Kverneland Headland News - ISSUE 37

HEADLAND NEWS ISSUE 37

WHEN FARMING MEANS BUSINESS

uk.kverneland.com

WELCOME TO ISSUE 37

NEW

It has been a year like no other. And a year in which our industry has played a critical part in ensuring the food supply chain continues to deliver for the needs of society.

Despite the many challenges COVID-19 and the UK’s exit from the EU has presented us with, our industry has succeeded in maintaining its ability to produce and supply food, in an ever-changing market.

This latest edition of Headland News contains many examples of our customers making the most of Kverneland products, together with the knowledge and expertise that we and our dealer network are able to offer, to further improve both their efficiency and productivity.

With our best wishes for 2021.

Joe Bell | Managing Director

2021 SHOW DATES Royal Welsh Grassland Coleg Cambria - Llysfasi, Ruthin - 13 May Royal Highland Show Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh - 17-20 June

TRIPLE FINGER HARROW OPTION To meet the increased demand for mechanical weed control, Kverneland has introduced a triple finger harrow option for Turbo and Enduro Pro cultivator ranges.

With stale seedbed production in mind, the triple finger harrow

The harrow uses three rows of

16mm diameter, 750mm long fingers. The harrow frame is hydraulically operated, allowing its depth – and ground pressure – to be independently adjusted in relation to the cultivator tines.

Further adjustment is available for individual rows of tines.

DEALERSHIP EXPANSION TAKES PLACE Across the eastern side of Scotland, HRN Tractors has increased the area in which it now sells Kverneland equipment, by expanding with an additional branch.

The new location is HRN Tractors Stirling in central Scotland, and going forward, the company also intends to add an additional depot in Angus, during 2021.

HRN’s Stirling location will accompany the firm’s six existing depots, spanning Caithness in

Royal Welsh Show Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells - 19-22 July UK Dairy Day The International Centre, Telford, Shropshire 15 September Scottish Ploughing Championships Monktonhill Farm, Prestwick - 22-23 October CropTec East of England Showground, Peterborough - 24-25 November

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works in combination with a wide cultivator point – where the point makes a full cut through roots at a shallow working depth, the finger harrow then pulls the plant onto the surface so it dries out and dies.

KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS

the north of Scotland, down to Balbeggie in Perthshire.

“As a long-established dealer working with Kverneland, we’re extremely pleased to have the opportunity to further expand our area,” says Hamish Bruce, dealer principal of HRN Tractors.

In the south of England, Rod Gaskin’s Cuckfield, Haywards Heath branch has been appointed as a Kverneland dealer covering West Sussex.

The dealership’s Tom Gaskin said

the firm had been looking for an extended range of cultivation and drilling equipment, plus straw shredder-bedders, to complement its existing franchises.

“Kverneland is a well-respected brand, with a broad range of high-quality implements that will benefit our customers,” he said. “We’re very pleased to be able to offer the Kverneland range from our Haywards Heath depot.”

RECORD SALES FOR THE TINE SEEDER Catchy autumn weather conditions once again brought the ts-drill to the front of growers’ minds, with dealers reporting record sales of the popular Tine Seeder. With many units sold during the autumn of 2020, it is once again proving to be the ideal solution for those pursuing ever later drilling dates, in less than ideal conditions.

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IM FARMING DEVELOPMENTS GEOCONTROL and AutoSetAPP, plus manual guidance, coverage logs, registration of task details and working totals.

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IsoMatch Global 2 is the latest GPS receiver from Kverneland.

With DGPS accuracy from

30-50cm without subscription fees, this latest receiver adds precision to manual control, automatic section control and variable rate control in combination with IsoMatch GEOCONTROL.

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A new version of the IsoMatch Tellus GO, 7in universal terminal has been developed, offering more processing power, faster response times and a glossy screen. Called Tellus GO+, it contains advanced hardware and software allowing the

terminal to provide automatic section control and variable rate control, using the appropriate licence keys.

Terminal functionality includes Wi-Fi, built-in tractor ECU program, camera display,

TS DRILL CREATES DRILLING OPPORTUNITIES an ex-demo, 6m Tine Seeder, and it’s proved to be a breath of fresh air.”

