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OUR STORY

We are one of North Yorkshire's most innovative companies, offering contract farming and agricultural solutions. We're also one of the few alfalfa growers in the UK.

Over 25 years ago we started our agricultural contracting and farming business, W. Dale & Son. Over the years we have grown and diversified and these days we undertake many agricultural contracting operations, from single jobs through to whole farm contracts.

Our agricultural operations include haulage, manure spreading, ploughing, cultivating, drilling (including direct drilling) combining, baling, mowing, tedding, raking, wrapping, topping and hedge cutting.

We also recycle pallet and packaging timber on our site which is then dried, screened and stored before being dispatched to our customers as a quality dry biomass product.

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our vision

​Our vision is to become a regenerative biodiverse farm, less dependent on fertilisers and chemicals, with sustainable processes that reduce our carbon footprint.

 

Where possible we follow the regenerative principles of integrating livestock, maximising the diversity of plant species, maintaining living roots and minimising soil disturbance. Our aim is to improve soil health, which brings improved biodiversity and increased carbon capture. 

 

We are members of BASE UK promoting biodiversity, agriculture, soil and the environment. 

how alfalfa helps sustainability

Alfalfa is now a large part of our farming enterprise. Alfalfa is a leguminous crop which takes nitrogen from the air and fixes it in the soil, reducing our need for artificial fertilisers. The long tap roots feed the soil, and the penetration improves drainage and helps to reduce flooding.

Alfalfa is a drought tolerant perennial crop lasting around 5 years, so does not require the land to be cultivated and drilled with new seed every year. The flowering crop creates a haven of biodiversity for bees and insects, birds and wildlife and can be cut several times in a year.

We grow the crop on our own and rented farmland, cutting it with special mowers that gently crimp the stem but do not strip the leaves. Next, it is wilted in the sun for a short period before being raked up ahead of the forage harvester. This chops the alfalfa up and blows it into the trailer for transport back to our yard and the drying plant.

 

The chopped alfalfa is loaded into our continuous flow dryers, which are powered by our solar panels and biomass boilers. These dry the alfalfa down to around 12% moisture. From there it is taken into our bulk store, before being packaged into boxes, bales or pallets to be posted or shipped to our customers.

 

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ALFALFA Livestock Feed

Alfalfa, also known as Lucerne, is a premium quality livestock feed product. We introduced Alfalfa into our crop rotation over 5 years ago as we started to head down our regenerative pathway. Alfalfa was a new crop that fitted with our vision of becoming less dependent on fertilisers and chemicals.

We supply Alfalfa by weight, from small quantities posted to your door, or larger quanities delivered in various bulk sizes. Please visit our shop or contact us to discuss your requirements.

The Riverside Alfalfa logo in white featuring alfalfa leaves, our fields, and the River

Farming & Agricultural Contractors

We are one of North Yorkshire's most innovative companies, offering contract farming and agricultural solutions. We're also one of the few Alfalfa growers in the UK.

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