Investing in a four-rotor tedder and a single-rotor rake has helped one Cornish livestock farmer to improve the quality of round bale forage for his stock.
John Vokes says the key to maintaining live weight gains through the winter for his 50 head of beef cattle is all down to forage quality.
“If I can feed my cattle well through winter, the summer will look after them,” explained John Vokes from Rowan Barn, Lockengate near St Austell, who makes around 400 bales of haylage each year to feed his Charolais, Simmental and Limousin store cattle. He has recently invested in a four-rotor TE4052 tedder and an RA1546 single rotor rake from Vincents, replacing an old haybob to improve timing and forage quality.
“The tedder is a superb bit of kit and its tines only ever touch the crop,” he said. “Tines sweep down and flick the crop into the air, where my old haybob would just push the crop backwards. Wilting times are now shorter, and the quality of forage is much better, which helps when you’re up against constantly changing weather conditions.”
John uses a local contractor for mowing and baling, having streamlined his kit to become more efficient with time. Though it meant larger swaths were needed to fill the contractor’s baler.
“Field access along very narrow lanes was important, so I chose a single rotor rake with removable tine arms,” he said. “And it’s a brilliant bit of kit. I can pull 9m into one row just by going up and back on myself.”
John highlighted that his focus on tedding and raking is where forage quality is won. “The rake also has hydraulic rotor height adjustment, which is superb for keeping the tines away from touching any soil, particularly where fields dip and roll,” he added. “And once baling starts, I bring bales back to the yard where they are double-wrapped and stacked to seal in the quality.”
“Buying the Kubota rake and tedder has made this an enjoyable job again, with far less
pressure and some great bales,” he said.
