John Bell (trading as James Bell),
Redbank, Mainsriddle, Dumfries DG2 8AG

On the Solway coast in Dumfries & Galloway, John Bell farms Redbank, comprising 32 hectares with additional rented grassland for silage production and grazing. The farm occupies a south facing hillside with majestic views across the Solway Firth and with the peaks of the Lake District National Park in the distance. Now in his sixties, John was born and brought up at the farm and has spent all his working life there.

Redbank is an Ayrshire dairy and beef unit with feeding passageways in drive-in buildings and also outside feed troughs to feed adult stock; calf pens are in a separate building. In addition to silage, some hay is fed at night when available, also bought-in barley and maize. For the last 30 years and more, the silage has been fed by tractor powered machines, initially by a rear discharge muckspreader with a cross conveyor conversion, and more recently using a Kverneland Kidd 155XC forage box. Two loads a day are required to feed the 110 to 120 head of adult stock, the calves being fed from narrow passageways by filling a barrow from the forage box conveyor – it’s a little time consuming but for relatively small numbers of calves, the system works very well and there is virtually no wastage.

After several years of ‘touch and go’ as the steel panels of the old forage box were worn thin by the combined attack from corrosion and friction, the time came for replacement, and after visiting the Foster stand at the Royal Highland Agricultural Show, and with advice from his local dealer, James Gordon, John decided on a Foster D600, with tanalised timber floor and sides and a robust steel chassis and framework – the less contact between silage and thin steel plate the better! John tells us that he did also consider an imported steel panelled forage box, but after a close look at both products the D600 was his choice – in addition to the standard specification, Foster included a slightly longer drawbar and an extra 75mm in discharge height when building his machine. John appreciated this attention to his detail requirements and also that he had actually saved money by buying British!

“The new Foster box is narrower than the old KV box despite having a larger capacity and though there is ample room in the feed passageways, the Foster is easier to manoeuvre in the silage pit, where space is limited” says John. The D600 has a variable speed cross conveyor which allows John to control the distance of throw, resulting in a full barrow and even less wastage!

For most of the year, all the work at Redbank is done by John and his wife Susan with a neighbouring farmer helping at silage time, so the efficiency of the feeding operation, with both of the day’s loads being complete within one hour, is crucial. That’s why John was so careful to choose exactly the right machine for his requirements!

For further details of products and dealers contact Foster Sales Company by email: sales@fostersalescompany.co.uk