), and cooler. No dryer — the buyer's hay is stored under cover and typically tests at 12-14% moisture, within acceptable range for direct pelletizing.

Pellet output is intended for sale to livestock feed distributors across the region, primarily cattle and sheep operations — pelletized hay offers transport efficiency advantages over baled hay for longer-distance distribution, which matters in a region where livestock operations can be spread across considerable distances from any central feed supply point.

The order process involved some back-and-forth on the bale breaker specification — the buyer's bales run somewhat larger (heavier) than RICHI's standard square bale breaker accommodates, given the buyer uses a high-density baler. RICHI confirmed a slightly larger-capacity bale breaker model could be substituted within the same overall line configuration without affecting other equipment specs, and this was incorporated into the final order.

Production of the equipment is scheduled to begin in the coming weeks, with the buyer targeting an operational date later in the year, tied to their own facility construction timeline running in parallel.