A farm contractor from North Devon, reflects on how responding to customer demand for better silage options has shaped the direction of his business, leading to improved efficiency and positive feedback from his clients.
In North Devon, Dave Leworthy, who runs his own contracting business, has built a reputation for quality work, from mowing to baling and more.
In the last few years, he expanded his offerings to include film and film bale wrapping alongside net wrapping, a decision that’s proven to be a game-changer for his business and customers alike.
Dave’s journey into contracting has been driven by a mix of ambition, practicality, and a deep-rooted connection to farming.
Growing up on his family farm near Barnstaple, Dave always wanted to farm on a larger scale. However, he soon realised that obtaining land and scaling up in agriculture wasn’t as straightforward as he'd hoped.
“The dream was always there, but the reality of acquiring ground was tougher than I thought. So, I decided to turn to contracting,” he says.
Dave’s career as a contractor started in 2021, but his story in agriculture goes further back.
“My father worked for a contracting company all my life, so I grew up around machinery, going out with him, and learning the trade.”
In 2019, Dave made his first significant investment, a tractor, and began hedge trimming and mowing on weekends while working full-time for a local contractor.
By 2021, he decided to make the leap and start his own contracting business.
“I had the machinery in place, and I was ready to go. The idea was that contracting would support me while I eventually transitioned into farming,” he says.
And while farming itself has become a secondary focus for Dave, his contracting business has flourished. His range of services includes mowing, baling, raking, fencing, and hedge trimming, and his client base spans the radius of North Devon.
A new offering
As his business expanded, Dave started receiving requests from clients for film and film wrapping for their bales to improve silage quality and longevity.
“Lots of my customers, particularly beef and sheep farmers, were looking for a more efficient solution for their baled silage.”
Initially hesitant, Dave soon realised that offering film and film would provide a valuable service while also improving the quality and ease of feeding out silage.
“I used Baletite, Silotite’s film and film solution, at my previous job, and it always performed far better than other options,” he says.
“We’d tried several different makes of film, but no matter what we used, the cheaper stuff always let us down. The reel would dent easily, or tear and then the film would struggle to feed through the baler.
“At my old job, we would fight over who got to use Baletite when film was delivered to the yard.
“You could throw Baletite off the roof of a house and it would still work,” he adds.
Dave’s decision to switch to a McHale Fusion 4 Plus baler with film and film capability in 2024 marked a major shift in his business.
“When I decided to switch to film and film, I knew the McHale Fusion was the right baler to make it happen,” he says.
Dave reflects on the importance of working with a reliable dealer when making such significant investments in equipment, noting that their service was crucial in his decision to upgrade his baler.
“When I priced it up with the salesman, Dennis Norman at Halse, I wasn’t planning to go brand new.
“But when I looked at the maths, it was going to cost me the same in interest to buy a brand-new baler as it was for a second-hand one. So, it just made more sense to go for it,” Dave explains.
While the investment in a McHale Fusion baler was substantial, Dave felt confident in his choice, thanks to the strong support from Halse.
“You can ring up Halse about pricing or speak to the workshop about sorting out parts. No matter what you need, nothing’s too big or too small for them. They always sort things out,” he adds.
With his investment in the baler and the addition of film and film wrapping, Dave has seen his business grow rapidly.
“Last year, I baled just under 10,000 bales, which is a significant jump from the previous season. Around half of these were wrapped with film and film,” he says.
“The investment in quality equipment has paid off. Not only does it improve the service I offer to customers, but it also boosts the reputation of my business.”
Customer feedback
The response from Dave’s customers has been overwhelmingly positive.
“A lot of my customers love the fact that the film stays intact, and the bale holds its shape better,” he explains.
The main selling point, according to Dave, is how the film and film bales feed out more smoothly, with no need to worry about separating net from the silage.
Even those who were initially sceptical about the higher cost of film have seen the value in it.
“It’s not always the cheapest option on face value, but the durability and ease of handling more than make up for it,” he adds.
His clients quickly recognised the benefits of film and film bales, particularly in terms of ease and the efficiency of waste disposal.
“Unlike net-wrapped bales, the film and film bales can be fed out without the need to separate material, which is particularly helpful if you’re using a bale unroller.
“Typically, the outside layer of a bale is most prone to spoilage, but film and film provides a stronger oxygen barrier and prevents this, so there’s no waste.”
Growing the business with quality equipment
Dave’s plans for the future include growing his range of equipment to increase capacity and continue offering high-quality services to a growing customer base.
“I’m always looking for gaps in the market, but I don’t rush into anything. If there’s demand for a service, I’m willing to look at it, but it has to make sense for the business.”
Dave Leworthy’s journey from a small-scale farmer to a thriving farm contractor is a testament to the power of investing in quality equipment and listening to customer feedback.
With the integration of Baletite film and film wrapping into his contracting business, Dave has not only improved efficiency but also gained the trust of a growing customer base.
For contractors looking to offer a higher-quality silage wrapping service, Dave’s story is an example of how making the right choice in equipment can pay dividends in both service delivery and customer satisfaction.
