Eric Yates’ News From East Anglia

News gleaned from the papers throughout 2022 from our far East correspondent, Eric Yates.

June

Simon Dann (HND 80/83) with his son Alex, hosted one of the region’s Open Farm Sunday events on their dairy farm in north Tuddenham. Their event was a week later than those organised by LEAF as the Danns were providing ice cream and animals to other farm events on that day.

July

Doug Wanstall (NCA 89/90) has developed a 5 point plan to eliminate Nitrogen fertiliser inputs on his farm in Kent which is comprised of arable, a 74 head Sussex beef suckler herd and 12000 laying hens. The plan includes planting Lucerne as an animal feed which will also give free nitrogen and improve soil drainage. A straw-for-muck deal with a neighbouring cattle farmer but composting the muck for a 2 to 3 year period before use. Mr Wanstall also plans to use worm farms, fish emulsion and frass. Frass is a by-product of fruit and veg waste which is fed to black soldier fly larvae. Once they are big enough they are fed to the chickens and the remaining frass will be used to make a liquid fertiliser.

August

There was a FW write up on Harry Metcalf (HND 78/81) who started out in agriculture, became a motoring journalist and launched a magazine called Evo then returned to farming in 2017. He set up a YouTube channel called Harry’s Garage in 2015 and then a separate one called Harry’s Farm a couple of years ago.

Kit Papworth (HND 89/92) was appointed as the combinable crops and sugar beet sector chairman for the Red Tractor food assurance scheme.

September

In the FW of Sept 16th, Colin Rayner (OND 76/79) was one of several farmers who shared memories of meeting the late Queen. She was a keen supporter of agricultural charities and she was always up to date with farming issues.

October

The autumn agricultural review in the Eastern Daily Press included articles on some old Shuttleworth students. Jamie Lockhart (ND 92/95) is the Norfolk NFU chairman and was talking about the fact that the recent financial and political upheavals are putting further pressure on farmers and rural businesses. Robert Alexander (HND 93/96) of A.J.Alexander and son near Diss is part of a family-run farming and contracting business. He was explaining the importance of scale and their policy of running the latest machinery to maximise efficiency and reliability, and to take advantage of new technologies.