Based just outside of Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross, DS Hynd & Sons is a fourth-generation business dating back to 1931.
The farm started as a tenancy across three blocks of land, before gradually expanding as more ground became available. The farm now extends to 85ha, split almost equally between hilly grassland and arable.
The business is headed up by brothers Don and Malcolm, the third generation, who started working with their father, Donald, in the mid-1970s.
They’re supported by Don’s son, Alistair, and the three have continued to expand the contracting arm of the business, which has grown significantly in the past 50 years.
“Our father started contracting on a small scale,” explains Don. “But it was when we came on board full-time that the contracting became more of a focus. The farm wasn’t large enough to support three of us, so Malcolm and I started working with other farmers and contractors in the area and gradually built up our own customer base.”
Built from collaboration
A lot of the jobs that now make up the bulk of the workload started because of the sub-contracting work done by Don and Malcolm. Round baling has been a key operation since 1977, starting with them filling in for other operators in the area, before investing in a machine of their own in the early 80s.
This developed into foraging, initially with Reco Mengele machines, with the company running trailed units for a time. At present, the company runs a single JF-Stoll machine.
“The market has split, with some small farms and a lot of big operations, so we’ve seen demand for what we offer drop. We could expand, but the only way to do this would be to purchase a self-propelled machine, which would encroach on some of the contractors we work with,” says Alistair.
“However, foraging isn’t just about throughput. It needs to be matched to the man on the clamp, and the customers we have appreciate that we can offer this.”
Despite this, the change to the JF-Stoll machine was based on maximising the output when it matters. Alistair notes that the Mengele was difficult to maintain, so downtime would occasionally eat into the job. The switch to a JF unit means routine tasks such as swapping out old blades can be done significantly quicker.
Malcolm says the operation that really kickstarted the contracting arm was drilling. Arable work had been a growing sector for the family, with Malcolm doing seasonal work on a sprayer.
Now they run two drills: a 3m Horsch Express KR power harrow combination, and a 4m Horsch Pronto DC. The latter handles the bulk of the spring sowing, while the Express KR has a variety of metering wheels, meaning it can handle the low rates required for turnips and other small seeds.
Filling out the year
Drilling exceeds 485ha each year, not including the Hynds’ own farm, with grass rejuvenation using a modified Opico harrow and Accord seeder adding almost 250ha to the workload. “That’s turned out to be a brilliant bit of kit, because it has enabled us to offer cover crop sowing to our customers as well,” Alastair explains. “We can stitch a clover or herbal ley behind the ryegrass, or put in fodder crops after the peas.”
The same area is ploughed or cultivated, with the firm running a Horsch Joker, a Kverneland seven-furrow semi-mounted plough and a Kverneland five-furrow mounted unit.
Spraying is done with a mounted Berthoud Elite, combined with a front tank and fitted with a 24m boom. On their own ground, they grow potatoes and spring barley, with the latter taken up to a malting premium, and run a herd of cattle which graze off the hilly ground.
While demand for foraging has dipped, there’s plenty of work for the balers, as well as wrapping, bale stacking and running trailers for a local anaerobic digester. The farm’s own ground is processed into hay and haylage for the local equine market.
Winter work includes muckspreading when conditions allow, with the family running two Bunning spreaders and a loader-tractor which is fitted with weigh cells. “There’s always something to do and we’ve built our reputation on being flexible with our customers,” Don says.
“We keep our kit sized appropriately so we can offer high throughputs without having to sacrifice the smaller farms, and we’ve been able to benefit from more efficient kit on our farm through the contracting work.”
Red through and through
Horsepower on the farm is provided by Massey Ferguson, purchased through the Hamilton Ross Group. Alongside six mainline tractors (a 7720, a 7S.180, a 7718, two 7618s, and a 6265), the family also have a collection of classic Ferguson tractors including a 65, 35x, 1080, 135 and 50EX unit.
“We’ve looked at other brands in the past, but we grew up driving the 35s and have always liked the brand,” says Malcolm. “And Hamiltons have always looked after us. They give us great service and they’re close by.”
New tractors are backed up with a five-year, 6,000-hour warranty. Alastair says that while it’s more expensive in the short term, it pays off over time because they have confidence in the equipment they are using.
“We try to do some maintenance ourselves on the implements, but have found that we need to invest in a stock of spares to keep on farm,” he adds. “We have no trouble with service, but no one seems to stock anything anymore. Everything is available the next day, which isn’t ideal if a machine needs a replacement part during the height of the season.”