South East Farmer October 2020

®

Est 1982

October 2020

NEWS COLLEGE FINED OUT & ABOUT

FEATURE

WARDINGTON MANOR

CHARLTONS

A cut flower and garden design business with a pioneering Climate Compost project

Trusted supplier hits critical deadline

FEATURE

FEATURE

WESTPOINT FARM VETS

ACS

Delivering nutrients to the soil

A key shift in emphasis

Photographic Ploughing Competition Win Chapel Down Wine

Entry details: www.batchellermonkhouse.com/photographic-ploughing-competition/

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O C TO BE R 2 0 2 0

43 04 05 06 07

10 14

CONTENTS NEWS & REPORTS

Brighter future for agricultural college.

Big fine follows fish death prosecution.

Exclusive interview with Commission member Robert Hodgkins.

Heifer rescued from river.

REGULARS

MONICA AKEHURST

Where there is uncertainty there will be opportunity.

OUT AND ABOUT

Nigel visits Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire to find out about a pioneering Climate Compost project.

18

ANITA HEAD

30

ALAN WEST

28

39

40

SARAH CALCUTT

42

NICK ADAMES

31

WESTPOINT FARM VETS

22

CHARLTONS

48

PRESSURE CLEAN

51

HARVEST REPORT

Losing respect for the service.

53

STEPHEN CARR

54

LEGAL

57

LAND AND FARMS

FEATURES 43

ACS ACS collects, sells, stockpiles and spreads every last tonne of treated sewage sludge – more properly known as biosolids – produced in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire by Southern Water.

51

22

While the primary focus of any vet remains the health and welfare of the animal, there has been a key shift in emphasis.

When grower Sean Charlton worked out the timeline that would allow him to pick fruit the following season on a site that was still an arable field, he knew it was going to be a race against time.

A long-established business with strong links to the farming community is relocating to a more flexible building.

The year 2020 will be one that people talk about for long into the future.

ADVICE FROM THE VET

31

MARKET REPORTS

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www.southeastfarmer.net SOUTH EAST FARMER Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL 01959 541444 EDITORIAL Editor: Malcolm Triggs Email: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk Photography: Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic PUBLISHER Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk AD PRODUCTION Studio Manager: Jo Legg jo.legg@kelsey.co.uk Graphic Designer: James Pitchford TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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www.kelsey.co.uk Cover picture: Charltons © Martin Apps

OP IN IO N

Learning from Ancient Rome

4

Modern day farmers need many qualities, from the age-old ability to work all hours in all weathers right through to the more recently needed requirement to be able to spot new diversification opportunities and fill in increasingly complex grant application forms.

These days, of course, they also need a sense of humour, a sympathetic bank manager and a healthy amount of Stoicism as the weather and random viruses play havoc with their livelihoods.

This spring’s catastrophic crash in the price of milk destined for food service companies following the Covid-inspired lockdown has been followed by the lowest volume harvest seen in the UK for nearly half a century.

As our report from Weald Granary points out, year-onyear production is more than 30% down.

Poor autumn planting conditions and the hot dry spring has been blamed for what is described in the feature on page 51 as “a very strange season”, though I would hazard a guess some of our arable readers used more colourful language.

With Stoicism very much in demand, farmers will no doubt pick themselves up, dust themselves down and get on with preparing for next season. They may even reflect on the work of Seneca, one of the original Stoics, whose De Constantia Sapientis (On the Firmness of the Wise) celebrated the idea that a Stoic sage relied on an inner firmness and was “strengthened by injury and adversity”.

The irony, perhaps, is that Seneca probably didn’t need to be as Stoic as all that, since he was at one point one of the richest people in the Roman Empire. He was also tutor and adviser to later-to-be Emperor Nero and didn’t have to worry about the impact no rain for months would have on his lovingly drilled wheat crop.

It’s of no real help, of course, but farmers’ resourcefulness and good humour in the face of the kind of setback that would have many others throwing in the towel probably has much to do with the fact that the weather is simply the weather. We can’t make it rain – or stop – any more than we can end a pandemic with willpower alone.

And with the pandemic having put paid to ploughing matches, most of this year’s trade shows and the social side of markets, Seneca was clearly predicting the future when he observed: “Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.” Passing time in other people’s company is something we are all looking forward to just now.

MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

EMAIL YOUR VIEWS, LETTERS OR OPINIONS TO: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk or write to the address on page 3 ®

BRIGHTER FUTURE

Agricultural students at the renowned Hadlow College have been promised stability, security and a brighter future following its transfer to North Kent College.

Hadlow, including Princess Christian Farm and the equestrian centre in Greenwich, has become part of North Kent as a result of recommendations made by the Further Education Commissioner following the Hadlow Group’s well-publicised problems over the past 18 months.

Speaking exclusively to South East Farmer, Chief Executive and Executive Principal of North Kent College David Gleed said the move would provide financial stability for Hadlow, along with security and sustainability, and said the further education sector had been keen to find a local solution for the well-regarded land-based college.

Praising the commitment and dedication of the staff, Mr Gleed said there had “never been any issues about the quality of the education at Hadlow” and stressed that regardless of the Hadlow Group’s wider financial difficulties, the college’s own infrastructure had remained sound.

“Hadlow has great tutors, the students have always enjoyed a quality experience and the managers and staff have a huge amount of knowledge. North Kent can now add security and financial stability to that mix to deliver a first class learning experience for our students,” he commented.

Mr Gleed said he was looking forward to discussing future initiatives with College Principal Lindsay Pamphilon and talking to the industry about ensuring Hadlow continued to produce students with the right skill set for the 21st century.

