One of the most frequently occurring issues Terravesta are faced with is lack of conformance to specification. Maximising returns for our growers is one of the main objectives for the business, not only does this make an already profitable crop more lucrative, it also stimulates area growth – this critical mass is invaluable to our growing community.
We introduced this year our “barn bonus” which incentivises the use of farm buildings for bale storage, ensuring there is no quality degradation following harvest. It has been a costly scheme to introduce, but for those who baled dry and stored in barn, the effect has been greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately putting bales in a barn doesn’t always guarantee they will be dry. Following the mild winter of 2013/14, a widespread issue for Miscanthus growers was dealing with “green cane”. If the crop was not cut with a big enough baling window, growers and contractors were forced into baling before the green cane had a chance to properly dry out in the swath, as opposed to sweating inside the bale. This has meant an influx of out of spec bales rejected from our processing plant, some of which were even barn stored!
This winter, Terravesta are hosting a number of regional “summits” for our contractors to highlight the issues we faced and to reach consensus for how best to avoid these problems again in 2015 and beyond.
We believe that with the correct advice, it is possible to bale 100% dry, even in the most challenging of seasons as some of our growers can testify.
If your contractor is not already in contact with Terravesta and you feel this could be of use, the events will be held as follows:
- East Midlands and East Anglia – Friday 7th November
- South West – Tuesday 18th November
- West Midlands – Wednesday 19th November.
Call the office to find out venues and times for these meetings: 01522 731873