“Compared to our previous 3m trailed drill, this one is much lighter, far easier to pull so we’re using less diesel, and it is comfortably delivering twice the output,” he says. “I’ve gone from 45 to 90 acres/day.”

“The ts-drill has proved to be a breath of fresh air,” Will King, farmer Like many growers faced with the unprecedented wet autumn conditions of 2019, Dorset grower Will King and his dad Richard, reached a turning point that saw them change the drill. That new purchase turned out to be a 6m ts-drill from GCS, bought for Spring 2020 to replace a 3m trailed disc drill.

“We plant around 350 acres/ year, so we had to make some

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key considerations when buying a new drill,” says Will, a fifthgeneration farmer based at East Farm, Tolpuddle, Dorset. “We wanted a cost-effective purchase that didn’t rely on having perfect sowing conditions, nor did we want high running costs.”

“We wanted the opportunity to go in less than ideal conditions, and also to buy more capacity,” he says. “The best option was

Having sown grass seeds, wheat and barley, he says seed metering accuracy, seed placement and germination have been superb.

“We have a lot of steep rolling land, which ranges from chalk to gravel, and with a JD6215R up front, I have plenty of power to hold a forward speed of 11kph up the banks,” he says.

“It’s brilliant, and the auto-reset tines work really well. The tines do move a lot of soil, so one pass with a cultivator to move stubbles and encourage a stale seedbed means the drill is easily capable of managing the rest.”

A following harrow ensures the seedbed is levelled, and when conditions allow, the Kings follow-up with a set of rolls, to firm the surface.

“This new drill has created far more drilling opportunities – without it, there’s a few fields we simply would not have planted,” says Will.

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MD DISC REDUCES ESTABLISHMENT COST After five years of running a 6m u-drill, David Atkinson and Sons, of Hawkhouse Green Farm near Doncaster, has put the new MD disc version to the test for autumn crop establishment.

Kverneland Turbo has increased output considerably. Both would be pulled by the farm’s Quadtrac STX435, and there’s been a noticeable drop in fuel consumption.

“There’s no doubt about it, this low disturbance approach has helped to reduce our establishment costs,” says Pete Atkinson, who runs the farm with his dad David, and brother, Ben.

“We’ve gone from 80 litres/hr to just 40 litres/hr, and almost doubled our output,” he says.

“And a level, stale seedbed is then very easy to drill into, with the MD disc.”

“We’ve been able to remove a pass with a cultivator, and this has ensured we continue to produce cereal crops profitably.”

The 1,400-acre operation has a mix of soil types from limestone through to heavy clay, and most of it dictates that the farm would be foolish to attempt a move straight into no-till.

“As a low disturbance drill, the 6m u-drill with MD disc is the solution we need,” he adds.

Where the Atkinsons would have previously moved ground with a 3.6m Quadtill cultivator, the switch to a 6m

WHAT IS THE MD DISC? The MD disc is an alternative cultivation disc to the u-drill’s short disc harrow. Previously known as the Great Plains Turbo Coulter, the MD disc has been developed to minimise soil disturbance. It is well-suited to cover crop establishment; it can be used as part of a conservation tillage system; or within a conventional crop establishment process. The 430mm diameter straight disc has a fluted profile around its circumference, which assists

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Pete says the farm has tried a variety of scenarios ahead of the drill, including leaving the following harrow off the ground too. And where his old u-drill would burn 32-33 litres/hr working on cultivated land, the MD disc version has seen fuel burn drop to 28 litres.

“If we hadn’t had the MD disc, we would not have finished autumn drilling,” Pete Atkinson, farmer

“Where we’ve experimented putting cover crops direct into stubbles, fuel consumption has dropped to 19-21 litres,” he says.

“Though it’s not what the drill has been designed to do.”

“Where the old drill would work deeper and move far more soil, the MD disc simply moves trash and leaves a clean surface in a narrow strip ahead of the CX coulters,” he says. “We can create a really good stale seedbed in two passes, though the target is to achieve that with just one pass.”