While he said he did not have extensive land-based learning experience, he had been working closely with the team at Hadlow and was determined to help the college move forward on a more stable footing and to continue to improve its offer. “It’s an interesting time to be involved in agriculture and I will be talking to employees and students to make sure we are meeting the right needs,” he said.

This year’s intake had stood up well, despite the issues around Covid-19, he said, adding: “We will be operating in a different way but I am pleased with the numbers. The broader group difficulties haven’t put students off because the quality of experience at Hadlow has always been good. I am determined that that will continue.”

THIEVES STRIKE

Thieves exploited a two-and-a-half hour window of opportunity to steal satellite navigation equipment worth £175,000 from a Sussex farming operation.

The raid on Barfoots of Botley Ltd, which farms 8,000 acres on the south coast, left staff “devastated and demoralised” after 15 Trimble GPS systems were stolen from a fleet of tractors.

“We had been working late that night and the sprayer operator left the yard at 1.40am,” said Neil Cairns, head of crop production at Sefter Farm. “By the time one of our tractor drivers arrived to start work at 4.15, the units had been taken.”

Barfoots grows mainly vegetables and had finished drilling when the thefts occurred, but now faces a race against time to buy and fit new GPS units before beginning autumn cultivations.

Neil said it had been “a disaster” for the business, with staff left demoralised, “It’s the financial cost of the increased premiums and insurance excess, plus the hassle involved in replacing it all,” he said. “It’s just something you don’t need.”

Sussex Police believe the theft was linked to an organised crime gang and to a number of similar incidents across the country, with the theft carefully planned by a gang who knew what they were looking for.

“We had three other units stolen 18 months ago – and a quad bike stolen from a locked shed just last night,” Neil told South East Farmer. “Since lockdown eased, rural crime has become much worse.”

Barfoots has now upgraded its CCTV system and has ensured a permanent overnight presence at the site.

NEWS

COLLEGE FINED

Plumpton College has been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of almost £45,000 after it was prosecuted by The Environment Agency for causing the deaths of more than 1,500 fish.

Hove Crown Court was told that management failings at the agricultural college, which pleaded guilty to the offence at Lewes Crown Court last year, caused slurry to pollute a nearby stream significantly.

The court heard that in November 2016, contaminated water containing a high amount of cow slurry was spread as fertiliser onto a field at Wales Farm, now called Lambert Farm, managed

by Plumpton College.

Head herdsman Stuart Duncan carried out the work despite the fact that the volume spread was many times more than the field could absorb. As the ground was also frozen, much of the contaminated water ran off into ditches and land drains which then flowed into the nearby Plumpton Mill Stream.

The Environment Agency classified the pollution as a category one incident – its most serious level.

The stream smelled strongly of slurry and the watercourse was visibly brown, with foam on the top. Many of the dead fish were protected species, such as migratory trout.

The court heard that the Environment Agency became aware of the incident after it was reported by a member of the public. The college did not report the pollution and did not have an emergency plan in place for dealing with slurry spillage.

The Environment Agency had been in regular contact to advise the college on its management

and operations on a number of occasions since 2011 because of concerns about incidents and non-compliances with agricultural regulations.

The college admitted the incident was the result of a mistake by a member of staff. It conceded the actions taken to spread the slurry were wrong as the weather conditions and field were not suitable.

Before sentencing, Duncan accepted a formal caution for his actions contributing to the incident.

Ed Schmidt, environment management team leader in Sussex for the Environment Agency, said: “Poor management, a lack of contingency planning and inadequate infrastructure at the farm resulted in a totally avoidable pollution incident that had a disastrous effect on the local environment.

“It is even more disappointing that a college that specialises in agricultural practices and teaches farmers of the future, failed to take all reasonable actions and was wholly negligent in preventing this incident from occurring in the first place.

“The outcome of this case should be a clear and strong message to all people working within the farming industry to ensure they think about the actions they take when managing highly polluting liquids.

“Ensure you are compliant with codes of practice and take the time to review your procedures. Consider seeking advice from the Environment Agency or qualified consultants, check and maintain your infrastructure and test your emergency planning and response to accidental incidents.”

Costs of £44,852.66 were awarded against the college, which is based at Ditchling Road, Lewes.

5

Photos ©Environment Agency

> Environment Agency officers increase oxygen in Plumpton Mill Stream

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NEWS

“INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED” Exclusive interview with Trade and Agricultural Commission rep Robert Hodgkins

6

Farming’s ‘hands-on’ representative on the high-powered Trade and Agriculture Commission looking at the future of UK farming has said he is “incredibly impressed” with the progress being made by the group.

“I really can’t question anyone’s commitment.

Everyone is focused on a positive outlook, there is a lot of support from DEFRA and I’m hugely impressed at the way it’s working,” explained Robert Hodgkins.

“We are currently in the information gathering stage but there have been lots of online meetings followed by a huge amount of email correspondence, all aimed at moving the commission forward. There are lots of clever people on board with an amazing amount of experience and they are all working towards the same goal – it’s a real eye-opener.”

Robert, who has created a thriving, subsidyfree enterprise rearing New Zealand Romneys in just six years, knows all about being dedicated to the cause, having put off his wedding to fiancé Jo Franklin in 2018 because they decided to spend £130,000 on a combine harvester instead.

That decision to put the farm first – one jointly taken with Jo, a business partner as well as a romantic one – meant the wedding had to be delayed, but has helped the farm, which trades as Kaiapoi, a Maori word meaning ‘food over water’, continue its dramatic growth.

The success of Kaiapoi, and the commitment the couple have shown to making it work, will no doubt have been behind his nomination to the commission which is set to play such a vital role in the future of British farming, although Robert has no idea where it came from.

