British Hay & Straw Merchants Association that has been a positive for us as merchants there has also been a negative in the movement away from straw bedding.’
John Coverdale of Woodhouse Farm, Flixton near Scarborough started trading hay and straw 15 years ago. He has four balers and delivers from Penrith to Cockermouth and into southwest Scotland with his two wagons. He tells of how the mass haul of straw from east to west has developed from purely autumn and winter to encompassing all year round transportation.
‘ Since the advent of industrial straw and farmers keeping livestock in all year round we don’ t have a definable three or four month season. We all haul all year round. Dairy farmers want their straw for feed either weekly, fortnightly or monthly and that regular supply is what the power stations are looking for too.’
FACTS ABOUT THE HAY & STRAW SECTOR
• VAT is chargeable on supply into power stations but not as feed straw.
• 75 % of all straw stays on the farm.
• 1 million tonnes of straw per annum goes into power stations; a further 1 million tonnes goes into smaller-scale industrial processing.
Photos courtesy of The Yorkshire Post
• The majority of straw traded through BHSMA members is in big square bales.
• Straw makes up 95 per cent of the hay and straw sector.
• The BHSMA is currently made up of around 50 owner-operator companies and in addition to the five businesses quoted in this story there is one other Yorkshire member – Boak in Langton, near Malton.
R COVERDALE & SONS
Reliable & quality service at the right price
· Contract Baling( round & square)
· Hay · Straw · Haylage · Silage ·
Trading Hay and Straw for 18 Years T: 01723 890165 · M: 07710 323755 · E: info @ coverdales. co. uk
YORKSHIRE MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH HAY & STRAW MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION
MIKE EVISON »»
J W EVISON & SONS, MOAT Farm, Fitling, Burton Pidsea, Nr Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU12 9AH
Tel: 01964 670313, Mobile: 07831 335730, E Mail: mike. evison @ btconnect. com
DAVID JOHNSON »»
NORTHERN STRAW CO LTD, Heck Hall Farm, Great Heck, Goole, North Humberside, East Riding of Yorkshire DB14 0BL
Tel: 01405 861196, Mobile: 07831 446398, E Mail: northern. straw @ virgin. net
H & E BOAK & SON »»
EAST WOLD FARM, Langton, Malton, North Yorkshire, YO17 9QQ
Tel: 01944 768624, Mobile: 07966 899504, E Mail: sales @ heboak. co. uk
R COVERDALE & SONS »»
WOODHOUSE FARM, Flixton, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO11 3UD
Tel & Fax: 01723 890165, Mobile: 07710 323755, E Mail: info @ rcoverdale. co. uk www. rcoverdale. co. uk
ANDREW & ADELE HOLMAN »»
A & A SERVICES, TYTHE Farm, York Road, Cliffe, Selby, North Yorkshire, YO8 6NU
Tel: 01757 638577, Mobile: 07860 530081, E Mail: holman. aaservices @ btconnect. com
BRIAN PEACOCK »»
PEACOCKS OF THIRSK LTD, Leake Hall, Knayton, Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 4BN
Tel: 01845 537357, Mobile: 07710 680754, E Mail: pp @ peacocksofthirsk. co. uk www. peacocksofthirsk. co. uk
www. farmers-mart. co. uk Dec / Jan 2017 43