Pete says the MD disc is very different to how his original u-drill is configured.

He says that working much shallower now means that if the weather does turn bad,

the ground won’t saturate and the farm will still be able to make progress.

“Harvest was late in 2020, which had a knock-on effect with autumn cultivations and drilling,” says Pete. “If we hadn’t had the MD disc, we would not have finished our autumn drilling. And we’ve been very impressed with everything the drill has done so far. All our crops have emerged evenly, and the look well.”

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with removing surface trash, reducing the risk of hairpinning. The disc’s flutes also lightly prepare soil in a narrow 30-50mm strip. Each disc also aligns perfectly with the u-drill’s CD coulters, enabling seed to be placed in the soil

KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS

strip, delivering a row spacing of 16.67cm. Each MD disc is individually mounted using the proven 3D auto-reset rubbermounting system, allowing it to follow ground contours, but also to deflect on-contact with any in-field obstructions.

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SOIL TESTING KIT NOW AVAILABLE

U-DRILL SUITS VARIABLE LAND Looking for more productivity with cultivations and drilling, Yorkshire grower Julian Floyd opted for a 6m u-drill in the Spring of 2020. It followed a demo from local dealer Farmstar, from which he has never looked back.

“With soils ranging from heavy clay to sand, we have a lot of variability, and while we’ll always have a need for a plough, we needed the option to work differently,” he says.

As farm manager at H Featherstone & Sons’ 1,200-acre Grange Farm, Shiptonthorpe, Julian works single-handedly when it comes to cultivations and drilling.

“Land is in four blocks, spread

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over a 20-mile radius, which poses a logistical challenge.

By opting for the u-drill, I’ve got the convenience of a wide machine that’s also easy to move around,” he says. “It has increased my output enormously and that’s helped to improve timeliness too.”

“A consistent seeding depth has resulted in very even germination,“ Julian Floyd, farm manager “The u-drill has also done a top job of firming the surface, thanks to all its press wheels,” he adds. “It rides superbly, and is very easy to pull. As a result of a

consistent seeding depth, we’ve seen very even crop emergence from the u-drill.”

He says that during 2020’s wet autumn, the ability to plough then drill, compared to plough and power harrow/drill with his old 4m unit, has also meant more productivity at a lower cost of establishment.

“Conservation tillage won’t work everywhere on our farm, particularly when rotation and soil types are taken into consideration,” he says. “Though the u-drill has now given me the option of working on ploughing, into min-till, and I’ve also experimented putting cover crops straight into stubbles with it. It’s very impressive.”

Kverneland has developed a soil testing kit, for growers looking to gather a deeper understanding of their soil health.

The kit includes a variety of tools and accessories to assist with checking soil profiles.

These include a penetrometer for measuring compaction, knife, folding ruler, brush, trowel, a pair of gloves and a copy of the Kverneland soil brochure.

Supplied in a tough case, the soil kit is available through your local Kverneland dealer, priced at £360.

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SILOKING SYSTEM 300+ PROVIDES MORE FEEDING OPTIONS The Kverneland Siloking selfpropelled feeder range has been extended with the SelfLine 4.0, System 300+ model.

This new version is the smallest SelfLine 4.0 machine currently available, and is offered in a range of capacities from 19-25 cubic metres.

It fills a gap between the 13-22 cube rear-steer, tricycle-style Compact and Premium chassis models, and the much larger System 500+ and System

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1000+ models that span a range of capacities from 19-32 cubic metres.

Based on the proven System 500+ version, the new System 300+ offers an air-suspended chassis with four-wheel steering and a 25kph road speed. Power comes from a 218hp Volvo engine, with 1,000-hour service intervals contributing to lower cost of ownership.

“It was doing such a good job, that the machine never left the farm,” he says. “I had been using my tractor and loader to shake out big square bales in the cattle sheds, though I felt that straw

This hydraulically driven straw processor delivers a chop length from 2-4cm, helping to shorten mixing times when including straw within rations.

were buying in around six lorry loads each winter, at a cost of around £1,300/load, the savings alone will pay for the machine in three years,” he says.

