New kit doesn’t have to be the biggest on offer, but it does need to deliver on reliability and efficiency, as one Buckinghamshire farming family has found out.
For those running older equipment, the lure of the farm workshop can be hard to resist when that inevitable breakdown occurs. But when you factor in your time along with lost productivity, buying new kit with a warranty can prove to be a game changer.
That’s the conclusion drawn by the Venn family at Hartwell Hill Farm, Whitchurch near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, having recently replaced an ageing fertiliser spreader and a twin-drum mower, to improve operational efficiency.
“We had reached the end of the road with running repairs, so we took the opportunity to modernise and improve efficiency with new kit, but importantly, without breaking the bank,” explained Brad Venn, who farms alongside his parents, with brothers Alton and Chad.
Through local dealer George Browns, the Venns have increased fertiliser spreader accuracy with a 2,000-litre capacity DSM twin disc spreader, and also improved hay making efficiency with a six-disc DM1022 mower, which features three blades on each of its triangular discs.
“We mow around 25 acres for hay, and the resulting regrowth from the clean cut has improved our leys for grazing,” said Brad. “It’s easy to set-up, and needs very little power to operate. We didn’t need to go any wider than 2.15m, and that brings a cost saving compared to wider equipment.”
Hartwell Hill Farm extends to around 320 acres, and comprises sheep and goat enterprises that occupy 100 acres of grassland, with the remaining acreage split 50:50 between winter wheat and over-wintered stubbles on stewardship schemes.
And with a recent sprayer change too, the farm took advantage of wider tramlines, moving from 12m to 24m working widths.
“With two hopper extensions, the DSM spreader’s extra capacity has made it really easy to boost output as well as application accuracy working at 24m,” said Alton Venn, pictured with Brad.
Brad and Alton both agree that it now takes just a couple of days to apply fertiliser across the whole farm, instead of almost a week, giving them more time for other jobs.
“Everything we do is now so much quicker, more efficient and easier to achieve,” he said. “We’re making fewer passes across the field, and that also means burning less diesel. Reliability is one thing, but we’ve been really impressed with the extra efficiency.”
