Martin Andersson of Krogeröd Farm has not only refined his own forage operations over the last 35 years, but also grown his contracting business, focusing on high-quality silage production.
Krogeröd Farm, just outside Svanesund, Sweden, is home to Martin Andersson and his fiancée.
As a second-generation farmer, Martin has spent over three decades in farming, focusing on his suckler beef herd and producing high-quality home-grown forage.
A blend of tradition and innovation
Martin's family started farming in 1981, but he bought his own farm in 2002. The farm has a suckler herd of 30 Hereford cross cattle, rearing all their own replacements.
Martin’s approach focuses on rearing his cattle on home-grown forage with little to no bought-in feed, which places strong emphasis on the importance of growing high-quality silage.
Alongside the farm, Martin runs a contracting business offering mowing, raking and baling services, producing around 4,000 bales per season, 300 of which are used on his own farm.
Martin chooses to bale his silage instead of storing it in a clamp as it offers him greater flexibility, especially given the herd size.
The round bales are typically stored outside on hard gravel surfaces, with bales often being fed up to 18 months after production with no compromise on quality.
The shift to film & film wrapping
Martin has tried and tested different balers over the years, but his McHale machines have always come out on top.
Currently running a McHale Fusion 3 Plus that was purchased in 2021, Martin opted for a baler that could offer film-and-film wrapping to expand his offering to customers.
Martin says since moving from net to Baletite baler film and SilotitePro, the bales are tighter, denser and retain their shape better.
He says he no longer has to think about the forage getting enmeshed in netwrap, which is even more of an issue when the bales are frozen, making the feeding-out process more challenging.
After giving film-and-film a try, he immediately appreciated the ease of opening the bales as the film and outer wrap come away together.
Martin's contracting customers also appreciate feed-out convenience, with many preferring film-bound bales over net.
The benefits of Baletite
Sustainability is another important factor for Martin and his operation. When wrapping with Baletite, Martin can confidently reduce the number of layers of outer bale wrap from 8 to 6, achieving equal protection from less material usage.
The film and film system not only improves efficiency but also simplifies the recycling process, by using just one type of film, instead of a separate net and outer wrap, Martin finds the recycling process more straightforward.
Sweden’s national recycling programme, Svepretur, makes it easier to handle waste, and Martin appreciates the convenience of the recyclable sleeve packaging for SilotitePro and Baletite, which stays clean and simplifies disposal.
