Stringing together other uses for baler twine

In my view

In John and Andrew Arbuckle’s new book, Farming Facts and Fake News, designed to raise money for the RSABI, one of the lists is for alternative uses of baler twine. These uses are endless like the twine itself when correctly connected in the baler twine box.

However, if it wasn’t for big square bales there would be a crisis looming as with the introduction of net wrap, baler twine has been in decline on many farms.

In fact, in contrast to agriculture’s great tradition of recycling materials, some farmers have resorted to buying a new pack of baler twine just to have some string for those many jobs listed in the book.

While net wrap has been tried to tie gates together, it is not really easy on the fingers or on the eye once tied.

Therefore, mixed farms using big square bales have a supply of twine which is much stronger than the old stuff and less likely to break before a score of uses.

And it is not just twine that is getting harder to come by but 1cwt bags are in short supply too as everything arrives in farm in either bulk lorries or big bags.

So, if you need a small bag for carrying some feed to the two-dozen sheep in front of the farmhouse you must hunt around for something else. Oil-soaked sacks used to catch drips under the tractor or even the big tonne bags just won’t cut it.

These are just some of the little changes which farming has to address and re-adapt too throughout the years.

Let’s face it farmers have had to cope with keeping old pieces of machinery going after the spare parts have been discontinued and the worries over glysophate continue.

A Roadless four-wheel-drive conversion ploughing

A restored New Performance Fordson Super Dexta