From Outsourcing to In-House Operations
A few years ago, Hedegaarden used a machine station for all field work. Today, the station is only responsible for fine cutting, slurry spreading, and grain sowing. All other tasks are managed in-house.
Operations manager Henning Madsen explains:
“When I arrived here in 2021, all the field work was done by a machine station. However, I believed that it would be economical to purchase the necessary machinery and do a significant part of the field work ourselves. I just had to convince the owner, Morten Jacobsen, of this too.”
Henning is responsible for purchases together with the owner, while assistant operations manager Inge Lise Hansen takes care of work schedules and planning. The two share responsibility for field plans, supported by three permanent field workers.
“We do a lot of the field work ourselves, and one of us is always there when something happens,” says Inge Lise Hansen.
Building the Kverneland Fleet
Hedegaarden started investing in its own machinery in 2022.
- 2022: A deep harrow and fertiliser spreader from Kverneland
- 2023: An 8-row maize seed drill and another deep harrow from Kverneland
- 2025: Grassland machinery package – disc mower, tedder, and rake
The grassland setup includes:
- Kverneland 5095 Disc Mower with a front-mounted Kverneland 2832 F (total 9.5 m working width)
- Kverneland 85156 Tedder (15.6 m working width)
- Kverneland 94125 Rotary Rake (4 rotors, 12.5 m working width)
Kverneland 85156 tedder |
Kverneland 94125 rotary rake |
Kverneland 5095 disc mower with 2832 F front mower |
Henning highlights the results:
“I managed to get my idea across that we should invest in some machines so that we could do much more field work ourselves.”
“As we had a machine station for mowing, turning and raking the grass, the mowing was done with a 12-metre mower. Even though we only chose a 9.5-metre disc mower, we can easily achieve this by working long hours. This allows us to utilise its capacity to the full.”
“By the beginning of September, we had covered over 1,000 hectares with the disc mower, tedder and rake, and so far we have only turned the blades on the mower. I think that's impressive.”
Timeliness and Silage Quality
For Hedegaarden, the main benefit of owning machinery is being able to work exactly when conditions are right.
“What makes it economically viable to carry out these tasks ourselves is that we utilise the machines' capacity 100 per cent. In addition, we can mow the grass when the time is right – we don't have to wait for the machine station. This means that we produce grass silage of the best possible quality,” adds Inge Lise Hansen.
Henning adds:
“In our experience, Kverneland machines are simple in design and easy to operate. And it's an advantage to have many machines of the same brand – for example, when we need to purchase wear parts.”
“We bought the machines from Ølgod Maskinforretning. They provide excellent service, and it's very convenient that they are located nearby.”