“The 863 shredder bedder has halved our straw consumption,” Paul Thomas, farmer

For additional versatility, all SelfLine 4.0 models can now be

SAVINGS WITH STRAW Looking to improve efficiency when bedding-up his cattle, Dorset livestock producer Paul Thomas turned to local Kverneland dealer GCS for a demonstration of an 863 shredder bedder.

equipped with an optional straw chopper. This development sits behind the milling head, and is activated by push-button controlled from the cab.

wasn’t being fully utilised by our cattle. And the demonstration confirmed that.”

Based at Greenfields Farm, West Knoyle near Warminster, Paul says his livestock were using 12 big square bales per week. But this figure has been slashed by the 863’s ability to process and spread straw.

“We’ve halved our straw consumption, and given that we

“The straw keeps its length and as a result, it resists being trodden in so our cattle are now staying much cleaner,” says Paul.

“And the mucking-out is much easier thanks to the 863’s even spread. There’s no lumps in the manure.”

With generous blowing ability, straw can be propelled from the feed barriers, but Paul prefers to get closer to the target.

“It’s got a hell of a throw on it, but being closer to the target helps with keeping the smaller, finer particles in the bedding area,” he adds. “Though it doesn’t seem to matter what the straw quality is like – it’ll effortlessly process any bale you can put into the back.”

He has also used the shredder bedder with round bale silage, and also to distribute clamped silage too.

“It’s good to know that if the mixer wagon breaks down, I can fold the spout in tight and drop silage against the feed barriers,” he says. “It’s brilliant.”

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ADDING CAPACITY IMPROVES FORAGE QUALITY With a focus on improving forage quality, Rob Wilson has recently increased the capacity of his grass machinery, to improve timeliness and make the most of drying and wilting.

“We’ll mow around 350-400 acres each year, and across different cuts, this will see 1,000 round bales of silage and haylage put in the barn each season,” he says.

With an 80 cow suckler herd and followers at Wroot Grange Farm near Doncaster, plus local contracting to help neighbours, AK & JMK Wilson and Son is keen

to get the job done sooner, and to a higher standard.

than wait for prolonged dry periods, and miss out.”

“Choosing more productive kit means we can make our forage to fit the weather patterns,” Rob Wilson, farmer

That philosophy has seen him recently invest in an ex-demo 3332MT mower conditioner and a 9m Kverneland tedder, to run with an existing 7.2m twin rotor rake, all supplied by local dealer Farmstar.

“We’re looking for drier forage – typically 30-35% suits our cattle,” he says. “So we’ve put the emphasis on more productive kit so we can make our forage to fit the weather patterns, rather

“With QuattroLink suspension, the mower is simply brilliant,” he says. “Where our old unit would burn 22 litres of diesel/ hour at 15kph, this new one uses just 18 litres/hour. It glides over our fields, and the change from plastic to steel tine conditioner

has shortened our wilting times.

We can mow faster, and still use less diesel than before.”

Daughter Annie adds that with the ability to adjust the front and rear edge of the conditioner plate, the mower can easily be fine-tuned to different crops.

“There’s no doubt we’ve stepped-up the quality of our forage,” says Annie. “We can make more silage, to a higher quality, in a shorter period.

And while the tedder is bigger than we would normally have chosen, it is comfortably on top of the job.”

SHORT BACK AND SIDES FOR SOLAR PARKS To keep large-scale solar parks in tip-top condition, Tythegston, Glamorgan-based contractor David Knight operates a fleet of Kverneland flail mowers.

“We maintain around 4,000 acres of renewable energy sites around the UK,” explains David. “And those sites will get a couple of cuts through the growing season to eliminate shading issues from long grass, which can impact on energy production.”

Supplied by Edwards Machinery, the flail choppers include a pair of 2.8m wide FRO models, and three FHS models – two of which are 2m wide and one is 2.3m. And his machinery selection could soon include an FHP Plus model, offering greater

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versatility for mowing banks.

“We operate a variety of widths to suit the many different sites we manage, and also to utilise available tractor power and physical size,” says David.

