A solution to the age-old issue of how to conveniently – and responsibly – dispose of bale net is on its way from CNH in the form of biodegradable netting.

A couple of years back, the global machinery maker took an investment stake in Canadian start-up Nature’s Net Wrap to support the development of the first viable compostable packaging for round bales.

It uses biopolymer material made from renewable resources, holds up structurally, says CNH, and breaks down naturally in soil if buried and can be composted.

See also: Ultimate guide to buying a round baler 2026

The novel product became available commercially this year to operate with selected machines, such as Case IH’s range-topping RB6 HD Pro round baler, and has been shown to deliver the same wrapping performance and bale integrity as conventional plastic net wrap, the firm reports.

The RB6 HD Pro is available in Britain in two sizes, for 0.9-1.5m and 0.9-1.9m diameters, with two rollers and four belts forming the bale chamber, fed by either Rotor Feeder or Rotor Cutter intakes.

Model year 2027 versions have enhanced connectivity with CNH’s FieldOps cloud-based digital farm and fleet management platform, resulting in additional baling data being available – from field performance information to advanced bale tracking and mapping.

Tractor and Baler Automation, which can be used to automatically stop the tractor, bind the bale and discharge it, is fully integrated and there is a greater choice of cab monitors.

LB model upgrades

Updates for Case IH’s LB4 and LB6 series big square balers include a rotor-fed non-cutting intake for the first time – current models without crop slicing have a feed fork and stuffer combination.

Not all producers want crop slicing as it takes extra power and they may prefer longer forage, but they do want an effective, reliable and low maintenance feed-in solution which, in general, a rotor provides.

Conversely, the company is increasing knife density on Rotor Cutter versions, with the current 15- or 19-knife systems being joined by a new bank with up to 57 knives engaged for a finer nominal chop length.

There’s a lighter-weight knife drawer too, designed to be easier to get at and clean, while individual knife protection and simple cut length adjustment aim to help operators adapt quickly to changing conditions.

Optimum working capacity, meanwhile, is promised if operators make use of the new hydraulically-controlled slip clutch and on-the-go torque measurement with a real-time load indicator.

This is illustrated on a redesigned settings and information display with a single-screen operator-machine interface.

All popular big square bale sizes are covered by the LB series.