“I really don’t know who nominated me,” he said. “I’m not a political animal, I don’t belong to

the National Sheep Association or the National Farmers Union (NFU) but I have given a few talks on my approach to farming and making money without relying on subsidies. I assume someone thought I had something to contribute.”

Robert has taken his place alongside NFU reps from across the country, former Trade Minister Lord Price, experts from the hospitality, food and drink and retail sectors and former Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens, among others.

As a full-time farmer in a high-profile line-up, Robert is determined to use his day job experience to contribute to the debate.

“I don’t have an agenda; I just want to put across the farmer’s point of view,” he explained.

“I will listen to the experts, but I will make sure they understand the consequences of what they say.”

As an example, Robert pointed out that different countries had different welfare priorities, which inevitably affected the cost of production. “If a sheep dies in the UK it costs us £25 plus paperwork to dispose of it. In New Zealand they just dig a hole and bury it,” he said.

“Commission members need to be aware of the realities of farming and I hope I will be able to contribute that.”

As a full-time farmer, he is planning to make commission membership work around his other priorities. “I’m looking forward to joining a Zoom meeting while out on the combine and I’ve had hands-free kits installed on all of the tractors,” he said after his appointment was announced.

Full-time farmer he may be, but Robert is far from the obvious choice for a government appointee to a body with such an important role to carry out. At just 39 – Jo is 35 – he’s well below the average age for the industry and has no

political affiliations.

He is, though, a dynamic example of what farming can achieve, having started out in 2014 with 200 cull ewes on 60 acres near Stevenage in Hertfordshire. Both he and Jo are second generation farmers, but their progress has still been impressive.

They now farm 1,600 acres of arable land and a further 1,000 acres of grass and have grown their herd from 200 to 2,500 Romneys – with the aid of the largest unsecured agricultural business loan HSBC has ever agreed. The loan of almost £1 million allowed the couple to double their flock in 2018 – as well as putting paid to their wedding.

“We’ve done well, but a lot of that is about being in the right place at the right time,” Robert added. “I’m not naïve, and I’m sure the invitation to join the commission had something to do with the way we have created a subsidy-free business, something which looks set to be important in the future.

“I was proud to be asked to join and I am interested in hearing what other members have to say. I’m not expecting to change the world, but I want to explain the consequences of anything proposed in terms of its impact on farming.”

On the likely outcome of the commission’s work, Robert added: “It has to be a negotiation. I am sure some people will be disappointed, but I hope that on balance people will be able to look back later and acknowledge that we helped pave the way for a good deal for farming and farmers.”

As the commission members were announced, Environment Secretary George Eustice stressed: “We have been consistently clear that we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food standards in all of our trade negotiations.”

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RESCUE

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A six-month-old heifer that fancied a dip in the River Adur in West Sussex had to be rescued by farmer Ryan Gue. Ryan, who was alerted to the problem by a neighbour who farms on the other side of the Adur, had to jump in to help the pedigree Holstein, which initially seemed to be enjoying its swim.

“It seemed quite happy at first, but once I got the halter on it became a bit cross,” he said. “I then had to drag it quite a way in order to find a bank with a shallower slope where I could help it out.” Dragging the 200 kilo animal was made easier by the fact that it was floating, but the tidal river didn’t help matters.

“It probably happens about once a year,” Ryan said later. “More than we would like, but not that often. This one learned her lesson, though. She’s not done it since.”

Ryan, 26, works alongside parents Tim and Marion and brothers Keith and Matt at Huddlestone Farm, Steyning, where the 550-hectare family business keeps 400 milking Holsteins and 300 sheep and grows wheat and barley.

While Ryan said the Adur had been “relatively warm”, Tim’s reaction to his son’s dramatic rescue was a relieved “I’m glad it was him who went in, not me”.

Girlfriend Lydia Nicklin, who took the photographs, described him as “the sort of person who just gets stuck in”.

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7

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A PLEA FOR HELP Dear sir, I am writing this in the hope that it will be seen by a compassionate reader.

I have been a social worker for more than 19 years, and am currently with Croydon Council’s Children Services Department.

I recently bought a small, 5-metre motorhome and live off grid, living a fuller life but making do with less.

I live in Brighton but work in Croydon, visiting looked after children as far away as Peterborough.

Moving the beloved motorhome I have named Frannie every few days with my dog Lexi in tow can be tiring, and I was hoping there might be a farmer in the South East with a tiny forgotten corner where I could park her.

As the old saying goes, you won’t know until you ask. Thank you.

Drew Donato Email: climbpraylove@gmail.com Tel: 07894 336425

8

SHELTERS STOLEN

Dear Sir, I am writing on behalf of Cobtree Young Farmers as we have had our field shelters stolen, along with two gates and a water trough. The break in happened some time between Sunday 30 August and Tuesday 1 September, when thieves broke into our Forstal Field site.

The latest information suggests that three men were seen in the field, which is off the M20, at around 7.20pm on the evening of the Monday bank holiday.

They gained entrance from Forstal Road using a gate on the opposite side to Cobtree Manor Park.

We are a registered charity with mainly under 18 members who have spent a lot of time building these shelters and we are keen for anyone with information to get in touch.

If anyone has dash cam footage of a large vehicle (due to the size of the shelters we believe it would have been a large flatbed transit or truck) pulling out of the gate please contact us urgently at cobtreeyfc@outlook.com.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2020 Likewise, if anyone sees anything matching these descriptions being sold please contact us.

Lucy Baughurst, Cobtree Young Farmers

STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

Dear sir, While reading Monica Akehurst’s article in the August edition of South East Farmer (“New wool strategy is essential”), I was intrigued to see a photograph that bore a striking resemblance to a painting I did several years ago of the last of my sheep being shorn by a local mobile gang.

