The Martin family of Hightown of Craigs Farm, Dumfries, look to futureproof themselves for feed storage as they opt to build a covered maize pit with the help of Archibald Buildings, Dumfries.
Alastair and Susan Martin work alongside their two sons Tom and Edward, both having gained agricultural qualifications, Tom at Edinburgh University and Edward at Barony College. As well as a full-time general farm worker, David Smith, has been at the farm for the last 24 years, knowledge of the industry is certainly not drawing short.
The expertise is not wasted as the business is spread over three farms, all within close proximity to limit fuel costs whilst sharing out labour and machinery, covering 900 acres of which 200 acres is permanent pasture. As a way of utilising as much of the ground as possible, the Martins aim to increase sustainability and reduce outgoing costs at the same time by growing an increasing amount of feed stuffs, incorporating silage fields, 100 acres of barley, and 30 acres of maize.
The farms are home to 160 Fleckvieh dairy and 130 Stabiliser cross beef cows. Tom explains; “The Fleckvieh is a suitable choice for our operation as they compliment the beef cattle well, averaging 650kg and producing 8000 – 9000 litres of milk per year on average, they are good robust cows that don’t need much interference when calving.” The Martins have a milk contract with FirstMilk, since 2019 when they began the Fleckveih herd, they are milked twice a day.
The farm aims to be as sustainable as possible to reduce outgoing costs by growing an increasing amount of feed stuffs, including maize and silage. Silage season is an impressive inhouse operation and consists of five cuts, beginning at the end of April and aiming to be finished by the start of October depending on weather conditions and crop growth. Silage is made into bales and maize is stored in the recently fabricated covered pit.
In a bid to increase self-sustainability and drive down bought in feed costs, whilst providing storage for feed to compliment the cattle’s diet, the Martin family took on building a covered pit shed in May 2022 with the aid of Archibald Buildings, Dumfries.
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Serving Scottish farmers since 1972, Archibald Buildings is a sole family run business providing a one stop shop for both industrial and agricultural buildings, livestock equipment, concrete products, roof/wall cladding, and rubber matting. With over 50 years of experience with farmers, the Martins could have confidence that Archibald Buildings knew how best to carry out the build whilst considering the logistical needs of the specific farm.
Hearing from Ross Archibald gave details on the process of constructing the covered pit back in 2022; “The whole process from start to finish was made straightforward with the fact that the Martins knew exactly what they were needing. The shed was fabricated in Scotland, and we managed to source concrete for sidewalls from Carlisle, helping make the project as efficient as possible.”
Alistair highlights why he selected Archibald Buildings; “We chose them as we believed they would do the job when they said they would, the time scale was very important to us as we needed someone reliable to ensure we would have adequate storage when it came to harvest time. It was also an encouragement to us to be supporting a local business.”
All sheds constructed by Archibald Buildings follow manufacturing to a BS5502 Class Agricultural specification; the covered silage pit is a traditional apex design composed of prefabricated concrete panels on the sidewalls, fibre inlayed box profile steel sheets over upper sidewalls and roof as well as roof lights, all structured on a hot dipped galvanised British made steel H beam frame.
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The benefits of fibre inlayed box steel sheets include the fact that they are durable and long-lasting and that the fibres allow a reduction in the risk of condensation. The concrete floor seen throughout the shed was carried out by the Martins family with locally sourced concrete from Grange Quarries, Lockerbie, in a bid to help keep costs down. The decision was also made to add two doors, including a sliding sheeted door, and plans for a roller door yet to be fitted, this is to allow ample access and reduce wear on tyres with tight turns to a smaller exit point. A good number of roof lights help the Martin family to keep the running costs low as natural light is able to be used, keeping electricity outgoings to a minimum.
Coming in at 105x50ft with 22ft to the eaves this size of shed allows for trailers to reach full height as crops are tipped and for machinery to be used to roll the pit without concerns over height restrictions. Following a good growing season this year a volume of 550 tonnes of maize was produced for the covered pit with the potential to reach 700 tonnes according to the Martins, giving the potential to increase herd size if desired. Alastair emphasises; “When would the right time really be to carry out a building development, like most things we may look back at this in 10 years’ time and be glad we did things when we did, because costs rarely ever fall.”
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The Martins put much thought into planning as they discussed the location of the pit was key, Tom explained; “We situated the covered pit within this part of the yard as a way of futureproofing ourselves, we wish to fit silage pits alongside this shed eventually and so minimising time spent plus wear and tear of driving around the yard would be a cost-effective consideration.” The planning of a shed is not to be overlooked as key factors such as positioning within the yard could, over time, save on a number of costly factors such as fuel, tyre wear, and labour. It is also worth noting that the surface area surrounding the shed must be adequate when using large machinery such as feeder wagons, as do the Martins, as a lack of space leads to similar expenditures.
Although the pit is secure within a covered shed, reducing the risk of birds and weather damage, the effort is still made to provide a secure seal on the maize and prevent it from spoiling. Use a clamp combination of black side sheets, clear plastic sheets, and black plastic sheets, and topped off with a secure mesh cover. To create an airtight face to the maize a bale slicer is often used to form an airtight barrier without separating the compact maize, potentially allowing air and moisture to denature the feed. During the period of the shed being empty, it serves a purpose as a feed and straw store, keeping them from getting weathered.
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Come housing again the silage is fed as a total mixed ration (TMR) with a vertical feeder wagon, this allows for an even and calculated ration to be provided depending on what stage or group of cattle are being fed. To compliment the silage, other concentrates are recommended Tom explains; “We follow a blend that we have from Tarff, Dumfries, it mostly consists of silage, beatpulp, dark grains, wheat, rapeseed meal, and maize and comes in at 23% protein. This is what we feed to all our cattle.” Per day cows are expected to consume 55 kilos fresh weight silage and heifers 44 kilos. The importance of a tailored feed ration helps make full potential of what the farm can produce whilst giving the cattle what they need to increase productivity.
Going hand in hand with a suitable feed ration is the silage analysis, aiming to reach 11 – 11.5% metabolisable energy (ME), 35% dry matter, and 15-16% protein. An additive from Britmilk is used to prevent the maize from overheating prior to going into the pit, this is due to high levels of soluble sugars.
An overall conclusion the Martin family is delighted in having taken on the decision to build the covered pit, as it allows the farm to gain more control over the cost of feed as they have the opportunity to produce for themselves rather than relying on external feed businesses, therefore looking forward this provides a sense of independence and stability to the farm going forward.
Fact file
Farm - 900 acres split over three units. Made up of 700 acres of temporary grass and crops alongside 200 acres of permanent grass.
Cattle – 160 pure Fleckvieh dairy cows and 130 pure Stabliser cows.
Calving – Spring calving the dairy cattle and autumn calving the sucklers.
On the spot
Best investment? Buying land, the first bit was bought in 1983 for £600 for bare land.
Best thing about being a farmer? Being your own boss
Plans for the future? The farm has grown in the last ten years, so probably there is a need to build a bit of resilience and keep it stabilised.
Best bit of advice given to you? If you can do something yourself, it is often a good idea to do so. Also, don’t be afraid of change.
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