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