David Orpin

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NEWS

A Surrey brewery has achieved its goal of moving its hops ‘from field to firkin in a furlong’ six years after setting itself that challenge.

After harvesting its hops from mid-September, the Hogs Back Brewery in Tongham will use a reconditioned Wolf hop picker to pick, sort and dry the hops itself for the first time rather than sending them offsite to a sub-contractor.

The hops, grown in the 8.5 acre hop garden next to the brewery, will be driven just yards to the hop picker, which carefully separates the all-important hop cones from the rest of the bines. They are then loaded into the kiln, 10 yards away, to be dried, before being vacuum packed to capture their flavour and stored at 5°C on site until required.

The hop garden was planted in 2014 and

HOPS ON THE MOVE expanded in a new location closer to the brewery last year. This will be the first full harvest from the new site.

Rupert Thompson, Hogs Back Brewery owner, explained: “Processing our hops at the brewery reduces our carbon footprint as the hops are moved just yards from the garden to the hop picker, hop kiln, storage and, when required, to the brewhouse where they are added to our beers. They never leave our site, so they really are travelling ‘from field to firkin in a furlong’, which has been our ambition since planting the original hop garden six years ago.”

LOCAL VETS WILL COPE

Local vets have joined the British Veterinary Association (BVA) in calling for clarity on the rules around moving animals and animal products after the Brexit transition period.

But while the BVA has expressed concerns that without an agreement the UK “won’t have the capacity to meet the increased demand for veterinary certification”, the news from the front line is more optimistic.

Ian Roper, Senior Clinical Director with Westpoint Farm Vets, said that while future arrangements were still “a big unknown”, vets in the South East were ready and able to cope with any extra workload caused by a no deal exit.

He said Exports By Vets, set up by VetPartners – which includes Westpoint – had trained additional vets to the standard required and was ready to meet the challenge if a ‘no deal’ scenario increased the certification workload.

“This is not a new issue as we already check products of animal origin that are heading to third countries. A no deal Brexit will just mean we will have to carry out the same checks on products destined for EU countries,” he explained.

“Of course we would like more clarity, but we are optimistic that we can cope with any extra workload, and if the problem doesn’t arise, the increased number of trained professionals will allow us to offer a more flexible and comprehensive service generally”.

Exports By Vets Lead Vet Ashley Marshall was also keen to highlight the profession’s forward planning, commenting: “Farm vet practices up and down the country are preparing for a multitude of eventualities given the uncertainty of future requirements.

“Hundreds of vets have completed the Official Veterinarian training necessary to sign export certificates for transport of animals and products of animal origin, although whether or not this will be enough for the demand is yet to be seen.”

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Hop garden manager Matthew King said the harvest was expected to be “one of our best for hop quality”. He added: “Hops thrive on heat and sunshine, but they also need water, so we’ve been grateful for the recent downpours. With more rainfall between now and harvest, we can expect a good crop.”

The garden, at Manor Farm, next to the brewery, has a total of 6,000 hop plants, including 2,000 transplanted from the original hop garden.

Farnham’s rich, loamy top soil over a chalky subsoil makes it ideal for hops.

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9

MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

WHERE THERE IS UNCERTAINTY THERE WILL BE OPPORTUNITY Today I got a bonus. It’s not quite in the league of bonuses that city bankers receive, but it brightened up my routine lookering.

Mushrooms, they’ve appeared overnight, bright white domed heads peeping out from the grass, with stout stalks and beautifully formed delicate pinkish undersides. Mushrooms on toast for lunch, a gastronomic delight.

On the third attempt, we’ve finally managed to wean all the lambs successfully. The 2020 batch have been very resourceful and persistent in their attempts to reunite with their mothers. On the second go, I enlisted family help by supplying food and wine. By the third go, I couldn’t face telling the family, so we managed ourselves; anyway the sheep seemed to know the form. One good thing about this year is that there is no shortage of tight grazing to put ewes on to dry off. Finding lush grazing for the lambs is another matter. Finished lamb

prices are holding up well – long may it last.

There have been reports of large numbers of dead fish floating in the Cuckmere Haven. The cause has been attributed to hot weather and lack of oxygen in the low water levels. Not dredging in the river mouth, restricting water flow, has caused worse flooding in winter and more drought conditions during the summer. It’s a beautiful valley and a popular leisure destination, but the visitors are complaining on social media about the resulting smell.

Our animals on the Pevensey Levels graze on the banks of the Wallers Haven. I’ve noticed a few dead fish in here. This river feeds the old haven and a whole system of dykes on the marshes, which generally divides the land. This year the water level is so low in the Wallers that it is below the feed pipe, and consequently most of the dykes have dried out to such an extent that the cattle simply walk through them. We’ve brought the bull home. Its not been easy

10

> Lambs soon ready for market

> Rescue mission is a messy business

> Help needed... I’m stuck!

> Mushrooms for lunch

> Scary... but I’m out and I’m alive

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

> At last the fields have greened up. We’re coming, did someone mention breakfast?

keeping track of the cattle as they keep swapping groups. It’s like ranch farming.

The worst consequence of these conditions is that when a cow breaks through the dried-out surface of the dyke, it gets sucked into the quagmire underneath. We gained first-hand experience of this on Sunday morning.

Luckily the cow bellowed and her calf standing on the bank alerted us to her whereabouts. As we viewed her predicament with horror, a British Blue cow apologetically gazed back at us anxiously, while we considered how best to get her out. The sides of the bank were steep, and when I stuck my long handled crook down beside the cow to establish the depth, it disappeared out of sight.

