30% of Every Bale was being Wasted until this Beef Farmer Invested in a Hustler Bale Feeder

Peter Russell farms at Lyndhurst on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. He operates a mixed cropping and grazing property on 350 hectares and runs about 120 Angus breeders in a self-replacing herd. Not only is he a passionate farmer, but also owns and operates a farm machinery dealership so he happens to know a thing or two about machinery

Previously when feeding his cattle, Peter would use the hills on his property to roll out his round bales.

“It was quite easy to undo the netting and let the bales roll down the hill, but with cattle you get a lot of wastage,” Peter says. “They like to lay on it, trample it and spoil it.” Peter estimates that he was wasting around 30% of each bale. “That’s like buying 100 bales of hay and then sticking a match to 30 of them.”

“I purchased a Hustler and the difference between having hay left or no hay left, was phenomenal.”

Peter saw a solution in the Hustler Chainless X5000 (TX205) trailed bale feeder. It gave him the capability of handling large square bales in addition to the round bales he produces himself, and he could take four bales out at a time, instead of just three. He also likes the fact, that the Hustler bale feeder takes the bale right down to the core, even a very tightly wrapped bale gets broken up nicely. 

“From a costing and efficiency perspective, I was a long way in front using the Hustler.”

“I purchased the Hustler and within the week I started feeding out adjacent to where I was rolling them down the hill. The difference between having hay or no hay left was phenomenal. So from a costing and efficiency perspective, I was a long way in front using the Hustler.”

For Peter it was an easy decision to make the purchase: “Hustler Equipment is extremely solid and robust – very reliable.” The quality build and few moving parts mean a lifelong investment and easy maintenance. 

Watch Peter’s story: 

Alongside his farming operation, Peter also runs a farm machinery dealership, with Hustler bale feeders among his offerings. He takes his Hustler Chainless X5000 (TX205) out for Demonstrations and has never had a machine not doing the job. 

“I’ve never had a Hustler machine not doing the job.”

Peter thinks selling and using Hustler Equipment is a benefit. He is using the product daily and therefore knows exactly what it is capable of. “We’ve done demos with the Hustler on our property and as soon as I’ve done a demo using my machine, it’s been an instant sale.”