SWATHERIS IMPROVED
SILAGE SPECIALIST IS WELLGEAREDTOCOPE
Running a successful
contracting business in the
eastern counties suggests
cultivations and combining
on a large scale, right? Not
so says Suffolk contractor
John Jewers, who explains to
Geoff Ashcroft how grass
and maize silage work
accounts for about 50%
of his business
IN an area dominated by arable operations, Hadleigh-based Suffolk contractor John Jewers has carved out a specialised contracting business which revolves primarily around grass/maize silage and straw baling, supported by 160ha of hemp harvesting and 365ha of sugar beet lifting.
Surprisingly, it is silage work that accounts for about 50% of his workload, which sees the Jewers silage team put away 650ha (1600 acres) of grass and 330ha (820 acres) of maize each season.
"We have been contracting for 20 years, and over that time our business has evolved from a general contracting operation to a very specialised supply business working throughout Suffolk and Essex," explains Mr Jewers.
"We have structured the business to try and make better and more effluent use of our self-propelled harvesting equipment."
For the 2000 silage season, Mr Jewers has added 200ha (500 acres) of silage work to his books despite losing two milking herds which have been sold from the area.
"We lost two good silage customers this season, but gained six – and Ive still got another 300 acres of maize harvesting out on quote," he says. For Mr Jewers, it means his Claas Jaguar 840 self-propelled forager with Kemper header will be busy from May until October – and last years hemp harvesting contract occupied the forager between third cut grass and maize, providing a useful boost to machine utilisation.
"We dont rush about all day every day in search of acres and acres of harvesting – but we do have the capacity to turn up the heat when we really need to," he says. "We can soon catch up after a wet day or two." Typically, the John Jewers grass silage team eats its way through 25ha/day (60 acres), often harvesting to fit in with customers working days. On maize, the bulkier crop slows output to about 20ha/day (50 acres).
"With such a long season, I dont place too many demands on my workforce – I want them to come back ready and willing the following day, which is why we operate a more sociable approach to working hours than the typical contracting image might suggest," he says. "And if I was a customer, I wouldnt want silage trailers tearing past my bedroom at one in the morning."
Such is the flexibility offered by Mr Jewers that he allows customers to join in the trailer work, or carry out their own clamping – but only if the machinery is capable of keeping up with his forager.
"I draw the line at rowing up," he says. "I drive the forager so I prefer to do my own rowing up using a Claas Liner 740 rake. I can only blame myself for any lumpy swaths."
His team also takes care of the mowing, which was carried out last season with a trailed 3m wide Vicon high performance conditioner – this year, the trailed machine is accompanied by a 3m wide front-mounted Vicon high performance conditioner to further increase mowing potential.
"Wrapping the mowers around a 170hp MF8240 should give us more mowing potential than we really need at the moment but then again, we wont have to start cutting at 6am each day just to get enough grass down for a days foraging," he says. "The HPC gives a very fast wilt so grass doesnt need to be cut and left at the mercy of the weather. This way, the quality of silage we produce for our customers should continue to improve."
For Mr Jewers, it seems that having specialised equipment with plenty of capacity in reserve might just have relegated those long working days to being a thing of the past. *
John Jewers has become more specialised in his contracting operation, focusing on grass and maize silage in addition to big square baling, hemp harvesting and sugar beet lifting.
Shelbourne Reynolds new Advantage swather is available with cutting widths of 4.2m and 4.8m (14ft and 16ft). It now supersedes the companys Mentor swather.
SWATHERIS IMPROVED
OILSEED rape swathing contractors will want to know that Shelbourne Reynolds has now introduced the Advantage swather.
Based on the companys Mentor model, which it now supersedes, the new machine is claimed to offer a number of significant improvements.
Power is supplied by a 108hp Cummins turbocharged engine with the transmission comprising a two-range variable speed unit – changes between ranges is electronically activated.
Cab improvements include use of a curved front windscreen for an unobstructed view of the header and larger rear view mirrors update the operator on the swath being formed.
Maintenance of the swather has been enhanced by fitting a one-piece hinged fibreglass engine hood which, when lifted, allows access to all major service points. Twin rotating screen cleaners are claimed to reduce dust accumulation.
Available for this season, Shelbourne has yet to announce the Advantages price. *