To revive her spirits I offered her some food which she ate; this seemed hopeful. Tractor and fore- loader were fetched. The next problem was how to get straps under her. This was messy; we tried various methods, but the one that worked was string fed through a length of blue pipe which was pushed underneath her and which I then hooked up with the crook. Wide lifting straps were then hauled through beneath her and attached to the fore-loader. I put a halter on her which I held to control her head. Nigel operated the tractor and other half gave instructions; she came close to slipping through the straps and falling backwards into the hole. Thankfully it ended happily and she got up remarkably quickly. Her calf ran off, not being overly impressed by the apparition that was retrieved from the dyke.

Lack of water in our rivers concerns me. In this area it’s clearly having an impact on our countryside. Water is taken from the Wallers Haven and treated at Hazards Green, from where South East Water then supplies households. Towns and villages in the South East are having new houses foisted on them, but is there enough water in this area to sustain all these extra water users? Leaving politics aside, the roads around here are already overcrowded. Agreed, houses are needed, but in a changing climate, is there going to be enough water?

Wouldn’t it be better to build in areas where there’s better infrastructure and higher rainfall?

Action on the farm goes on, the last of the harvest is gathered in, the hedge cutter is on and the autumn rush begins. Meanwhile Brexit talk seems to be edging up the agenda, Covid-19 is still lurking in the wings and discussion about the Environmental Land Management scheme and how it will all work creates uncertainty. Farmers will need to draw on their resilience, plan for the worst and hope for the best. Where there is uncertainty there will be opportunity.

Everyone needs to eat. I find it disappointing that the evolving agricultural policy puts so little emphasis on food production. Surely most farmers care for the environment and naturally want to improve their land.

Those that enter farming with the attitude that they can make big money fast are likely to be in for a shock. Many well-known celebrities have bought farms, and as someone in the market commented: “A farm will absorb all the money you can throw at it”. If farmers factored in their time spent working on the farm, I’m sure it would put a dent in their profit margin. To a certain extent farming will always be a way of life and carry with it a love of the land. Equally there are not many doctors or nurses that work in the NHS just for the money.

I’m a great admirer of Mary Berry. I was intrigued to read that as a child she had a passion for piglets, so now I like her even more. In early childhood we didn’t have a TV; for my entertainment I was addicted to watching sows farrowing. I was puzzled by the reaction of a family friend who was staying over when I placed the cutest little piglet in bed with her. I thought she’d be pleased.

Even in those days I didn’t always get it right.

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11

FINANCE

TIME FOR NEW GROWTH South East Farmer meets the new asset finance company putting relationships at the heart of its business Anyone who has been left disappointed by a combination of call centres, automation and poor service will be won over by Mark Dixon’s mantra.

“The best deal we can do is the second deal,” stressed the managing director of new asset finance business One Threadneedle, which opened its doors in Tunbridge Wells earlier this year and is already making waves with its customer-led approach to lending.

With mainstream finance houses tending to have an increasingly narrow focus and relying on impersonal IT systems and self-completed applications, One Threadneedle is once again putting relationships at the heart of business.

“In many ways we adopt a traditional approach,

but only in the sense that we want to really know our customers, understand what they are looking for and deliver a deal that suits their particular circumstances,” explained Mark. “In that sense we aren’t afraid of rolling back the years a bit, and our customers are delighted with that approach.

“We are looking to build relationships with our clients so that they will come back to us whenever they need finance to grow their business. If we get it right, they come back – which is why we consider the best deal is the second deal.”

While One Threadneedle is a relatively new venture for Mark and business partner Andrew Sharp, it builds on their long careers in lending and benefits from the 35-years of experience brought to the table by newly appointed sales director Sean

12

> Sean

Phelan (left) and Mark Dixon

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Phelan, who learnt his trade with Lombard.

While Sean covered a broad range of lending in his career with Lombard, he spent the last 12 years as the asset finance company’s agricultural specialist for Kent, making him the ideal person to spearhead One Threadneedle’s support for farmers, growers and landowners looking for lending support in the South East.

It was that experience and connection with the area that led Mark to persuade his former colleague to join his new venture. From Sean’s point of view it was a chance to move away from the increasingly automated way mainstream lenders were dealing with applications and get back to the personal approach he had been missing.

“I was getting fewer and fewer opportunities to

FEATURED COMPANY: get out of the office and talk to people about what they needed and how we could help,” he recalled.

“Every customer is different and a lot of them don’t want to have to fill in an online form; they want someone to listen to what they need, own the situation and put forward a positive proposal while showing a high degree of urgency.

“The chance to get back to doing that – and have more contact with the farming community – was something I couldn’t turn down.”

Mark and Andrew had already amassed many years of experience and industry contacts through their existing business, Key Motor Finance, which provides finance to motor dealers in the South East.

“We had come up with a people-focused, local proposition that worked well for the motor industry and we were certain it would be welcomed by the broader business community,” said Mark. “We believed there was an appetite for a well-backed asset finance business with a range of lenders behind it, staffed by people who were prepared to spend time with potential customers in order to deliver the most suitable option.

“We knew that the idea was sound, but we also

knew that it needed the right person to head up the sales team, and that was when I got in touch with Sean. He has a huge amount of experience in asset finance and is highly regarded in the agricultural sector.

“He also shares our passion for working closely with the customer, giving them the support they need and going the extra mile to come up with the right deal. I was delighted when I was able to persuade him to join us.”

With a well-deserved reputation for putting together sensible proposals and a range of trusted providers to call on, One Threadneedle can source finance for agricultural and horticultural investment of virtually any size, whether it’s to provide new polytunnels, fund new investment in buildings or machinery or support new diversification plans.

“If we are talking face to face, rather than simply analysing a self-completed proposal, we have a good chance of spotting broader funding solutions. These can be missed by staying in the office hiding behind a screen. Above all we are committed to finding a way forward and backing

sensible investment plans.

