Fram’s Founding Board Members

In our 60th Anniversary year, we took a trip down memory lane, and caught up with the founding members of the Fram Farmers board that are still with us today. Here, they share their fond memories of their time on the board and its lasting legacy.

MIKE LLOYDS

Whist studying at Writtle College, Mike saw an advert for a purchasing administrator at Fram Farmers on the jobs board. After interviewing with Peter Lusted and his wife Kathleen, he started in July 1963 as Peter’s assistant.

“Peter was a chartered secretary, so numbers were his thing, and I brought the agricultural knowledge and experience. The rest, as they say, is history. I worked with Peter in his garage at Kettleburgh, in the days before the office opened on market hill in Framlingham,” explains Mike. “It was still double-entry book-keeping at

DAVID BLACK

David was also a founding board member, joining the board alongside many local familiar faces in the industry. Feeding 80,000 – 90,000 pigs per year at the time, David’s business was also one of the larger members of Fram Farmers, buying feedstuffs, fertilisers and sprays. “Early on, we did more with Fram Farmers than anyone else, and being part of a cooperative had, and still provides, the opportunity for farmers to be more competitive.” “The structure of the board worked well,

JOHN KERR

John was an early board member, joining shortly after its formation in the 1960s, and remaining on the board until the mid-seventies. Taking on a tenancy of his farm in Blaxhall in 1963, John grew a variety of crops and managed dairy cows and turkeys on the family holdings in Letheringham and Easton. “I remember getting a call from Steven Horvat asking me to join the board. It was an honour to be in the company of so many well-regarded and senior local the time, no computers and no calculators. We did the invoicing and ledgers, and Kathleen typed the minutes, newsletters etc. Peter was an absolute stickler; everything had to be spot on. We spent hours in the evenings doing the work, until the books balanced.” Mike has fond memories of other board members, notably Steven Horvat. “Steven was a remarkable character. He was on 6 or 7 different boards in the area at the same time, but when he was there in that board room, he was there for Fram Farmers. He never ever put his own interests first, it was all for the benefit of the cooperative. He would come into the office and stir things up to make sure

with one overall chairman and then chairmen of different groups, such as purchasing, grain marketing etc. I attended buying group meetings, and general board meetings as one-time chairman of the buying group, and reported back to the board. “There were always so many ideas floating about, but we had to make sure these ideas were right for the business. Adding more services to the business didn’t always provide value to members, as there were overhead costs to consider. The cash and carry service, for example, closed in 1992, which was a strategic farmers. I was one of the youngest on the board at the time and they had so much knowledge that I was keen to learn from,” explains John. “It was at a significant stage of my own career at the time, and I hope I contributed a younger man’s views to discussions and earned my place. The board was led by a dynamic chairman, Steven Horvat, an outstanding character, in both his personality and drive. He was the kind of man who, in a meeting, would always ask the questions that no one else had the guts to ask.” “I will always admire the frugality of how things were happening; he wanted solutions, not problems.” “We were always looking for what the members wanted and we had a strong working relationship with many of the merchants. Some merchants undermined us, going direct to farmers, which was when we figured out a subscription structure, trying to work out a system that was equitable for members of all sizes. “At the time, we had to make ends meet and cash flow was a huge focus of our work. In 1963/64, we got up to about 300 members, we hit turnover of £1m with overheads of about 0.92%, which we will probably never see again. It was a good time.”

move,” adds David. “With the refurbishment of the offices on new road in the nineties, it was ‘all hands on deck’. Fram Farmers really had a family feel to it, and I’m sure that remains the case today.” David’s nephew James is managing director of the farming business at Bacton, David Black & Son, which is still a member of Fram Farmers today, buying fertilisers, grain, agrochemicals, electricity

and fuel through the cooperative. the cooperative was run in the early days to get it off the ground. Initially the board would gather in the meeting room at the Crown and Anchor pub in Framlingham –that was our board room for a while.”

John’s son Bruce now runs the family business, William Kerr Farms, while son Alastair also farms nearby, and runs a successful wedding venue, Easton Grange. Daughter Fiona runs Easton Farm Park, a day visitor attraction. All farm businesses continue to make use of their Fram Farmers membership, sourcing electricity, farm inputs and building materials through the cooperative.

ROBERT MAYHEW

Robert’s father, John, played an instrumental part in the formation of Fram Farmers in 1960, of which Robert has fond memories. “I was 17 when the board formed and can remember my father’s involvement well. Shortly after his death in 1971, I joined the board myself, remaining on the board until the late eighties.” Robert's role mostly focused on grain marketing, representing Framlingham Farmers on the board of the newly formed Blycorn. Robert was elected Chairman from 1982 - 1986, when Peter Kemsley retired, and reported back to Fram Farmers on marketing activities. “Farmers are entrepreneurs, and it is not always easy for farmers to work together in a cooperative as they want to go in different directions. I remember there would be decisions that not everyone agreed upon, but none-the-less decisions were made.” “The cooperative has expanded

JOHN HOLMES

John Holmes sat on the board for 30 years from its formation in the 1960s. Currently farming 182 hectares on his farm in Frostenden on the Suffolk coast through a contract farming agreement, John began farming the land in 1950. “Looking back at this photograph brings back a lot of old memories. I knew many of the other board members at the time, and was very close friends with Bill Green, Tim Denham-Smith and John Jacobs, so it made sense to join like

