September 2025 The Northern Farmer

Efficient Use of Fodder

The incredibly dry conditions this year mean the efficient use of fodder and bedding has never been more important. AgriSource offers a range of products that can reduce daily usage, minimise waste and increase nutritional benefit, in addition to reducing labour and increasing operational efficiency.

Dividing up and feeding out round bales of silage can be both time consuming and hard work.

The Göweil round bale slicer can be used to either cut bales in half or into several slices — for example when reversing down a feed passage — saving time and labour and reducing waste as the livestock eat. This is also useful when bales need to be divided between buildings or pens.

AgriSource also offers a range of double and single silage pushers which can be used to keep the silage at the barrier, getting the most out of each feeding.

The Göweil slicer is strong and well made, with an optional wrap holder to retain the net and stretch film when required.

The mounted and trailed Kidd bale processors are also a good way of feeding round bale silage efficiently and make dividing bales as easy as possible.

A dual-purpose machine, the Kidd blowers are also useful bedding machines, allowing both round and square bale straw to be used efficiently.

For customers feeding straw, the Kidd 475TC (Twin Chop) can be used to pre-chop straw to a consistent chop length, giving livestock more nutritional value.

Being easy to operate and suited to a variety of locations and situations has made the Spread-a-Bale bedding machine with Horizontal Rotor (HR) a popular choice.

Making eating easier for young stock and significantly reducing mixing times compared to introducing full straw bales into diet mixers. By retracting the additional knife bank with the tractor hydraulics, the 475TC becomes a conventional flywheel bedding machine that leaves the straw longer for a more effective and longer-lasting bed.

Finally, the popular loader-mounted and simple-to-operate Spread-a-Bale bedding machines are available in a range of sizes: Micro, Mini, Midi and Maxi. Whether using a mid-range skid steer or tractor loader up to a 4.5 ton telehandler, there is a Spread-a-Bale to suit your loader.

Farm building access and layouts vary massively, and AgriSource can offer a choice of spreading systems and mounting options to suit. Horizontal Rotor (HR) is ideal where greater throw distance is required in larger buildings. The latest ST or Side-Throw models can bed to either side or directly forwards, even when end-mounted, making them versatile and ideal for bedding from narrow passages.

The original Spread-a-Bale Twin Vertical Rotor system is a timeless design that creates a wide fan spread pattern — still the best solution for many farms.

Customers favour the gentle bedding action, minimal dust, simplicity of use and easy self-loading that their Spread-a-Bales provide.

When it comes to feeding and bedding, every farm has its own challenges and requirements. To find out more about any of AgriSource’s products and how they could help you, call Paul Bellas at AgriSource on 07769 221261.

“With less staff on the farm I was keen to move away from unrolling bales by hand on my own. After much consideration, we purchased a spread a bale earlier this year. Shed layout was a huge factor when looking for a bedding machine. I needed something compact enough to access a restricted central passageway, but with enough throw capacity for our larger yards. Being forklift mounted combined with the low dust levels and ease of use drew me in to look at a spread a bale. Paul visited the farm, measuring doorways, feed passages and yard sizes to see which model and configuration would fit best. He then brought a machine to try on our loader to see how it would fit.  A mini with a horizontal rotor is the perfect machine, we can get through our tightest doorway, side-mounted to bed from a passageway and then end-mount it to gain even more spread distance elsewhere. It allows me to safely bed up on my own in roughly the same time as it used to take 2 of us and it also reduces straw usage by approximately 20 to 25%”

” The Spread-a-Bale allows me to safely bed up on my own in roughly the same time it used to take two of us and reduces straw usage by 20 – 25%”

William Maughan of Denton near Darlington

AgriSource; New and used machinery, Equipment for farm livestock, grounds care, and equestrian. Richmond, Yorkshire. Please feel free to reach out with your requirements.

“We were looking for a bedding machine that could be operated from outside the buildings, but we didn’t want to have straw blowing all over the yard, especially on windy days. I was initially concerned that a Spread-a-Bale would be too heavy on our loader, but the compact design and reduced weight of the Spread-a-Bale Micro allows our Kramer 276 to boom fully out over the barriers into the housing, so we get all of the straw where we want it, bedding up to 40ft into the pens. We used to bed manually using five round bales at each bedding, we now use only two bales, saving us time, straw and the manual labour rolling bales about. We also like the gentle throwing action and minimal dust created by the Spread-a-Bale.”

“Our straw use reduced from five bales to two a day and we get all the straw where we want it, up to 40 feet into the pens”

Mr Robert Greensit, Masham

AgriSource; New and used machinery, Equipment for farm livestock, grounds care, and equestrian. Richmond, Yorkshire. Please feel free to reach out with your requirements. Spread-a-Bale

“We bought our first Spread-a-Bale twenty years ago and have run them ever since. Our last machine came from AgriSource just over a year ago. They are quite simply a brilliant machine. Prior to purchasing our first we went to see one on a local farm and that very machine is still there working today.  We operate two Spread-a-Bales on separate sites which handle thirty bales between them every two days. The savings they give in terms of time and straw use are unreal, especially with the current high straw price.  All our bales are 120 x 70 squares and the conventional twin rotor spreading system produces a lovely even bed very quickly. The damp harvest has meant bales are tougher this year but the Spread-a-Bales ensure we get the best use from the straw in every bale”

“Quite Simply a brilliant machine, the savings on time and straw use are unreal. Our Spread-a-Bale ensures we get the best straw use from every bale”

David Kearton of Boldron Near Barnard Castle

AgriSource is a leading supplier of Spread-a-Bale, proudly working in close partnership to serve customers across County Durham and North Yorkshire.