applied research

Innovation is the application of better solutions that meet new requirements, inarticulate needs, or existing market needs. The term innovation simply means the act of introducing something new. Without innovation society would never move forward and we would be stuck doing the same old things. Innovation drives today’s market place and it’s important for companies to constantly be thinking ahead and remaining current with the times. The agriculture industry has come a long ways over the years from having a horse and plow in the fields to using GPS systems to drive the tractors. Innovation has allowed for the agriculture industry to advance and has created a more sustainable industry.
The innovative product our group has come up with to better the agriculture industry is biodegradable net wrap. Net wrap has become a popular option for hay producers over the years because it cuts down on the time it takes to wrap a bale as compared to twine. Time is a big factor for hay producers as this will determine the quality of hay based on the current weather conditions. Most producers prefer the use of net wrap over twine because it does a nicer job of keeping the product all together and makes for easier transportation.
Our innovation consists of using a biodegradable plastic as our main material. The net wrap will be composed of a bio plastic to ensure our product will biodegrade. We suspect our product will be useful for up to two years in either indoor or outdoor storage. Obviously outdoor storage will allow for the net warp to biodegrade faster but we assume it will remain functionally sounds for up to a year and a half.
The main purpose that our group came up with this innovation is mostly due to the implications related to cattle consuming net wrap. If ruminants consume net wrap there is two different implications it causes. The first implication is the net wrap getting stuck in-between the first two stomachs. Usually the net wrap gets caught