Hinchcliffe Silaging with Oldfield Agricultural Contracting June 2014 (108)
I’ve been trying to catch all aspects of the harvesting of the forage crop locally this year. It’s been a very good year for growing grass with a wet spring followed by warmth. Silage barns are overflowing with the surplus being baled and wrapped for stacking outside.
On Monday six tractors and trailers started hammering up and down past our yard carrying silage from above Meltham to Hinchcliffes farm off Linfit Lane. Initially I went down to the farm and got photos of all six tractors coming and going. As I was leaving I spotted Tom Roberts in his John Deere spreading fertilizer, I ran down the fields to grab a few shots and tell him that I had six A4 prints for him from the previous weeks baling, another satisfied victim of my camera.
I decided to shoot over to Wilshaw and get some photos of the tractors and forager working in the fields. Stuart Oldfield Agricultural Contracting was doing the job for Charlie Hinchcliffe, driving the Claas Jaguar forager himself. The field is 45 acres part of a 75 acre piece and they were hoping to finish for the end of the day. The tractors were still passing our house at going up to eleven. The heavy crop and distance they were carting meant that eight tractors could have been kept going. As ever Charlie – who is well into his 80’s had a ride around the field to keep an eye on things – nowt changes – as we say around here. I didn’t stay long but I was out and about doing some Tour de France landscape stuff in the Holme Valley and on Holme Moss and decided to drop in again, I’m glad I did. Conditions were better than earlier, the light, big rolling, clouds underpinned by a dark distant sky – it was raining elsewhere in Yorkshire apparently. Stuart Invited me onto the Forager and I hung on with one hand and fired away with the 5D in the other. The silage flying over my head didn’t do a lot for the hay fever but it was worth it. I got sat in the cab and had a good chat with Stuart, nice bloke, gets on with the job – no messing about I would guess. I’m uploading a large number of the photos I took on the day for the benefit of the people working hard in the pictures – I hope they like them and thanks for tolerating me charging around the field like a loony – I’ve spent a lifetime staying safe and keeping out of the way. I stayed until the sun disappeared and the light went, the orange glow is for real, with no help from Photoshop. I had a chat with Charlie, the first in many years, we used to do quite a bit of work for him a long time ago, no flies there, as sharp as they come. Multiple tractor pictures won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but tough, more trucks and landscapes waiting to load.
To see more information about the 130 year history of J B Schofield and Sons, including their transport and 33 years gritting in the Pennines look here www.jbschofieldandsons.co.uk/
Hinchcliffe Silaging with Oldfield Agricultural Contracting June 2014 (108)
I’ve been trying to catch all aspects of the harvesting of the forage crop locally this year. It’s been a very good year for growing grass with a wet spring followed by warmth. Silage barns are overflowing with the surplus being baled and wrapped for stacking outside.
On Monday six tractors and trailers started hammering up and down past our yard carrying silage from above Meltham to Hinchcliffes farm off Linfit Lane. Initially I went down to the farm and got photos of all six tractors coming and going. As I was leaving I spotted Tom Roberts in his John Deere spreading fertilizer, I ran down the fields to grab a few shots and tell him that I had six A4 prints for him from the previous weeks baling, another satisfied victim of my camera.
I decided to shoot over to Wilshaw and get some photos of the tractors and forager working in the fields. Stuart Oldfield Agricultural Contracting was doing the job for Charlie Hinchcliffe, driving the Claas Jaguar forager himself. The field is 45 acres part of a 75 acre piece and they were hoping to finish for the end of the day. The tractors were still passing our house at going up to eleven. The heavy crop and distance they were carting meant that eight tractors could have been kept going. As ever Charlie – who is well into his 80’s had a ride around the field to keep an eye on things – nowt changes – as we say around here. I didn’t stay long but I was out and about doing some Tour de France landscape stuff in the Holme Valley and on Holme Moss and decided to drop in again, I’m glad I did. Conditions were better than earlier, the light, big rolling, clouds underpinned by a dark distant sky – it was raining elsewhere in Yorkshire apparently. Stuart Invited me onto the Forager and I hung on with one hand and fired away with the 5D in the other. The silage flying over my head didn’t do a lot for the hay fever but it was worth it. I got sat in the cab and had a good chat with Stuart, nice bloke, gets on with the job – no messing about I would guess. I’m uploading a large number of the photos I took on the day for the benefit of the people working hard in the pictures – I hope they like them and thanks for tolerating me charging around the field like a loony – I’ve spent a lifetime staying safe and keeping out of the way. I stayed until the sun disappeared and the light went, the orange glow is for real, with no help from Photoshop. I had a chat with Charlie, the first in many years, we used to do quite a bit of work for him a long time ago, no flies there, as sharp as they come. Multiple tractor pictures won’t be everybody’s cup of tea, but tough, more trucks and landscapes waiting to load.
To see more information about the 130 year history of J B Schofield and Sons, including their transport and 33 years gritting in the Pennines look here www.jbschofieldandsons.co.uk/