24 MAGSON HOUSE FARM AUG / SEP 2020 • farmers-mart . co . uk
Andrew and his father Alan have always had an arable mentality , working and improving the land via rotation , soil compaction reduction etc . They consider themselves custodians of the landscape . Magson House Farm produces about 1000 large bales of haylage a year , supplying to the equestrian world and even donkeys and alpacas .
Given Kyle ’ s qualification and experience from both Harper Adams and his grass management knowledge from the family farm , it would seem a no-brainer for Andrew and Kyle to join forces to develop Premier Haylage . Andrew knows horses inside out and the potential market for different blends of feeds for horses to satisfy the exacting needs of the champion eventing animals . Funnily enough , there are a lot of eventers based in the Calder Valley .
Andrew and Kyle set about developing better and better grasses to go into their haylage blends . Ground has been
ploughed and reseeded where necessary . No expense has been spared with the level of manure they have lavished on the land . Kyle took me up onto the moor to show me an example of what they have been achieving . Side by side were two fields , one of very poor grass , uneven and broken ground etc , but the other field was completely different - it had dark lush grass so thick it was difficult to even walk through . Amazingly Kyle told me this field was just the same as the other only 8 weeks before ! The field we were standing in was just about ready to
‘ Magson House Farm produces about 1000
large bales of haylage a year , supplying to the equestrian world and even donkeys and alpacas ’
cut , although Kyle wanted a couple more day ’ s growth before it was ready and not until he had done as he does with every crop , which is to fully test both the soil and the grass . Kyle uses all the science possible on managing the grass and even after it is cut and baled , he continues to frequently test the bales . As Andrew jokingly said , “ He ’ s always got his probe in something !”
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