After 48 years, Michael Ball is baling up his hay and straw business in Herefordshire.

He started when he was 21 and has spent nearly half a century travelling the country, and even parts of Europe, with his loads.

But he says that things have not been the same since foot-and-mouth, with less stock about and fewer customers, and it is time to call it a day.

Not that he means to retire fully as he wants to carry on with his rock salt business for farmers across the county.

Michael got into the hay and straw business by “accident”. He bought a small load of hay for his own purposes from a farmer in the Golden Valley, who invited him to try to sell all his crop for him and to pay at the end.

At the age of 21, he took up the challenge and has been in the business every since.

It was hard, physical work in the early days, as all hay and straw was pitched with forks and pikes and off-loaded the same way, often into very difficult buildings.

Things are easier now even though the bales are bigger and loads can be up to 30 tons, but machines now do most of the handling.

Michael can’t guess how many miles Ball of Madley lorries have travelled or how many thousands of tons hay and straw he has transported from farm to farm. “A lot,” he said.

But it ends on Saturday, when Sunderlands and Thompsons will auction his lorries and other equipment at the old Madley airfield, not far from his home.