“We provide full traceability for all our customers with everything we apply, whether that’s slurry or bagged fertilizers,” explains Kevin Haworth, pictured. “This has now become an essential part of the process, and lots of our customers not only see the benefit of this technology, but they are actively asking for it, for compliance.”
Based at New Field Farm in England, Kevin and his son Lyam operate a general contracting business in an area dominated by livestock and grassland farms. Land comprises upland and lowland areas surrounded by nature reserves, national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty.
“When it comes to fertilizers, we have to consider what goes on and where, and in addition to machine reliability, we want the best accuracy on the market,” he says. “Lyam had heard about how good Kverneland’s GEOSPREAD system was, so that was the route we took”. With plug and play ISOBUS simplicity through the Haworth’s fleet of John Deere tractors, Lyam says accuracy is on another level.
“I didn’t believe it until I’d used the Kverneland GEOSPREAD system for myself,” says Lyam Haworth. “Now, I wouldn’t look at another make of spreader. The ability to isolate areas that don’t require fertilizer, and provide traceability, is a huge asset for our business.”
He says the rolling landscapes in which they operate can show up the worst in any fertilizer disc spreader, but he’s yet to see any form of over-dosing or under-dosing after a full season’s spreading. “We operate with an 18m spread width for grassland, which suits rolling and undulating ground,” he says. “But if there’s tramlines available, then our output improves.”
Supplied by CT Hayton with three hopper extensions, the Kverneland Exacta TL GEOSPREAD is used at around 15kph. “It’s a sensible speed, in fields that average around 10 acres in size, and few fields are flat,” he says. “I’d probably change to a Kverneland iDC model next time with hydraulic drive, to eliminate the pto shaft and operate with greater fuel efficiency.”
