Farming over 500 acres, the UK based farmer runs a herd of 75 Limousin and Belgian Blue cross cows and calves, and provides contract baling and wrapping services. “Yes, I could have bought a combination baler-wrapper, but why stop to transfer every bale?” he says. “It’s time you never get back and adds up to a lot of lost productivity every day.” And operator Michael O’Sullivan agrees.
“We’re using less diesel; working more efficiently with one tractor; and making bales that are much heavier than before,” says Michael O’Sullivan. Supplied by P&D Engineering, the FastBale makes 1,000 bales of silage, 200 hay and 200 straw for Mansfield Farm. Michael adds that most of the bales were made without using crop chopping knives, though the farm has experimented with just six knives in the chamber. “We have something to compare,” he says. “But I don’t think we’ll need to chop our swaths very often. These bales are superb.” “Baling programs are easy to change on the Tellus PRO terminal, and I can keep an eye on the wrapper with a camera that shows an image on the dual screen terminal,” adds Michael. “It all just works properly - it’s very impressive.”
For Mick McDermott, the simplicity of a one-man, non-stop, bale-and-wrap system is a game-changer for round bale silage.
“Choosing Vicon’s FastBale means we’re much more efficient. It buys time, and does a fantastic job,” explains Mick. “And with the wrapper folding up behind, this keeps the machine relatively compact for transport.”