KEITH BULLOCK

Keith was a founding member of Fram Farmers, serving as chairman from 1977 – 1982. “I have fond memories of my time on the board,” explains Keith. “I had the pleasure of working with and meeting some great characters. Bruce Hinton was a great bloke; he dropped into the chairman’s role on a number of occasions. He could analyse a problem and figure out the real issue at heart and had a very clear head.” “I was in a lucky position in that I started farming on my own, on about 100 acres, enormously but still continues to evolve, as agriculture has done over the past 60 years, and the fact that Fram Farmers is still running today says a lot about its philosophy.” Robert ‘retired’ from farming 15 years ago, leaving his son Alan to run the farm at home, also recently taking on the next

door farm, totalling 780 acres. minded people.” “I was first persuaded to join the board by other farmers that were in a self-formed grain marketing group, Bill Green being one of them. There was five of us marketing our own grain before the cooperative started,” explains John. “Steven Horvatt made quite an impact on the whole company and drove the innovation; he did a lot to wake the board up. More recently, Roger Adshead; he did a lot for the coop. I had a good relationship with Roger.” A proud Suffolk Farmer, John noted that

the success of Fram Farmers is down to so I could join whichever groups I wanted, and I was very much for the cooperative movement. My own business did slightly suffer because of it, as I used to check in at the Fram office three times per week. It took a lot more of my time than I fully appreciated, and I only realised how much at the end of my five-year chairmanship. I think I speak for the whole board when I say that we took our roles very seriously,” explains Keith. “In my opinion, the most radical thing that came from Fram Farmers was the direct debiting system. Some were for it, and others were against it, as farmers were

“Alan is a hands-on farmer, running the farm on his own, with the long hours and machinery repairs that come with it,” adds Robert. “He remains a Fram Farmers member and a council member. For him, Fram Farmers provides the backup to his business; the office function, the marketing pools, and the bulk purchasing,” he concludes.

the cooperative minded farmers in Suffolk, often smaller than their Norfolk counterparts. “I would say that farming input purchases were the most advantageous to me and other farmers of my size, with the likes of seed and chemicals. My relationship still stands with Bunns (now Origin) in Great Yarmouth, who were one of the original Fram Farmers suppliers. I still buy my fertiliser through Fram Farmers. “I strongly believe that if it hadn’t had been for Fram Farmers, we would be paying a lot more for our fertilisers and farm inputs to this day.”

quite guarded over their farm chequebook. A big part of the Fram Farmers ethos came to be the 14- day payment, and we negotiated better deals for members because of it. It kept the business running effectively and made the group stronger.” Keith’s sons Andrew and John run the farm business today, still purchasing all farm inputs through the cooperative. “In my opinion, the fact that the group is still going strong today has kept input prices at a reasonable level. I’m proud to be a part of that legacy,” concludes Keith.

HIGH QUALITY SILAGE ESSENTIAL FOR EFFICIENT AD PLANT OPERATION

Attention to detail and using oxygen barrier film technology at a Suffolk Anaerobic Digestion plant has resulted in high quality maize silage as the main feedstock.

The plant uses 30 tonnes of maize silage per day, making up 45% of the total feedstock which also includes straw and manure from the adjoining pig unit. Herb waste and sugar beet pulp are used seasonally, plus a small amount of poultry manure.

“Having consistent, good quality maize silage all year makes running the 1.3 MW AD plant easier and more efficient,” says Matthew McDowell, AD Manager of Barley Brigg Biogas at Stradbroke, Suffolk.

Matthew studied Agricultural Technology at Queens University, Belfast and completed his dissertation on anaerobic digestion before moving to England to work in the sector.

Barley Brigg Biogas is owned by Rattlerow Farms, the Stradbroke based pig breeding/genetics company who farm 3000 acres of arable land adjacent to the AD plant. They and six other local farms grow 650 acres of maize a year for the plant. The maize is grown within a four mile radius of Barley Brigg and contract harvested, with Matthew managing the harvest to achieve the target 33% dry matter (DM).

Yields have averaged 40- 45 tonnes/hectare, chop length is 3/4mm, and correct consolidation is given high priority.

Harvest hours are restricted from 7am to 9.30pm in respect of local residents. Matthew has found that making better silage assists the smooth operation and productivity of the AD plant. Timely harvesting and rapid clamp covering all contribute to this as well as the use of Silostop Max 1-layer oxygen barrier film.

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Matthew first encountered this film in his first job with Agrigen biogas, a 3.5 MW plant at Rendlesham, Suffolk. “I was unimpressed with the results of the polyethylene film Agrigen were using and we trialled the new Silostop film I had seen advertised,”he said. “The results were impressive and they have used it ever since. I find the Max film very strong and easy to use for the covering team, and it has resulted in eliminating top waste and reducing DM losses in the top layer.” He also places high importance on using Silostop heavy duty Wall Film in conjunction with the Max, and is now using Silostop Supacova Nets for

protection on top of the film. A rotary defacer is used for taking silage out of the clamp, leaving a smooth tight face to reduce DM losses from secondary fermentation.

The larger 150m long Max rolls are now used at Barley Brigg, as Matthew finds that less joins are much more effective for covering large clamps. He also values the technical support and back-up from Silostop, with their wide experience helping farms make better silage all over

the world. Silostop Max is available in 35/50/150/300m lengths with widths from 8 to 27m. The larger 150 and 300m rolls have 1m increments marked on the film to allow accurate cutting of the film to fit the clamp, and to show how much film

is left on the roll. The full range of Silostop products is used to make high quality silage, all supplied by Fram Farmers.