“Some sites dictate that smaller tractors are required – a pair of New Holland Boomer models and a pair of vineyard-spec New Holland TN and T4 models then provide the power where space is a premium.”

“For larger jobs, and site clearance tasks with brambles, bracken and other overgrown vegetation, we run the 2.8m FRO models with up to 200hp, thanks to a New Holland T6080 and a JCB Fastrac.”

He says the quality of the

“Side-shift lets FHS models slide under the edge of panels,” David Knight, contractor finished cut is superb, and flail life can be up to three years which contributes to low running costs.

“We’re cutting through material that can look like first cut silage that’s gone to seed,” he says.

“The flails really do mulch this large bulk of material into a useful suppressant that is

absorbed back into the soil.”

“What I like about the Kverneland flail mowers is that belts and flails are common across the range,” he says. “It makes parts stocking simple and affordable. And it becomes very easy to manage your machinery when it’s this straightforward.”

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I-PLOUGH IMPROVES SEEDBED QUALITY After several challenging years of min-till that culminated in crop failure at the end of 2019’s terrible conditions, James Mugleston hit the reset button and returned to ploughing in a bid to restore profitability on the family farm.

“The plough has proved to be the one piece of equipment that is guaranteed to give me a seedbed and get my crops off to a strong start,” explains Essex grower James Mugleston based at Hammonds Farm, Stapleford Tawney, near Romford. “We need a tilth, so our land needs moving, opening up and aerating.”

“The i-Plough creates very even seedbeds, that improve all other operations,” James Mugleston, farmer By his own admission, James is not a ploughman and does not enjoy ploughing. So the prospect of ploughing 550 acres every autumn was a task he wasn’t particularly looking forward to. But technology came to the rescue, thanks to the i-Plough’s capabilities.

“This is just so easy to use,” he says. “With on-the-move

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adjustments done through the IsoMatch Tellus GO in-cab terminal, and GPS to manage furrow widths and maintain arrow-straight furrows, I have time to watch what’s going on.”

Supplied by local dealer Tuckwells, the i-Plough follows an A-B line, adjusting its furrow widths on-the-move with the help of an RTK signal, to maintain an arrow-straight finish. Handled by an MF 7726S, output is around 45 acres/day.

“Ploughing done badly would be worse than not ploughing at all,” he says. “Fortunately, the technology has helped me to learn and understand ploughing much more quickly than spending years in the seat. And the results speak for themselves.”

can swap metal or change them in the field, in a matter of minutes. It’s no longer a traumatic experience.”

With some fields accessed using public roads, James says the plough’s folding headstock and pivoting cross-shaft have made on-road transport safe and secure.

“It tows just like a trailer,” he says. “And that’s important with what would have been a long, over-hanging fully-mounted implement.”

James knits the all-arable 600-

acre family farm’s daily duties within a series of additional onfarm diversification businesses.

“Demands on my time are challenging, though farming is the one aspect that can’t wait,” he says. “So I have to be efficient with my time and farm to the best of my abilities – and the i-Plough helps me to achieve those goals.”

“Despite 2020 delivering a tough Autumn, this time all my fields are planted and my crops are looking well – we wouldn’t have achieved it without this plough,” he adds.

With all straw chopped and incorporated, the resulting clean and level finish is easily managed in one pass with a Cultipress, with its DD rings setting up a weather-proof tilth ahead of drilling.

“I’ve never known a plough to pull so effortlessly,” he says. “It’s also a very simple, and welldesigned bit of kit. Skimmers are a doddle to adjust; every grease point can be reached from the transport position; and with knock-on points, I

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TURBO DELIVERS ON SOIL RESTORATION A change in cropping and cultivations policy for one Lincolnshire grower has seen ploughs and power harrows replaced by a 4m Turbo folding cultivator.

Photo credit: Farmers Guide

NO.38 MOULDBOARDS SOLVE WIDE TYRE PROBLEMS North Walsham-based FJ Clabon and Partners still favours the plough at Rookery Farm as a means to prepare land ahead of sugar beet and potatoes.

