Third-generation dairy farmer Ben McHugh of McHugh & Sons was so impressed with the performance of New Holland's Pro-Belt premium round baler when his local New Holland dealer demonstrated it, he purchased two machines ahead of the 2023 baling season.
Mr McHugh has two Pro-Belt balers, one with a SuperFeeder rotor system and the other with a 25 knife CropCutter system, both with 165cm maximum bale size configuration.
He runs a 400 head dairy farm at Mt Compass on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula and a 2500-hectare broadacre farm at Finniss, also in SA, producing wheat, barley, canola, and cereal hay, as well as supplementing his operations by selling around half of the hay he produces to other farmers in the district.
Mr McHugh has finished baling for 2023, producing 2500 silage bales with the CropCutter baler and 3500 rolls of hay with the SuperFeeder unit across a four-week period.
"We had a wet winter, and spring shut off quickly, so while we haven't had it as bad as other areas hay and silage was down a little bit this year," he said.
"We did get some good drying conditions, which meant we got some really good quality bales with the new Pro-Belt balers.
"This was our first season with the Pro-Belt and I was really impressed with the improved performance over the previous round balers, which were slower on the silage process. The silage bales that it produces are also perfect for the dairy's mixing wagon.
"The Pro-Belt has a bigger capacity, it can handle materials much better, and more quickly, and maintenance on these machines are a lot lower."
New Holland product business manager, SA and Mildura, Peter Brooks said he has seen strong demand from farmers and contractors since the Pro-Belt was trialled in Australia in 2021 and introduced in 2022.
"The Pro-Belt was introduced as an upgrade for farmers and contractors doing a lot a baling; its performance has been top notch and has really proven itself over the past two baling seasons," he said.
"This machine has been good for three seasons, the first season only 16-18 machines allocated a with the second with the full production availability.
"The Pro-Belt is simple in design with durability as a key element, running less chains and rollers than the previous roll-belt. Larger rollers, bearing and sprockets with diamond chain throughout mean this baler is highly dependable for high annual use in all crop conditions.
'The baler also comes standard with auto greaser, moisture meter, service lights and is IntelliBale compatible.
Mr Brooks said New Holland offers a full range of equipment for hay and foraging operations, including balers, mowers, tedders, and rakes.
"The range has been designed to deliver efficient and productive operation based on our customers' feedback and changing climate conditions in Australia," he said.
"We pride ourselves on being able to provide a full line-up of products that can deliver every aspect for hay and silage making.
"New Holland's long-standing dealer network has many years of experience, and our dealers are key to the company's success now and into the future."