“Of course we use technology where it is helpful, but we never lose sight of the fact that each customer has a specific need and can’t just fill in an online form and tick a few boxes. That’s not how life works, particularly in the agricultural sector. If the proposal is more challenging we like to solve it and allow the farmer to get on with what they do best.”

Mark added: ”Finding the right funding solution for a business proposal is not a case of painting by numbers. You need a commercial approach, which involves talking to people, giving them sensible guidance and meeting their needs in the best way possible – and doing it quickly if that’s important.”

One Threadneedle boasts comfortable meeting rooms where clients can call in for a coffee and a chat about their plans, but Sean is also looking forward to getting back out on the farms. “Over the years I have met and dealt with many of the farmers in Kent and East Sussex and I am looking forward to meeting up with them again. I enjoy dealing with farmers and I want to help them move their businesses forward.”

SEAN PHELAN

One Threadneedle T: 01892 489 489 E: sean@onetnl.com www.onethreadneedle.com

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13

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST

COMPOST PIONEERS

This month Nigel visits Wardington Manor in Oxfordshire to interview Bridget Elworthy, one half of The Land Gardeners, a cut flower and garden design business, to find out more about their pioneering Climate Compost project.

Both Bridget and her business partner Henrietta Courtauld are passionate about soil health. They met in London and founded The Land Gardeners back in 2012 to find ways of improving soil health for their own growing and for others.

Before that Bridget grew cut flowers and experimented with biodynamic gardening on the family farm, Craigmore Station in New Zealand, before moving back to the UK 12 years ago.

It was during this time that Bridget realised how serious climate change was and became concerned about the detrimental impact of inorganic fertilisers and conventional farming practices on animal and plant health. > Lulu

Her husband Forbes runs Craigmore Sustainables, a business dedicated to sustainable agriculture and land management.

THE LAND GARDENERS AND MAKING COMPOST

Bridget and Henrietta work from Bridget’s home, Wardington Manor, in Oxfordshire, where they design productive gardens, specialising in restoring old walled gardens, growing organic cut flowers and making microbially rich aerobic compost.

The gardening duo are fanatical about compost, believing it to be key to improving soil health and sequestering carbon. UC Davis in California has

Cox, one of the land gardener team

14

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

just finished a 19-year study, directed by Kate Scow, Professor of Soil Microbial Ecology, showing that the use of compost and cover crops is a game changer in sequestering carbon into the soil. Soil carbon content increased by 12.6% over 19 years, 0.7% annually. In addition the study concluded that “compost provides not only carbon but also additional vital nutrients for soil microbes to function effectively”.

On arrival we sit down for coffee and I am presented with three pots of compost to try. It’s a bit like wine tasting. Two pots contain well-known competitor brands, both of which feel quite dry, and one of which contains a large amount of undigested woody matter.

WARDINGTON MANOR, OXFORDSHIRE The third – their own Climate Compost brand – feels strikingly heavier and far more moist, like soil. “What is compost?” asks Bridget. It’s basically digested matter, digested by microbes, she explains; it’s an ancient practice.

“Our compost feels like it’s alive; it’s sticky, which is an indication of humification and a high microbial mass. Humus is what drives healthy, productive soils. Soil biology is responsible for creating humus, which is the single most efficient storage of water, minerals and carbon within soils.

Gesturing to one of the other pots, a well-known organic brand, she said: “It’s more like a medium – it doesn’t have much mass or aggregation. If we run out of our compost it’s what we use.”

Bridget explained that it’s not easy to make good compost. She said the big composting plants, where the compost often reaches very high temperatures can churn out an inert medium that doesn’t add any microbial life to the soil.

In contrast, Climate Compost’s raison d’etre is to create microbial rich compost that improves soil health and sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, as well as increasing the water holding capacity of the soil. Another big benefit

is the increased capacity of the soils to grow nutrient-dense food.

“Just as caring for the gut microflora in our intestines is crucial to human health, caring for microbes in our soil is crucial to soil health, and thus ultimately plant, animal and human health,” said Bridget.

Curious to learn more about their approach, I asked who inspired them to start making Climate Compost. Bridget explained that several years ago they visited the Hex Garden Festival in Belgium, where they found a brilliant farmer called Marc Verhofstede in the walled garden teaching a workshop on how to make compost.

“We were deeply inspired by him and this led us onto discovering Austrian soil scientists Angelika Luebke and Urs Hidlebrant, who teach a microbial composting method which has had remarkable

results on soil health in Austria and around the world,” she said.

“We are also avid followers of Kay Baxter at the Koanga Institute in New Zealand and her work with nature, soil, composts and seeds,” she continued.

She highly recommends Kay’s online learning programs Regeneration Productions for a wealth of knowledge.

NOT ALL FOOD IS EQUAL

I was fascinated to learn that the garden team at Wardington has been measuring the nutrient density of the food they produce with a refractometer. When they first began testing before starting Climate Compost they were broadly a two on the brix scale. They now fluctuate between a six and a 12, testament to the huge improvements they’ve made to their soils. >>

15

FARM FACTS

• Wardington Manor is a 16th century Jacobean Manor House, set within 30 acres of grounds with beautiful cut flower gardens and kitchen garden • Sandy Loam soil

• Cut flower and walled garden design business ‘The Land Gardeners’

• Focus on growing organically and on soil health • Nearly 60,000 followers on Instagram • Climate Compost project – has run Innovative Farmer trials with farmers around the world • Recently launched online magazine aimed at inspiring other growers

• Runs online talks/courses on gardening and making compost

• Book – The Land Gardeners: Cut Flowers published last autumn • Innovative Farmers Controlled Aerobic Compost group trial

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST BUILDING WINDROWS AND MAKING MICROBIAL COMPOST

> Climate

Compst

> Bridget

Elworthy and Catie Jarman

16

> Catie

They have been making microbial compost at Wardington Manor for a number of years now and have scaled up from small batches to bigger compost windrows. Making their compost is a six to eight week process, explained Bridget. Ratios of ingredients are key to getting the final product right. They recommend using around 40% carbon, such as straw, to 30% nitrogen, which can be a mix of 10% fresh greens and manure. They then add 10% old compost as an inoculant and 10% clay, which they use as a stabiliser, which provides a home for the microlife as well as greatly extending the life of the compost.

