Walling Contracting was established in 1996 by owner/ operators Ben Walling and Sarah Fintoft who are both only too keen to introduce new concepts in agricultural equipment to benefit Southland farmers.

The latest addition to their fleet is a self-propelled Beet Harvester, imported from the Netherlands. This is the first 6-wheel-drive machine of its type to operate in New Zealand. The Agrifac Big Six Harvester specialises in the lifting of beets for the purpose of storing and feeding directly to cows whether in wintering barns or on feed pads.

A common feeding method in Europe, beet has been harvested and fed to livestock in sheds for decades, particularly in areas where Maize hasn’t proven viable. The significant advantage with beet is that it is a high energy, high yielding supplement and when fed in combination with quality silage it easily fills the dietary requirements of both milking and dry cows whilst being a valuable economic option.

Ben Walling says he can see that with more emphasis being put on indoor wintering systems here in Southland, the Beet Harvester is an ideal machine. “The benefit of the 3-axle, 6-wheeldrive harvester is that it has low ground pressure and therefore is able to travel over paddocks resulting in minimal damage to soils. As the plant is lifted its leaf is shredded and returned to the paddock as mulch. The beet is then transported to the storage area. Harvesting is carried out from April/ May through to September,’’ says Ben.

“Beet is not an overly complicated crop to grow, harvest and store, but every aspect has to be done right. The first step to having a successful beet crop is to get the fertiliser application correct before planting the right variety of beet; it also has to be grown at the right population and the correct row spacing,” Ben says.

“Weeds can be a problem in beet crops, so proper monitoring and spraying are critical. Once harvested the beet can be stored for some months before being washed and chopped when needed.”

Walling Contracting can compliment the harvester easily with a full array of tractor/ trailer units and trucks for cartage of the beet. In addition they provide a complete pit silage, baleage and ground cultivation equipment to service clients’ needs.

Southland Times