Determined to reduce waste and improve silage quality for his customers, one large scale contractor from North Wales has turned to film binding to maximise forage outputs.
John Trefor Owen has built a successful contracting business, providing a high-quality baling and wrapping service across Anglesey and further afield in North Wales.
Running J.T. Owen Agri Contracting, Mr Owen manages a busy workload, supported by a range of machinery including a Case Maxxum 14, Case Puma 175 CVX and a John Deere 6R215, two Kuhn FBP 3135 Balepack baler-wrappers, a five-furrow plough, a three-metre pneumatic drill, a 6m grass air seeder and a set of mounted mowers.
Mr Owen took his expertise overseas during contracting seasons in New Zealand and bought that knowledge home.
“Working in New Zealand during the winters has been a brilliant life experience and taught me a great deal.
“The farming isn’t that different to North Wales – it’s just on a bigger scale. It gave me the confidence to try new systems,” he says.
Meeting changing customer demand
Despite the demands of contracting at scale, Mr Owen has not lost sight of the importance of maximising forage quality and reducing waste wherever possible.
When he first started out, Mr Owen offered a high-speed wrapping service. But as demand shifted, customers began asking for a full baling and wrapping package.
“The shift in demand was clear,” he says. “Farmers wanted one contractor who could deliver everything, and they wanted the confidence that their forage would last through the winter without problems.”
After trialling a Kuhn Balepack baler-wrapper in 2019 and being impressed by the results, he invested in a second machine the following season.
“The Balepack gives us the output and reliability we need to keep up with demand,” he explains.
Tackling silage waste and spoilage
Local farmers in Anglesey were increasingly frustrated with net wrapped silage, which left bales more vulnerable to spoilage and handling issues.
For Mr Owen, it was clear he needed to improve the system for his customers.
“Traditional net has its limitations,” he says.
“When you’re talking about thousands of bales a season, the last thing farmers want is to lose forage to spoilage. I wanted to give my customers something they could rely on.”
The switch to film binding
The solution came with Kuhn’s Balepack baler-wrapper combination, which uses film binding, with 750mm rolls.
Unlike net, this method binds the barrel of the bale with film immediately, before reinforcing it with additional layers of bale wrap.
“Once my customers experienced film binding with this machine, they were reluctant to go back,” says Mr Owen.
“It’s not just about less wastage – it’s about bales that are as good at feed out as the day they were wrapped.”
Another big plus for his customers was the ease of recycling - “Because the Kuhn system uses the same film for both binding and wrapping, you’re able to dispose of it all in one,” he explains.
“That makes life much simpler when it comes to feed out and avoids the problems of separating net.”
High-quality silage at scale
Today, J.T. Owen Agri Contracting bales and wraps more than 20,000 bales every season.
With two machines running, Mr Owen and his uncle can comfortably cover 100 acres in a single day, producing 45–50 bales per hour per machine.
The benefits have been clear to see:
- Higher-quality silage with minimal spoilage
- Longer storage life, with bales keeping their condition until opened
- Simplified recycling
- Denser bales for improved fermentation easier transportation
“Once we switched to film binding, customers could see the difference straight away,” he says.
“Silage quality improved, wastage dropped, and the bales are much denser, which makes them easier to stack and transport.”
To build on this, Mr Owen now uses SilotitePro2000 bale wrap across both machines.
With its nine layer strength, 2,000 metre length and edge-to-edge protection, it has delivered reliability and time savings in a busy contracting season.
“The icing on the cake is that SilotitePro comes in sleeve packaging,” he adds. “With cost and time savings, and ease of use, I wouldn’t consider using any other product.”
Looking ahead at the future for baling silage
With growing demand for high-quality forage, Mr Owen sees a strong future for baled silage.
Farmers are increasingly recognising its value in building resilience into livestock systems, whether used alongside grazing or as a dependable winter feed base.
“High quality silage bales are becoming more popular now due to their superior nutrient content,” he says.
“They also offer levels of flexibility that you don’t have with clamped silage.
“Quality baled silage has a clear place on modern farms, and we’re ready to provide the best possible service to meet that demand.
“Anyone interested in improving their silage operation or the quality of their forage should consider making the switch to film binding,” he says.