In addition it is vital to create the right conditions for the microbes to thrive and start to digest all the matter, Bridget explained.

“Its about achieving initial temperatures of between 59 and 65 degrees and turning it to ensure it does not become too hot and that the compost stays aerated, providing oxygen for the microlife.

You need to keep it well watered, too,” said Bridget. The height of the windrow has also been standardised to help keep it from overheating and killing off essential microbes.

Bridget explained how they build their windrows in layers like a lasagne. They start with a carbon layer of straw then alternate carbon and nitrogen, finishing with a layer of clay. They water it as they go and finally turn and cover it.

“We then start measuring it on a daily basis to test its temperature, oxygen and moisture levels,

measuring the temperature

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

turning when it becomes too hot or if there is not enough oxygen in the pile,” she said.

More recently they have invested around £12,000 to buy a Swiss made Gujer Compost Turner (TG 201) designed to fit compact loaders from 30hp.

I was excited to see this bit of kit in action and we took a short drive to a nearby farm where they have rented some empty livestock buildings for the summer months.

The buildings contained several long windrows of compost on a concrete floor. In the corner was an intermediate bulk container (IBC) filled with carbon filtered water and an electric pump. Catie Jarman, who is coordinating the compost at the Land Gardeners, hooked the compost turner on to an Avant – a small green loader – with a little help from Bridget.

Positioning the green loader at the start of the windrow and attaching the water hose, Catie engaged the hydraulics. The machine burst into action, turning over the compost while also jetting water into it. As the machine moved along the windrow, it left behind a beautiful dark material. I was impressed.

Eager to hear the results of their own trials, I asked Bridget what impact using Climate Compost had had on their own garden.

“We found our sweet peas grow a lot longer and they lasted longer,” she said. They also found the following year’s growth was much better than the first, suggesting a legacy effect.

They also had a bad area of the garden and decided to use compost and cover crops to aerate

WARDINGTON MANOR, OXFORDSHIRE the soil. The second year when they planted salad leaves in the area it was completely transformed, producing a good yield.

They have also started working with farmers on a bigger scale.

FIELD LAB

In 2016 Bridget and Henrietta set up trials with Innovative Farmers, a not-for-profit organisation created by the Soil Association. During these trials they worked with farmers and growers in Sweden, Belgium, Mozambique, New Zealand and Austria and found this method worked with different ingredients and climates.

They worked with an island off Mozambique which was unable to grow vegetables due to the lack of topsoil until they introduced this method of composting. Polly Nicolson led the trial and made windrows using chopped up banana leaves, goats’ manure swept up from the village and grey water from the homes on the island.

Closer to home they have been making compost at Culworth Grounds in Northamptonshire and are also working with the team at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. They hope to start trialing it at Fir Farm in Gloucestershire this autumn, too. They are hoping that the information gained from these trials will help mould their future tool kit for both

gardeners and farmers.

More recently Bridget and Henrietta have started working with Dr Mark Pawlett, Senior Research Fellow at Cranfield University. He is a Soil ecologist (C.Env) interested in the implications of manipulating soil biological properties on soil function.

Together they are looking at microbial activity, carbon sequestration and nutrient availability in Climate Compost.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

While planning to sell small amounts of their compost this autumn, they will be launching properly in the spring with 2L, 10L and dumpy bags. In the meantime they are researching packaging, aiming to make it out of breathable, biodegradable bags and linens.

In addition they are developing their toolkit for farmers, which can be scaled up and down depending on the size of the interested farm or horticultural unit, which they hope to have on their website for their launch next spring.

Ultimately they would like farmers, growers and gardeners across the country and beyond to be making ‘climate compost’ and using it on their farms and in their gardens to improve their soil health.

Their goal is to be able to use Climate Compost, as both an inoculum and in tea form, on a 10,000 acre

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farm in New Zealand without the need for any other fertilisers.

Bridget envisages groups of farms working together to make compost, especially as the compost turner can be quite expensive, though from a brief bit of research on YouTube, there are a number of farmers making their own from bits of scrap machinery.

Buying compost in can be expensive, but it was encouraging to see that this compost was made using materials that are easily accessible to most farmers, such as farmyard manure and old bales of straw and hay. This compost stands out because it is ready in eight weeks and is full of microbial life.

Unlike green waste compost which needs to be applied in thick layers to have impact, this compost can begin to improve soils from even a small application. The benefits of this microlife can be scaled up for larger farms by making compost teas that can be used as a foliar feed.

With the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme on the horizon and carbon becoming a hot topic in farming, it’s important to begin to understand the soil beneath our feet and how we can rebuild organic matter and sequester carbon in the ground, as well as growing nutritious food. I’m sure this toolkit will prove a useful guide to those looking to advance in regenerative agriculture.

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ANITA HEAD ORGANISED CHAOS

TIME TO REFLECT

18

The combine has been serviced and put to bed for this year and as we turn our thoughts to the evenings drawing in and inevitably winter coming our way, it is time to reflect on the year behind us. The weather always plays a huge part in farming but more so this current year, from the very wet winter to the scorching spring/summer followed by a very mixed end to August. The August bank holiday weekend was the coldest for over 40 years. Who said ‘global warming’ is getting worse?

