John Hepburn is filling a gap in his local contracting market by rethinking his silage offering to improve forage quality for his customers, while providing a recycle-ready solution to farm plastic waste.
Third-generation mixed farmer John Hepburn operates a successful farm contracting business in Hawick, in the Scottish borders, alongside his parents Ian and Katherine.
The Hepburn family have farmed at North House Farm since 1987, renting part of the land from the prestigious Buccleuch Estate and contract farming an extensive neighbouring hill farm.
They aim to get two to three cuts of silage per season to feed their 150 head of Aberdeen-Angus cross Charolais store cattle, alongside a small herd of pedigree Galloways and pedigree Charolais.
Forage wagons vs baling
Keen to keep ahead of the game, John began to recognise the evolving needs of his customers over the years and has since established a niche system.
Having started his contracting business in 2013, he initially ran two forage wagons during the silage season, but with machine costs soaring, it was time to reassess his silage offering.
“The number of small 40–60-acre pit jobs was decreasing and the cost of replacing a forage wagon nearly doubled,” says John.
Realising the direction of the business needed to change, he began to turn his attention to success stories from contractors he had seen online, who were baling with net replacement film (NRF).
Changing to net replacement film
Using film instead of traditional net wrap promised to create a more compact bale, and an improved oxygen barrier, reducing silage loss from mould.
“I just thought ‘this makes a lot of sense’. It seemed such a good idea”.
In 2023, he took the plunge and replaced his forage wagons with a McHale Fusion 4 Plus baler, trialling Silotite’s answer to NRF, Baletite.
No one else in his area was using NRF and John says that it is hard to believe that it has taken so long to gain traction.
“I always try to identify a niche in the market, something no one else is doing,” he says.
John also invested in a unique bale tipper towards the later end of the season.
Designed and manufactured in Germany and the first one to be imported into the UK, the one-off piece of equipment makes collecting the bales more efficient in the field and has gained serious traction on social media.
“It was revolutionary for us,” says John. “Overnight it had thousands of views and enquiries. We’re only in our first season with it so far, but it’s working well for us.
See how the bale tipper works for yourself: https://www.facebook.com/reel/688064244080196
Success with Net Replacement Film (NRF)
John’s first season using Baletite with the Fusion yielded impressive results, the combination allowed them to bale a large amount due to the efficiency of the machine.
Customers stayed loyal despite his change in operations and commended him on the improved quality of the silage and ease of feed out thanks to its recycle ready design.
“There was some concern that a fixed chamber baler, compared to a variable, wouldn’t pack in the weight, but we soon proved it wouldn’t be an issue,” he says.
As a precautionary measure, he fitted a bale weigher to the machine.
“Straight away, it was churning out bales at 800– 900 kilos, a respectable weight for a silage bale.
“It doesn’t matter what you put in front of it, it’ll churn out 50 to 60 bales an hour, all day long.”
What is Baletite?
- Baletite is a film alternative to net wrap for silage baling
- The enhanced seal reduces mould and spoilage
- Silage is packed tighter for a more compact bale
- No net to remove resulting in easier recyclability
- High puncture resistance
Improving livestock nutrition and efficiency
With the dry spring and summer, John explains how in 2024, farmers will be even more committed to ensuring their silage quality is protected right through the winter.
“Baletite helps to preserve the nutritional value of the silage compared to net so we saw a lot less spoilage – a common issue often resulting in waste,” he says.
Reducing waste through recycling
As well as improved quality, John finds Baletite more time effective when it comes to feeding out as it does not require separation from the outer wrap to be recycled, unlike net.
“Overall, I’ve been really impressed with how the baler and the new film and film approach has integrated with my current system, anything to improve day-to-day operations and silage quality is a win,” he concludes.