It’s a sizeable workload that compliments reduced tillage for cereal crops, but in recent years, the quality of finish has been compromised by increasingly wide tractor tyres.

“We just couldn’t achieve an acceptable finish running infurrow,” says Bob, who runs the 1,980 acre family business with his brother Philip. “Tractor tyres have improved to handle more weight and power, but there is a trade-off.”

“Although we have the option of ploughing on-land, there are times when conditions dictate running in-furrow for better traction, and wide tyres would impact on the front furrow,” he says.

Fortunately for the Clabons, the introduction of No.38 bodies prompted a return to the

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Kverneland brand following a successful demonstration by local dealer TNS. Choosing a five-furrow LO with on-land/in-furrow capability, the plough is used with hydraulic furrow width adjustment up to its maximum of 20in.

With typical ploughing depths of 12in and the option of subsoiler tines, the team thought five furrows would be plenty behind either a Fendt 930 on 710 tyres, or New Holland T7.270 on 650 tyres.

“We needn’t have worried,” says Bob. “To be honest, this new plough pulls so easily that we’ve just decided to buy an extra furrow, and increase our efficiency. We can plough faster, using less power and that means burning less diesel.”

“And these bigger mouldboards solved the problem immediately, and the quality of our ploughing is once again, top-notch,” says Bob. “We’re extremely pleased with the plough.”

“A change to our rotation has meant the only crop that we believe now needs heavy cultivations, is maize, that we grow for grain,” explains Mark Gash, who runs a 1,300acre farming and contracting business with his Dad, Trevor Gash (pictured). “Everything else we produce has gradually shifted towards min-till and zero-till processes.”

The family run operation, based at Glebe Farm on Blankney Fen, near Woodhall Spa, is one that was once heavily reliant on ploughing and power harrowing.

But that requirement is now comfortably filled by the Turbo cultivator, supplied by Irelands Farm Machinery.

“We only cultivate before and after maize,” explains Mark. “We do produce a lot of grain maize, and the late autumn harvesting often demands remedial work to restore soil health and provide aeration. And prior to maize drilling, we’ll run the cultivator through, but on different points.”

He says that using two sets of points at different times of the season allows the Turbo cultivator to work shallow

or deep, depending on the scenario.

“A full width A-share takes care of cultivations in the autumn, to incorporate trash and set the ground up for the following crop,” he says. “And in the spring, we run a narrow point to work the soil down to depth, in preparation for maize drilling.”

“We’re considering introducing a cover crop after cereals, to keep soil biology alive for those fields destined to grow maize,” he says. “It’s early days with the Turbo, and we’ll find the right strategy to continue improving soil health. Importantly, the cultivator is very easy to fine-tune, and it creates a superb finish.”

“With two sets of different points, the Turbo offers a flexible approach to cultivation,” Mark Gash, contractor Used with a 210hp Claas Axion 820, he says output is around 100 acres/day. Mark reports that the Reflex tines do a great job of helping to move soil, while the packer roller and its adjustable knives, add to the quality of finish. “The roller sets the depth of the cultivator and has a lot of easy adjustment to fine tune the working depth,” says Mark.

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E-DRILL EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS At the 750-acre Rippon Hall Farm, Hevingham, Norfolk, farm manager Steve Howard grows a range of combinable crops, along with potatoes and sugar beet, plus an area of grassland to support a pedigree British White beef suckler herd.

With soils being mostly sandy loams with some clay, the farm maintains a traditional two-pass approach based on the plough and drill. Though if conditions are dry enough, a pass with a cultivator can set land up ahead of the drill.

“Our old 3m cultivator-based drill with Suffolk coulters was up for replacement, and while it served us well most of the time, it struggled late-season to achieve a good enough seedbed,” says Steve. “ In less than ideal conditions, we needed a better combination, and I believed a power harrow drill combination with disc coulters was a more logical solution for our system.”

His thought process led him to a 3m e-drill Compact from TNS

Sculthorpe. Equipped with an 1,100-litre hopper, the outfit uses 24 CX-II coulters, NG-H power harrow, 575mm packer roller and Focus 3 control box. And two seasons in, he says the drill has exceeded expectations.

