Baling solution improves contractor’s silage quality

John operates a successful farm contracting business in Hawick, in the Scottish Borders, alongside his parents Ian and Katherine. The Hepburn family has farmed at North House Farm since 1987, renting part of the land from the Buccleuch Estate. They later purchased the neighbouring Broadhaugh farm from the estate in 2017. John also contract farms an extensive hill farm, lambing up to 5,000 ewes and calving 180 cattle each year.

The Hepburns run a herd of Aberdeen-Angus cross Charolais store cattle alongside a small herd of pedigree Galloways and pedigree Charolais, which are housed from mid-October and fed home-grown silage and barley. Aiming to get two to three cuts of silage per season, they put around 90 acres of grass into the clamp, while the best quality red clover silage and multiple cut silage is baled.

Reassessing

John has navigated the change in customer demand over the years and has since established a successful niche. Having started his contracting venture in 2013, he originally ran two forage wagons throughout the silage season.

He says: “I realised I could offer something a bit different, so I invested in two Pottinger forage wagons, and later moved to Krone. However, the upgraded machines didn’t quite live up to expectations, and the cost of replacing a forage wagon nearly doubled in cost.”

The scale of the work they were doing hardly justified replacing the machine, he adds. “The smaller 40–60-acre pit jobs that previously made up a big proportion of the work, were slowly becoming fewer and far between.”

Realising the direction of the business needed to change, he turned his attention to success stories from contractors he had seen baling with net replacement film (NRF). 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,” he says. “I always try to identify a niche in the market, something no one else is doing.”

In 2023, he took the plunge and replaced his forage wagons with a McHale Fusion 4 Plus baler, trialling Baletite, Silotite’s answer to NRF. “Massey Ferguson and Fendt balers were on my radar, but I knew I wanted to invest in the film and film concept, and McHale could offer the full package,” he says.

Fresh start

In summer 2024, John embarked on his first silage season with his new baler and NRF, producing an impressive 8,000 bales, with 1,500 for himself, and 6,500 across his contracting business. “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,” says John.

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,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what you put in front of it, it’ll churn out 50 to 60 bales an hour, all day long.”

Improved quality

John’s contracting customers stayed loyal, despite his change in operations, with only positive feedback across the board. “Farmers commented on the improved quality of the silage when it came to feeding out. We saw a lot less spoilage – a common issue with net, often resulting in waste.”

With the dry spring and summer, he says that farmers will pay extra attention to protecting silage quality throughout the winter. “Yields will be much lower than last year, so reducing waste from spoilage is much appreciated.”

John was also impressed with the difference in the quality of bales fed to his own livestock. “A good stockman knows good silage, and the best verdict will come once it’s in front of the cattle.”

Recycling bale wrap

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 have integrated with my current system. Anything to improve day to day operations and silage quality is a win,” he concludes.

Roadshows return

Following the success of Silotite’s roadshows at the start of 2025, Silotite will be returning with a range of events again in 2026. The events will take place throughout the UK and Ireland, offering farmers valuable opportunities to gain technical advice and practical demonstrations of Film&Film (F&F) in action.

These events aim to showcase the benefits of F&F technology, highlight best practices, and support the adoption of more sustainable farming solutions.

Attendees can expect first-hand success stories and expert insights to help them optimise their silage quality and improve efficiency.

Visit the Silotite website to register for details.

Visit Silotite at LAMMA 2026: Hall 10 Stand 732

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