Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 81

country life

Island Life - October/November 2010

Photo: Left: Dominator 108S
Combine which has now
recently been replaced with
the latest combine Claas
Lexion 580 above.

Photo: Right: Jaguar Harvester pictured with
new Holland tractor and trailers ready to start
the day at John Bradleys farm.

to the advances in technology. We

machinery.

harvester, we can cover a massive

were looking at machines 10 or 15

And as Bun points out: “It is not just

years ago that were available in the

the purchase price, it is the depreciation

have envisaged 10 years ago that one

United States and Australia, which are

that kills it for a lot of farmers. It is a

combine could do 2,400 acres with one

now readily reaching these shores. It is

bit like buying a new car. You either

combine in four weeks.

not a question of downsizing for the

buy it, and change it each year to try to

“We can now do 10 to 12 acres an

European market, in some cases it is

keep it up to date, which costs an awful

hour, whereas in the past we would

actually going the other way.

lot of money. Or you keep it for many

probably have done well to do that

“So we are getting these huge

acreage each year with it. We could not

years and eventually run it into the

acreage in a day. We used to think if we

American crop sprayers and combines

ground, and it is still going to cost you

did 15 acres we had had a very good

coming over here, and even the tractors

an awful lot of money.

day, now we do that amount in an hour

have got much bigger. We would

“I was talking to a farmer friend of

and 10 minutes.”

never have dreamed of running a 360

mine recently and he admitted that

horse-power tractor even 10 years ago.

the reason we are probably being

was 123 acres of harvesting – and that

But as you can imagine the amount

used more than ever is because of the

wasn’t even in a full day. We have been

of work you can cover a day with a

huge depreciation of equipment. It is

told that the combine we are using at

machine like that is phenomenal.”

something we can bear the brunt of

the moment can harvest enough grain

because we are using them to their

in a day to produce one million loaves

absolute maximum.

of bread!”

So it is understandable that in an
ever-changing market with costs
soaring that many farmers turn to

“With your average dairy or arable

the likes of Bun for assistance rather

farmer, machinery will rarely be used to

than fork out what could be hundreds

its full capacity. But we have invested

of thousands of pounds for essential

in a large piece of kit like the combine

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He added: “The most we have done

WORDS: PETER WHITE

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