Steve says that the electronic calibration is both straightforward and accurate, and seed placement is noted as first class – even at speeds of up to 16kph on cultivated land, following oilseed rape.

“I’m very satisfied with the combination,” he says. “2019 was one of the most difficult seasons I can remember, with very limited drilling windows between deluges of rain. But I’m pleased to say we didn’t have to revise our rotation and we managed to get all our wheat in.

It would have been beyond the capability of our old outfit.”

“We usually run at 8-10kph straight behind the plough,” he adds. “Speed is limited by tractor power as it’s used with a 140hp

“We’re looking to make the most of every kilo we buy,” explains Gareth Bennett, who runs the CL GEOSPREAD linked

“And to avoid over-working our lighter soils, we need a minimum of 9kph – ideally, we’d be running around 10-14kph, so output isn’t bad for a 3m machine. It’s covered around 800 acres so far, and signs of wear are minimal.”

Impressed by the outfit’s build quality, he has praise for the three rows of staggered coulters which offer ample space to avoid blockages in trashy conditions.

“It’s easy to lift the coulters out of the way, hydraulically, to work down headland furrows,” he says. “This is a user-friendly combination.”

AFFORDABLE ACCURACY

At Woodseaves, Shropshire, HK & SB Bennett and Sons has embraced technology to improve the accuracy of fertiliser spreading at its 450-acre, 240cow mixed farm.

JD 6140R. I think 160hp would be better, as unsettled, light land can sap power.”

to an IsoMatch Global receiver, IsoMatch Inline lightbar and IsoMatch Tellus GO terminal in the cab of his Kubota M7152 tractor.

He has high praise for the spreader’s automatic section control, which switches on and off, based on where the spreader has travelled, to

“Seed placement with the CX-II coulters is first class,” Steve Howard, farm manager

cleverly manage overlaps in any shape field.

“The spreader is so clever that we can now apply fertilisers as accurately and efficiently on grassland without tramlines, as we can running through cereal crops with 24m tramlines,” he says. “It’s a truly remarkable piece of kit.”

“The CL GEOSPREAD has created the opportunity to carry out contract spreading for neighbouring farms, to help offset the cost of technology, and improve their fertiliser usage,” he adds.

Supplied by Battlefield Machinery, the spreader is equipped with three hopper extensions, and has created full traceability with field records and fertiliser applications.

“The only way we could apply fertilisers any more accurately, would be to apply everything as a liquid, through the sprayer,” he says. “And I don’t think we’d gain anything from doing that.”

“I never thought we could be this accurate applying bagged fertilisers,” Gareth Bennett, farmer 10

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iXtrack T4

ADVANCED CROP PROTECTION The Kverneland machinery range is set to grow with a full range of sprayers being introduced throughout the dealer network.

Choices include tractor-mounted iXter A and iXter B models with the option of additional capacity from an 1,100-litre iXtra front tank, plus an extensive line-up of iXtrack trailed models comprising T3, T4 and T6.

Across the sprayer ranges, buyers can choose from a host of technologies to suit their budgets and requirements, including individual nozzle control, auto section control, iXclean tank washing programs plus prime and purge functionality, and boom line recirculation.

The iXtrack T3, T4 and T6 models offer tank capacities from 2,600-litres to 7,400 litres, with a range of steel and aluminium booms extending from 1840m. These include twin-fold aluminium HSA and steel HSS structures from 24-30m, with wider options met using a three-part folding steel boom from 32-40m.

Boom performance comes from a suspended parallelogram rear frame, and working height is

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managed by a choice of Boom Guide ultrasonic ride height control systems. The pinnacle is Boom Guide Pro Active which uses three levelling sensors on the central boom section allowing faster reaction to changes in ground terrain, via a central slope correction cylinder.

Wider booms, typically on 24/36m formats, can now be equipped with five ultrasonic sensors, which operates with two outer sensors at the wider working width, and one outer sensor when operating at 24m.

Developed with operatorfriendliness in mind, iXtrack models are fully ISOBUS compatible.

