Headland News - Grassland Focus Issue 44

WELCOME TO ISSUE 44

For the Kverneland Group, 2023 has certainly started on a very positive footing. Along with further strategic acquisitions across the businesses and a steady improvement in supply chains, we can now start to deliver the healthy order book we brought forward from 2022.

Several years of good farm incomes and profitability sees farmers continue to invest in machinery that will improve the operational efficiency and productivity of their businesses. This latest issue of Headland News is focused on our grassland and feeding portfolio, with our customers sharing their experiences of making the most of our equipment.

Those experiences continue to highlight that Kverneland innovations have a valuable role to play in the drive for greater efficiency. Be it GEOSPREAD for fertiliser applications or the productivity of self-propelled feeding equipment that can improve time management and reduce feed losses, our extensive range continues to find favour with an increasing number of forward-thinking farms. Weather conditions gave us a dry February, and with spring almost upon us, some well-timed rain has already given us the expectation of a good grass growing season. And we’re ready to support you, our customer, throughout the 2023 season.

SILOKING 4.0 ON TOUR

With over 3,000 self-propelled models built by Siloking since 2004, interest in the self-propelled feeder range continues to develop. It is recognised as the fastest, most accurate and most efficient way to feed cows, with accurately weighed ingredients processed through the milling head.

This SelfLine System 500+ model is the very latest to arrive in the UK, and is currently working its way around the Kverneland UK dealer network.

Complete with integrated feed management software, this 260hp 2519 model comes with feed-out options that include a front-left side conveyor and HD doors. The twin vertical augers are made of 15mm steel, with an

additional 6mm layer of Silonox high-strength steel applied for longevity.

With power supplied by Volvo Penta, this SelfLine System 500+ model boasts a 1,000hour engine oil change interval, 500-hour greasing intervals, and can be specified with 25, 40 and 50kph transmissions.

LOW RATE FINANCE AVAILABLE

Until the 30 June 2023, a selection of low rate annual and monthly finance options are available on a wide range of Kverneland equipment.

These include a 1+2 annual payment scheme using 0.99% flat rate and a 2+22 monthly

payment plan also using 0.99% flat rate. In addition, 1+3 annuals and 3+33 monthly plans are also available, both available at 1.99% flat rate.

Terms and conditions apply, for more details contact your local Kverneland dealer.

MORE MERGERS AVAILABLE

Joe Bell | Managing Director

2023 SHOW DATES

Royal Highland Show

22-25 June, Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh

Royal Welsh Show

24-27 July, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells

UK Dairy Day

13 September, The International Centre, Telford, Shropshire

The range of ROC mergers available for the 2023 season continues to grow, with the arrival of the RT870 and RT1000 models, offering working widths of 8.7m and 10m. An 11.5m RT1150 model is also expected to become available. ROC mergers use a 1m deep belt-type pickup that can position forage either left or right, or create a central swath. With three belts, the RT870 model has advanced functionality that enables its centre belt to be removed in a

matter of minutes, thanks to a quick release mechanism. This allows the two outer belts to create a large centre swath.

“The advantage of removing the centre belt is that the ROC merger still keeps the centre pickup reel in place,” explains Kverneland forage specialist Dan Crowe. “This enables the centre swath to be lifted from the ground and combined with crop from the two outer swaths. It’s all about preserving high quality forage.”

ROC mergers are capable of gently lifting and conveying forage crops while preserving delicate leaves. Doing so is less likely to lift stones and dirt from the ground, leading to reduced contamination and those with forage harvesters should see extended working life from blades and chute liners.

VINCENT TRACTORS & PLANT EXPANDS

The area in which Devon and Cornwallbased Vincent Tractors & Plant can support the Kverneland machinery portfolio has been extended to include all four of the dealership’s branches. This includes Vincent’s Holsworthy, north Devon branch, and its newest depot in Wellington, Somerset. It may be recalled that Vincent Tractors & Plant had been successfully providing sales, service and support for Kverneland from its existing locations at Smithaleigh near Plympton in south Devon and the company’s headquarters in Fraddon, Cornwall. In 2022, Vincent Tractors & Plant was awarded Gold status by Kverneland for its hard work across all departments including parts, service, sales and marketing, and in 2023 the dealership strengthened this with a parts award for excellence.

This progressive extension of the Vincent Tractors & Plant’s sales, service and support network now gives the Kverneland portfolio a stronger presence in parts of Somerset, adjoining the sales area already supported by C&O Tractors.

PUDAMA brings precision fertiliser placement to maize

Higher yields from lower inputs is the name of the game with PUDAMA - a fertiliser placement system jointly developed by Kverneland and the University of Applied Sciences in Cologne, Germany.

Available for the Optima maize drill with SX sowing units, PUDAMA uses around 25% less fertiliser than traditional maize sowing systems, while maintaining 100% of the yield compared to continuously applied fertiliser.

The key is to meter-out the precise amount of fertiliser for each seed at exactly the right time, and at high forward speeds. With fertiliser within easy reach of the seed, uptake is improved, and there is less chance of fertiliser being washed out or under-utilised.

The precise dose of fertiliser is then pushed into the ground by a jet of air, with the seed placed directly above it.

This season, Kverneland will be running a series of replicated field scale trials at several sites in the UK, to support the effectiveness of PUDAMA

Did you know that all Kverneland equipment now comes as standard with a two-year warranty?

Extending across all implements but excluding self-propelled feeders and self-propelled sprayers, the warranty contributes to a lower cost of ownership and includes ploughs, drills, cultivators, mowers, rakes, tedders, ROC mergers, fertiliser spreaders, mounted and trailed sprayers, plus precision farming products including Tellus control boxes.

Kverneland Siloking feeders can already be specified with an additional two-year parts-based warranty, available at extra cost at the time of ordering, to enhance the one-year parts and labour warranty supplied as standard.

“PUDAMA has been developed to increase the efficiency of fertiliser use when drilling,” explains Kverneland seeding specialist Graham Owen. “PUDAMA can place a more concentrated amount directly under the seed than conventional fertiliser placement, and this equates to a 25% reduction in DAP use, without yield penalty.”

“And as each maize seed germinates, having a concentrated amount of fertiliser beneath the roots will improve access and encourage uptake, getting every plant off to a stronger start.”

PUDAMA is triggered by a pulse from each of the Optima SX’s sowing units. As the seed reaches a predetermined point on the sowing heart, fertiliser discharge is triggered.

“We’ll be using an 8-row trailed Optima TF profi equipped with PUDAMA , and comparing it to maize grown with conventional fertiliser placement, at different rates,” explains Graham. “By weighing yields from each trial plot area, we can directly compare the effectiveness of this new system to maize that is grown with conventionally placed DAP.”

The PUDAMA principle sees a defined quantity of fertiliser precisely deposited in a concentrated location beneath each seed, rather than continuously placed down each row.

With PUDAMA, precise amounts of fertiliser are placed beneath each seed.

Merging for quality

Looking to get the highest quality from its forage, J&A Smales has invested in a ROC RT880 merger, from local dealer Farmstar.

Based at Burton Pidsea, East Riding of Yorkshire, the family-run farming, grass drying and grain storage operation aims to take five cuts each season, from 1,000 acres of lucerne and 800 acres of grass at Manor Farm. Its goal is to produce 10,000 tonnes of dried pellets for distribution to feed wholesalers around the UK from a harvesting process that starts at the end of March and runs through to November.

“Our focus is 100% on quality,” explains Sam Smales, pictured, who runs the business with his

dad Andrew. “Our finished product has to be visually appealing and that means maintaining leaf colour, as well as offering a high level of nutrition for livestock and equestrian markets.”

Completely self-sufficient with kit, the business has recently invested in a ROC merger, to improve the way it handles forage.

“We had been using a 9m twin rotor rake, and while it was a good place to start, it soon proved to us that there was room for improvement with how we handled our crops,” explains Sam.

“No matter how we tried, we couldn’t get away from the fact that rakes drag crop sideways across the surface as it sweeps material into a row. It’s quite aggressive.”

“To produce a higher quality product, we needed to reduce leaf losses – more so in lucerne – and also eliminate the risk of soil contamination. And the only way forward was to use a belt merger.”

The merger uses a pickup to ease the crop off the ground before moving it sideways on rubber conveyor belts to either reposition the crop or merge it into a larger row. Belt speeds can be varied, and run in the same or opposite directions, creating operational flexibility when it comes to grouping swaths together.

To make the most of forage harvester performance, Sam says the merger will be used to pick up and move crop over four passes, collecting more and more material each time to present a large swath for the New Holland FR500 forager.

“We’ll pick it up and move the crop every couple of hours using the merger, to help it towards a

50-55% dry matter content,” he says. “Then on the last pass, we’ll collect multiple swaths into one.”

Sam adds that the controllability of the ROC is impressive, enabling the machine to be fine-tuned to work smoothly at speeds of around 15-18kph.

“Wheels under the conveyor belts help with contour following; pickup and belt speeds are infinitely variable; and working height is easily adjusted,” he says. “There’s so much detail on the machine, that it’s obvious this has been properly engineered to last. It even has an auto-lube system to every bearing with the exception of pto shafts and brake drum adjusters.”

He says that compared to the rake, swath presentation is much better and he reports far less leaf and stalk damage.

“It’s also better for the forager, and we’ve noticed that the swaths are coming in that bit drier too, which has gained us 20% more throughput at the drying plant,” he says.

“There’s so much detail on the machine, that it’s obvious this has been properly engineered to last.”

FINE FINISHING FLAILS

Countryside Stewardship schemes are an important aspect of Woodhall Estate’s operation.

Of the 2,000 acres of arable cropping farmed by manager Rob Fox and his team, a further 1,500 acres are in grass and wild flower options, all of which require annual maintenance.

“Our preference is for a flail mower rather than a topper,” explains Rob. “The resulting finish is far better – cuttings are mulched, and in combination with a front-mounted unit, wheelings are invisible.”

Based at Woodhall Park and operating from Great Gobions Farm, Watton at Stone, Hertfordshire, he says the farm’s flail mowing requirements are now met with a pair of

Kverneland machines supplied by Tuckwells and wrapped around a John Deere 6155R.

He adds that all hydraulic controls and side-shift functions are set-up on the tractor’s Command Pro joystick, simplifying use and making full use of hydraulic float for both mowers, which provide a working width of almost 5.3m.

“We’ve recently swapped our older rear flail for a 2.5m FHP Plus 250 rear-mounted unit and a front-mounted 2.8m FRD 280

model,” he says. “These units smash up debris that is evenly distributed into the surface, rather than leaving clumps of matted cuttings. A fine finish also encourages faster regrowth with our wild flower margins.”

He says that one advantage of the rear mower with its offset is the ability to tilt the head vertically to trim the base of hedgerows where necessary, and

STEEL TINE PREFERENCE

also tilt below horizontal for tidying ditch banks.

“It’s a versatile and flexible solution, rather than a one-trick pony,” adds Rob. “These are both well-built machines, and should be good for five to eight years with our current workload.”

“When the flail knives do need replacing, we’ll be looking for replacement items that offer an even finer cut,” he says.

Looking for a more aggressive conditioning action, Lanarkshire farmer and contractor David Marshall opted for steel tines when upgrading his front and rear mower combination.

“I’ve been really pleased with my Kverneland mowers, but I wanted a more aggressive conditioning action to speed up wilting,” says David from Bankhead Farm, Glassford, Strathaven.

It is why he opted for a frontmounted 3632FT and rearmounted 3232MT equipped with semi-swinging steel tine conditioners. Both mowers use eight-disc cutting beds, each

covering a 3.2m working width and were supplied by R&R Machinery, formerly Ross of Lanark, to replace a pair of nylon tined models at Bankhead Farm.

The seasonal workload varies for DMR Marshall Agri Contracts, and the farm’s latest pair of mowers have cut through just over 1,000 acres in two seasons, and are still on their original blades.

Mowing comprises a mix of modest first and second cuts, and some heavy single cut crops ready for baling, with power provided by an MF7719 Dyna VT.

“We don’t have the biggest of fields, so folding up and moving to the next field has to be quick and easy,” he says. “I like the way the rear mower folds past vertical, to tuck in behind the tractor, which

makes it easy to negotiate gateways and narrow lanes.”

David says the mowers match up really well and produce a clean cut.

“The front mower is set on an A-frame, with the rear mower using a hydraulic top link,” he says. “So it’s very easy to match up the stubble heights and leave a clean cut.”

The decision to set the conditioner hoods to swath or spread are dictated to by the weather and prevailing field conditions.

“If it’s wet, I’ll leave grass in a swath and ted the crop once the ground dries,” he says. “But if its dry underneath, I’ll spread the grass off the mowers and avoid tedding. These mowers provide a straightforward and versatile solution for me and my customers.”

“It’s a versatile and flexible solution, rather than a onetrick pony.”

Greater accuracy on grassland

North Wales dairy farmer Aled Morris of EO Morris & Son has been using a Kverneland fertiliser spreader to good effect for several years across the 800-acres farmed from Marian Mawr, near Rhyl.

“It’s been a great spreader, but my brother-in-law has been using a Kverneland GEOSPREAD version for years, and he’s raved about the section control and auto start-stop,” says Aled Morris. “He made me curious despite the higher cost of the spreader. And initially, I couldn’t see how I could justify that investment.”

Yet having made the switch to Kverneland’s advanced spreader technology last season with a CL GEOSPREAD from Mona Tractors, Aled now accepts that

he wouldn’t want to spread fertiliser without weigh cells and section control.

“It’s a game-changer,” he says. “The accuracy is unbelievable and our silage fields have never looked so even. “If I was controlling the spreader myself, I’d be switching on too early and off to late. And that would mean bigger overlaps and more waste.”

With just 200 acres of maize and 70 acres of wheat for whole crop, the rest of the farm is grass for its

520 cow herd, where tramlines don’t apply.

“Spreading on grassland is where the GEOSPREAD really starts to deliver. We’re saving fertiliser and also putting it on much more accurately than before,” says Aled. “Weigh cells also mean I don’t have to keep to a 14kph forward speed. If the field is smooth, I can push on, getting around in less time, improving our efficiency.”

He says that using an IsoMatch InLine lightbar for manual

guidance at 24m in combination with section control meant any overlaps from driving were automatically managed by the GEOSPREAD system.

This year, he’s upgraded again to use auto-steering guidance through the tractor terminal while keeping the spreader’s functions on the Isomatch Tellus GO+.

“Talking to someone with experience of a GEOSPREAD has proved far more convincing than just listening to the dealer,” he says.

MAXIMUM GRASS DRYING EFFICIENCY

out, acquiring his kit and customers,” he says. “We’ve since increased our tedder capacity and have a total of three Kverneland models that have been sourced through Battlefield Machinery.”

A pair of 10-rotor 85112 tractormounted models handle the lion’s share of the work, with a smaller 8-rotor 8590 model kept as a back-up.

With a focus on rapid wilting to produce high dry matter silage for local dairy farms, Stevie Edwards operates two Kverneland 85112 tedders.

“Weather windows have become really tight, so if we can shorten drying times to get forage in the clamps much sooner, then all the better,” explains Stevie.

From Cardeston Park Farm near Shrewsbury, JW & PM Edwards and Son operates a general contracting business alongside its farming activities. The predominantly arable and slurry-focussed contractor dips its toes into the grass sector with a tedding service for several large-scale dairy farming customers.

“We bought into the tedding sector as a friend was getting

“Tedding is that one job which demands 100% reliability,” he says. “We work ahead of two silage contractors to get the grass tedded out, so we’re usually 30 minutes behind their mowers to make the most of wilting times.”

Stevie says experience has proved that each double tine needs to be roped through the spring coils, with spare tines and

rotor wheels being the most frequently used spare parts. “Broken tines and punctures are our nemesis, particularly in the rougher fields,” he says. “And if a tine snaps, rope through the coils mean they don’t get found by the forager’s metal detector.”

With customers making up to four cuts of silage, he says the workload can be around 3,5004,000 acres/year.

“Each season is different with the weather, but with a forager hunting down 150 acres/day, we need to be tedding 150 acres as quickly and efficiently as possible,” adds Stevie. “With two 10-rotor machines, we can cover that area in just five hours. Or have the ability to send them in two directions to different customers.”

PREMIUM CHEESE STARTS WITH HIGH QUALITY FORAGE

Located in the Waveney River Valley near Bungay, Suffolk, Fen Farm Dairy has diversified over the last 10 years to produce premium cheeses and milk products from its herd of 300 Montbeliarde cows.

It is a journey that first started with a raw milk vending machine. Such was the popularity and profitability of the venture, that the family-run farm was energised to find other ways to add value to its milk.

“We spotted an opportunity to produce an English brie that’s as good as any French brie,” explains

Jonny Crickmore, pictured, who runs the farm with wife Dulcie, and his parents Graham and Frances.

He says the process involved learning directly from the French, and it had to start with changing the herd from Holstein to Montebeliarde. In doing so, it made the shift from producing a milk that was favoured for

drinking, to one more suited to cheese-making.

Fen Farm’s on-site dairy now produces a range of awardwinning artisan cheeses, from which its Baron Bigod – an English brie – represents the mainstay of the business. The farm produces around 150 tonnes of cheese annually, and while a proportion is available locally through its on-farm shop, the majority is sold through stockists across the UK.

In addition, the farm’s dairy produces a range of yoghurts, butter, ghee and cream, with its Milk Shed still providing a supply of raw milk products for local customers.

“Controlling the whole process from start to finish is what enables us to produce this range of premium products for our customers,” he says. “And it starts with everything that our cows eat.”

While the herd grazes land at the 1,000-acre farm through the summer months, milk quality is managed throughout the year with a total mixed ration. Grass silage is the mainstay, with maize and whole crop triticale added to the ration.

“We aim for the highest quality grass silage, packed with energy,” explains Jonny. “We want high sugar, a high dry matter of around

35%, and we achieve this by taking multiple short cuts through the growing season combined with a maximum 24-hour wilt.”

Depending on the weather conditions, grass can be tedded immediately after mowing or simply spread from the farm’s front and rear 6m mower combination. This year, the farm will make silage from 180 acres. Every three rows are raked up using a Kverneland 9590C Hydro rake supplied by local dealer TNS, with a neighbouring farmer collecting the crop using a forage wagon. The new rake uses a hydraulically raised and lowered rear axle, improving stability during transport thanks to a lower overall height that is achieved without the need to remove tine arms.

“I do like the swath presentation, and the rake’s ability to cleanly move grass into one neat swath,” he says. “We don’t shave the ground when mowing, so the longer stubble carries the swath making it much easier to rake. And this reduces the risk of any soil contamination with forage.”

“Ours is a system that affords time to build and roll the clamp, keeping us in control of the entire silage making process,” he says. “From the field to the shop, it’s all about quality.”

“Controlling the whole process from start to finish is what enables us to produce this range of premium products for our customers”

Used Siloking delivers feeding efficiency

The arrival of a Siloking self-propelled feeder at Thomas & Wilson’s Lower Wood Farm, Alberbury, Shropshire, has proved something of a game changer for dairy farmer Henry Wilson.

“I was buying heifers in Europe and every farm I visited had a self-propelled feeder,” he explains. “And a good friend uses one to feed 1,000 cows in 90 minutes, so it got me thinking about how we could benefit from a self-propelled feeder.”

The 270-cow family-run business was using a trailed feeder wagon with a dedicated tractor, with loading via telehandler, and accepted that the cost of a new self-propelled feeder was simply out of reach.

“These three machines had a replacement cost of around £200,000, and our old feeder was in need of replacing,” says Henry.

“So when I found a seven-year old, 4,800-hour model for sale at HRN Tractors in Scotland for less than the cost of a new telehandler, I had to take a look, even though it was a smaller model than our trailed unit.”

With help on-hand from local dealer Battlefield Machinery’s Richard Evans to advise on the feeder, the pair flew up to Scotland and a deal was done. Since the SelfLine Premium 2115 model arrived at Lower Wood Farm four months ago, it has already clocked up 500 hours. Mixing three rations plus a dry cow mix every day, he says the switch to a self-propelled has knocked almost 90 minutes off the daily feeding regime.

“I can’t believe how much quicker I can feed,” he says. “There’s feed capacity available to expand the herd, and where cows were waiting for me to put out their feed, I’m now waiting for them to return from milking.”

Henry adds that the whole system is vastly improved and cows are back at the feed barriers

eating much sooner, without sorting through the ration.

“We have gained an incremental increase on our litres, which I believe is a result of cows not waiting for their ration,” he adds.

“The milling head keeps our clamp face clean and tight; rations are fluffier and mixed much more quickly; rations are also much more accurate and consistent with individual ingredients weighed in through the milling head,” he says. “Compared to using a shear grab, there is zero waste.”

With one engine now doing the work of three machines, Henry says the farm’s diesel consumption has also dropped, and his telehandler clock hours have halved.

“I’ll now be able to keep my telehandler for the planned five years instead of replacing it early just because the warranty hours have been reached far too soon,” he says. “There’s no way I would go back to a trailed diet feeder after this.”

The Siloking specialist

Shrewsbury-based Battlefield Machinery has sold four new Siloking self-propelled feeders into the area, and looks after five.

“We always keep a spare trailed machine as back-up for our dairy customers,” explains Richard Evans. “It’s important that our customers know there’s a solution available should there be a breakdown.”

“And our future plan is to keep a used self-propelled on-hand, for those larger farms that rely on the self-propelled system,” he says.

The firm says it has over 20,000 hours run-time experience giving it the knowledge and expertise to keep feed augers turning 24/7, 365 days/year. It has also sold over 25 trailed machines since becoming a Kverneland dealer in 2017. Visit Battlefield Machinery and Kverneland at the UK Dairy Day.

“I can’t believe how much quicker I can feed.”