Customer Profile:
HS Jansen & Sons Farm
Spallumcheen, British Columbia

HS Jansen & Sons Farm is truly a family operation. The 1,200 acre dairy farm, which milks 850 cows, is located in Spallumcheen, British Columbia, 1 ½ hours north of Kelowna, BC in the heart of Okanagan farm country. Brothers Dale, Andrew and Harold share the responsibility of operating the farm, the third generation of their family to do so. The Jansens’ aim is to produce high quality feed in order to maintain the healthiest herd possible.

The desire to purchase the Swadro 2000 came from a simple principle, family. The Jansens place a high emphasis on the values of their families. The faster they can get a job done, the more time they have to spend with their families. But this isn’t a three-man show. The Jansens complete most every job on the farm as a family. The Jansen children, as soon as they are able, are on the farm helping one another complete the many daily tasks.

Deciding to buy the first Swadro 2000 rotary rake sold in North America was not an easy decision for the Jansen brothers. After a meeting with their dealer, Avenue Machinery, and some Krone representatives, the Jansen’s decided that it made sense for their operation to purchase this machine.

The Swadro 2000 is a BiG rake, with a raking width of 60 feet. Of course as with any new machine comes questions and new challenges. The first being once the Swadro 2000 came off the ship from Germany – how do we find a truck to haul a monster like this? A special extendable double drop truck and trailer was brought in to move the machine from the port in Washington to its new home in British Columbia.

Upon receiving the new Swadro 2000, Andrew Jansen was appointed the man in charge of the machine. He quickly became familiar with the machine and fine-tuned several adjustments so it would work perfectly for their operation. Then it was time to wait for the wet Western Canadian conditions to dry up so silage could be made.

Once Andrew got into the field with the rake he was very pleased. “It does leave a very desirable windrow,” he explained, “the end product that this rake leaves is great. Bringing four (swather) windrows together has been ideal for feeding the chopper effectively.” The Jansens’ upgrade from a 30 foot rake to the 60 foot rake allows them to get the job done more than twice as fast while being able to drive the rake at a slower speed and still stay ahead of the forage harvester. Yet, the biggest benefit of the Swadro 2000 is the improvement in feed quality, claims Andrew.

It may have been a slightly risky move to be the first owners of a Swadro 2000 in North America, but the Jansens have been very pleased with their decision. They now have a reliable machine that provides a desirable end product and more time-savings, resulting in the most family time possible.

Machine Sold and Serviced by Avenue Machinery in Vernon, British Columbia.

HS Jansen & Sons Farm