ErgoDrive headland management is part of the standard specification, and allows boom raise/lower and axle steering to be managed by a single button press.

Nozzle control includes pneumatic or electric operation, suiting those using GPS for automatic section control and auto start/stop at headlands.

Individual nozzle control is available with iXflow E, which also offers a remote App control of nozzles when outside the cab, to simplify nozzle flow checks

and pattern testing.

Tractor-mounted iXter A models offer tank capacities from 8001,200 litres, with a range of booms spanning 12-21m, while the more sophisticated iXter B is available with 1,000-1,800 litre tank capacities, and booms ranging from 15-30m.

A semi-automatic or fullyautomatic liquid management system available with the iXtra front tank provides a fullymounted combination boasting 3,000 litres.

iXter B

Kverneland’s iXspray hardware and software provides the very latest in application technology, and operators can take advantage of intuitive touchscreens with smart electronics to manage individual nozzle control or boom sections, boom line recirculation, and one-touch boom, spray line and tank cleaning processes.

IsoMatch Grip adds further control, with up to 44 fully customisable functions available from a single joystick.

KVERNELAND HEADLAND NEWS

11

SUSTAINABLE MILK PRODUCTION gives our processing plant a supply of around 1.2 million litres/year.”

Around 50% of Ty Tanglwyst Dairy’s milk goes out on doorstep deliveries. The remainder is supplied to ice cream makers, schools, cafes, restaurants, local shops and hoteliers.

That was in 2004, and since then, the Ty Tanglwyst Dairy brand has continued to evolve, and now supplies a range of milk, cream and butter products to an increasingly local market.

“We were getting 17 pence/litre and milking 65-70 cows, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to work out how unsustainable that was,” explains Rhys. “I wanted to find a way to insulate our business from the volatility

of market forces, and take control of marketing our milk.”

Based at Ty Tanglwyst farm, Bridgend, the Lougher family now runs a 300-cow pedigree Holstein Friesian herd, which sees 130 animals through the parlour, three times a day. With sexed semen and a closed herd, the farm has also developed a keen interest in genetics to produce the best animals it can.

“We over-produce replacements, but it also provides a quality supply of first calving heifers to market, with strong bloodlines,” he says. “Our herd produces an 11,000-litre average, and that

Getting a regular supply of high-quality milk also puts the emphasis on producing high quality silage, and the farm has expanded the area farmed through rented land, to ensure there’s an adequate supply of grass and cereal crops to enhance milk production.

Grass silage forms the lion’s share of the ration, but maize, plus whole crop wheat and barley also have a key role to play.

“Everything we do is achieved with sustainability in mind,” Rhys Lougher, farmer With a desire to seek the true value of his family farm’s milk, Rhys Lougher instigated the development of an on-farm milk processing plant.

operating its own fleet of refrigerated vans.

“99% of our milk is delivered locally, so food miles are minimal,” he says. “And our customers like that. We run open farm Sundays and other events that also bring school children onto the farm – educating them about agriculture is very important.

And everything we do is achieved with sustainability in mind.”

Employing 24 staff, the farm works with independent milk delivery businesses and retail outlets, in addition to

And with Edwards Machinery supplying Kverneland 2832 and 2840 plain mowers to create a 7m front/rear combination, and a Kverneland tedder for hay and haylage, the farm takes full control of all its silage requirements. The only exception is maize, which is harvested by local contractor R&L Anthony.

“We have plenty of capacity, so we choose to mow grass when the conditions are right,” he says. “We don’t see any advantages in using a mower conditioner, and the plain mowers also let us mow the whole crop too. And everything is picked up using our forage wagon, delivering a 20mm chop length.”

“The base ration gives us 35 litres, with in-parlour feeding providing a top-up using RFID tags,” he says. “We do let our herd graze on all land adjacent to the farm – it’s important for our brand, that our customers see the very best in animal health and well-being.”

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HEADLAND NEWS JANUARY 2021 Headland News is published by Kverneland Group UK Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a data retrieval system or transmitted in any form or means electronic, photographic, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher.