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Twenty years at the cutting edge Donald Love Windrowing is expanding its silage service this summer, matching growers with buyers. By Linda Clarke The Mayfield contractor is running an extra windrower and an extra rotary mower to boost his cutting capacity when farmers need it most. Donald and wife Kay started the business with just a hedge-cutter in 1993 and now run four MacDon late-model windrowers, which cut a wide variety of crops including ryegrass and hay crops ready for baling. They also operate a baler and the faithful hedge-cutter. He has interchangeable rotary cutting fronts for the windrowers, which spread the crops over a wider area to dry. Donald said he bought the extra machine to better meet the needs of his clients, who frequently needed crops windrowed at the same time within windows of dry weather.
Like many of his farmer clients, Donald uses state-of-the-art technology on his machines, including GPS which means drivers can work to within 2.5cm accuracy on passes. This season his baler will also be equipped with a moisture meter, scales and printer so each farm can have its own bale statistics printed. “Farmers are leading the way with technology on farm and we, as contractors, need to play our part.” While the business is run by Donald and Kay, son Robert and a fulltimer during the cooler months, the summer season will see another seven experienced contractors behind the wheels of the MacDons and other machines.
“We have the windrowers based throughout the area, and move the fronts as required to each machine, we just want to provide a better service.”
“We don’t want to do every bale in the district, but we want to do a good job to ensure we go back next year.”
He said farmers should be thinking now about engaging a contractor for the cutting season. A new service, which he began last year, involves Donald linking farmers with silage to sell to dairy farmers or other livestock farmers needing silage for stock.
Donald Love Windrowing 138 Mayfield Valetta Road, Ashburton Tel 03 303 600 or 027 279 8704 rockisle@xtra.co.nz www.donaldlovewindrowing.co.nz
“We already have trusted relationships with arable farmers in the district. We want to connect them to dairy farmers or other farmers for on-going relationships too. The forecast milk payout might encourage some of them to pre-order their silage.”
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