When Fergus Hickson took on responsibility for arable operations at his family’s 404ha mixed farming business, he saw an opportunity to improve logistics and bale handling efficiency.
“We make 12,000 big square bales each year to keep our 500-cow herd and 600 followers fed and housed on a year-round basis,” explains Fergus Hickson of Hickson Bros Agri, based at Winkland Oaks Farm near Dover.
“I could see how a bale chaser could bring efficiency to the farm, but I had to convince my family that the investment could be justified,” explains Fergus. “So we hired a Big Bale Transtacker and soon found it shortened field clearance times using fewer machines and less labour.”
That first hire was in 2019 and the farm has recently upgraded to a Transtacker 4200 model which chases the farm’s big square baler. More recently, the team has also added a Big Bale Hunter to the fleet, which is used throughout the year to fetch straw from the remote stacks, back to the yard.
“Having the Hunter means we don’t need to send a telehandler and trailers to move bales, streamlining this to a one-man job,” he says. “It’s a simple and effective system.”
The farm’s MF2234XD six-string baler arrived on-farm for the 2025 season, and includes integral bale weighing and moisture reading, further improving bale quality at Winkland Oaks Farm.
“We’re consistently making 500kg bales, and knowing the moisture content has also helped with quality,” he says. “I carry a moisture probe, as it’s always good to know the two readings are similar. You can’t trust just one source of data, as we’re looking for 12-15% with straw.”
All the kit has been supplied through and maintained by Big Bale South, with Fergus acknowledging that such back-up is an essential part of making the process work for the farm.
“We aim to be self-sufficient with straw and forage for our dairy operation,” he says. “All livestock is housed on a deep litter system, which consumes around 8,000 straw bales/year, on top of which is the requirement for 3-4,000 bales of triticale and grass, used in forage rations.”
Every week throughout the year, the Hunter is used to haul eight loads of 16 straw bales back to the farm, from its secure stack locations.
“The Hunter is a one-man system, and has proved a game changer with logistics,” he says. “It’s also a very safe transport solution using any of our 50kph tractors with air brakes.”
Straw is bought in the swath from neighbouring farms, with the responsibility of baling and rapid field clearance falling at Fergus Hickson’s feet.
“We need to clear fields as quickly and efficiently for our neighbours,” he says. “We’ll make around 500 bales/day, with the Transtacker following behind. But being a coastal farm, the damp climate often means combines don’t move before 10.30am, and baling is rarely underway before noon. So we’ve changed how we capitalise on the Transtacker and Hunter throughout harvest.”
To make the most of labour and logistics, the Transtacker chases behind the baler, clearing fields with ease, transporting packs of bales to two main straw stack locations. Each stack comprises 400-450 bales, which is then covered with hay caps to protect the top layer.
As the evening draws in, the bale collection process changes.
“To get the most out of our kit, and catch up with what’s been baled, the Transtacker no longer runs back to the stack, but stands packs in the field,” he says.
“It’s a quicker way of getting bales grouped and is also safer if we stay off the roads late at night.”
“The next morning, those in-field packs are cleared by a different operator using the Hunter before combining and baling starts all over again,” he says.
“This lets the Transtacker operator start late and finish late, while ensuring we’re caught up every day.
It’s a very efficient solution that works extremely well for us.”
