Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Magazine Subscriptions
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. February 2023
      2. National Arable & Grassland Awards Supplement
      3. January 2023
      4. December 2022
      Featured

      National Arable & Grassland Awards 2023 Supplement

      By adminJanuary 26, 2023
      Recent

      National Arable & Grassland Awards 2023 Supplement

      January 26, 2023

      February 2023 Issue

      January 25, 2023

      January 2023 Issue

      January 4, 2023
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Machinery

    Seeing the value in drainage

    Matthew TiltBy Matthew TiltSeptember 2, 20223 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Swains 20-15

    Swain’s Land Drainage recently celebrated 60 years of business and while they are clearly adding value to their customers’ land, managing director Chris Swain believes that not everyone sees the hidden value of well-drained fields.

    Mr Swain took over the business from his father in 2017, becoming the fifth generation to offer drainage work since his great-grandfather. He is supported by his two sons, Josh and Jack, and his wife, Fiona, working with farmers within a 50-mile radius of Whitchurch.

    “Ninety per cent of our work is agricultural drainage, with the other ten per cent made up of leisure and caravan site projects,” he said. “Over the years, we have worked with hundreds of farmers, improving their fields and helping them to grow better quality crops and enjoy increased yields, but surprisingly, there are still farmers out there who don’t see the value of drainage.”

    Swains 20-15 and 10-12D

    Mr Swain added that drainage will become increasingly important as the industry continues to reduce tillage levels and move towards a no-till approach to crop establishment.

    “Zero till cannot be achieved without good drainage,” he continued. “Good drainage leads to less spraying as the crops’ root structure is so much better on drained land. Drainage can lower the watercourse, which encourages the roots to go looking for the water. This, in turn, improves root establishment and improves the crops’ resistance to heat stress.

    “My dad installed a drainage scheme for my grandad, and we all saw the benefit first hand. That was 50 years ago. In some respects, things haven’t moved much, and today, drainage is still a skeleton in the cupboard.

    “Those that invest in drainage reap the benefits. Those that don’t want to spend the money – and it can be a considerable amount – don’t do it and don’t get the yields.

    “I guess some people don’t like burying an investment. It is one thing to have a £150,000 tractor sat proudly in the yard, but it’s another thing to have a £200,000 drainage scheme hidden from view underneath a field, even though it will pay for itself in a few years by improving the yield and quality of the crop.”

    Investing in the future

    Swains at work

    The Swain family have long believed in investing for the future. This April, Mr Swain took delivery of a brand new Mastenbroek 2015 self-propelled trencher, which replaces a 15/15 machine that had been used for almost a decade.

    It offers 320hp over the previous machine’s 220hp, enabling it to work more quickly and freeing up capacity to take on extra work. The longer digging mechanism (increasing to 2m from the 15/15’s 1.8m) also reduces the need to remove topsoil.

    “We’ve only had the 20/15 for a couple of months, so it’s too early to talk about its true impact on our business,” said Mr Swain. “But I do like having all of the controls operated by the joystick on this machine; it makes it a lot easier. We are also impressed with its speed, and the build quality is as good as ever.

    “We’ve stayed loyal to Mastenbroek for several reasons. Firstly, there aren’t that many companies in the UK making trenchers. Then there’s the customer service we receive, and finally, just like you can’t see from the surface what a good drainage scheme is delivering, there’s everything that is going on inside the machine! Mastenbroek machines perform incredibly well and are ideal for dealing with the soil types we encounter.”

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleBoss ORV appoints new operations manager
    Next Article Expansion of Joskin’s Polska site announced
    Matthew Tilt
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn

    Machinery editor for Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer. Matt has worked as an agricultural machinery journalist for five years, following time spent in his family’s Worcestershire contracting business. When he’s not driving or writing about the latest farm equipment, he can be found in his local cinema, or with his headphones in, reading a good book.

    Read Similar Stories

    Lamma 2023 – the full review

    January 27, 2023

    Haith to focus on optical sorting at Fruit Logistica

    January 24, 2023

    CNH tops 2021 market share for the second year in a row

    January 20, 2023
    Most Read Stories

    Young Innovators Award for Ag-drive app

    January 30, 2023

    Hall of Fame induction for Bobcat inventors

    January 30, 2023

    Terravesta hosting a February farm walk to showcase Miscanthus

    January 30, 2023
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2023 Lewis Business Media. All Rights Reserved.
    Lewis Business Media, Suite A, Arun House, Office Village, River Way, Uckfield, TN22 1SL

    Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World
    • OvertheCounter

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsREJECT ALLAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional1 yearThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category .
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance1 yearSet by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to store the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
    PHPSESSIDsessionThis cookie is native to PHP applications. The cookie is used to store and identify a users' unique session ID for the purpose of managing user session on the website. The cookie is a session cookies and is deleted when all the browser windows are closed.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    CookieDurationDescription
    _ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
    _gat_gtag_UA_31822138_191 minuteSet by Google to distinguish users.
    _gid1 dayInstalled by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    CookieDurationDescription
    OAID1 yearThis cookie is set when an AdsWizz website visitor have opted out the collection of information by AdsWizz service or opted to disable the targeted ads by AdsWizz.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    Powered by CookieYes Logo