Drilling new season grass is well under way and the forage harvester will be munching its way through the maize very shortly. The maize would appear to have revelled in the hot summer and is looking well. Time will tell how it yields. Let us hope that the maize clamps are brimming to compensate for the lack of grass to mow. It would appear that although we lack grass in the South East, we have made up for it with the weather this summer. Combining was finished at a record speed, with little grain being dried and yields not far adrift from previous crops. The north seems to have had the force of the weather a lot worse than we have. Combines were still rolling well into September and forage is being hauled into the South East to buffer our stocks.

Schools and universities are settling back into a new regime; it seems eerily quiet around the house without the banter from four children. I have certainly missed them since they returned. I must confess to enjoying lockdown. Facemasks appear

ANITA HEAD Farmer

to be the new trend around school. Hopefully, the weekly shopping bill will decrease fairly soon. It certainly needs to.

I was reading an article written by an old dairy farmer. He was talking to a young farmer and was telling him that when he wanted to buy a new tractor in 1965, he sold three freshly calved heifers to pay for it. The young farmer did not believe him. The answer was very true; admittedly he bred exceptional heifers and probably the rest of us would have had to sell four or five heifers to cover the cost of the tractor, but the problem was that the young farmer today would have to sell approximately 15 to 20 heifers to buy the equivalent tractor. The reason is that tractor prices are linked to the general economy, while dairy heifer prices are linked to the price of milk.

In agriculture we are repeatedly told that we cannot rely on handouts from the Government; we must become more efficient. So, the farmer in question decided to explore our country’s inefficiency.

He was asking “where all the money went”.

He started milking in 1965 and sold his milk to the MMB (Milk Marketing Board) for 28.77d

MILK PRODUCER

CONSUMER

Year

Price

What price should be allowing for inflation

Actual price

What price should be allowing for inflation

1965

2.64ppl

2.64ppl

7.7ppl

7.7ppl

1995

24.33ppl

26.4ppl

63.3ppl

77.7ppl

2020

24ppl

39.74ppl

48ppl

127.5ppl

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

(pre-decimal money) per gallon. In today’s terms that’s approximately 12p per gallon or 2.64p per litre (ppl). His wife was particularly organised and kept records of how much the milkman charged to deliver a pint of milk. In June 1965 she paid 10 pence halfpenny per pint. That’s 84d (35p) per gallon or 7.7ppl. In simple terms, the customer paid the supplier three times what the supplier paid the farmer. Back then, the milk was delivered on an electric milk float and all the bottles were taken away for recycling. In 1995/6 farmers were paid an average of 24.335ppl and the retail price was approximately 36p per pint or 63.35ppl.

Today the price is 24ppl! If I go to Tesco or Sainsbury’s etc and buy four pints of milk it costs me 48 ppl, or so it claims on the shelf. So now the consumer only pays twice what the farmer gets.

What about inflation? What is the spending value of the pound? Well a pound in 1965 bought as much as £10 in 1995 and £16.56 today. We can create a table to explain, see below.

So, rather than earning 24ppl, the dairy farmer should be on 40ppl to keep up with inflation.

Interestingly, 1995 was the year of the 1995 Agricultural act. This was pushed through by the Conservative Party and the one thing it engulfed was the demise of the Milk Marketing board.

British dairy farmers formed another co-op (Milk Marque). Membership was in demand, with more than 90% of dairy farmers joining. The competition commission was then called and insisted that Milk Marque was broken up. The UK dairy industry was thrown to the dogs to fend for itself.

This is where we find ourselves today, an industry trying to sustain a living, working 365 days a year with no respite and the wolves at our door. If you look back at records this also applies to the beef, lamb and arable enterprises.

I do hope you are all safe and keeping well in these strange times.

LEGAL DIARY

L L I W

A VIRTUAL

When the UK entered lockdown in March 2020, it brought with it the challenge of validly executing Wills while complying with rules on social distancing, self-isolation and shielding, as the testator and their witnesses were required to be in the physical “presence” of each other.

The challenges were heightened by the fact that the pandemic will have increased the number of people wanting to make or change their Wills.

While many people will instruct a Solicitor to draft their Will, social distancing may have seen more people attempting a home-made Will.

On 25 July 2020, the government announced its intention to change the Wills Act 1837 to legalise the virtual witnessing of Wills. The new legislation, which is set to come into force in September 2020, amends the existing requirement for the testator and their witnesses to be in the physical “presence” of each other to also allow a virtual presence.

The Amended Wills Act will remain in force until 31 January 2022 and will apply retrospectively to Wills made since 31 January 2020 (the date of the first registered Covid-19 case in England and Wales).

The amended legislation remains complex, and the government has emphasised that virtual witnessing should be considered a last resort.

Where a Will can be witnessed in the physical presence of two witnesses, that should be the chosen course of action.

The Law Society has called for the Amended Wills Act to be clearly drafted to “minimise unintended consequences and ensure validity”, highlighting that this change in legislation is likely to bring about a number of reasons for disputing the validity of a Will: • Undue influence – A Will is invalid if it is found that the testator was unduly influenced by another. The inability to see if someone is off the main camera shot and physically present during a virtual signing could give rise to claims that the testator was unduly influenced and therefore the Will should be deemed invalid.

• Wills in transit – After a testator signs their Will virtually, the Will needs to be sent to the witnesses for signature. The possibility of the Will being lost or intercepted in transit, the testator passing away before the Will reaches the witnesses or the Will received not actually being the Will that has been signed by the testator could all raise questions over the Will’s validity.

• ‘Last resort’? – The government has emphasised that virtual witnessing should be considered a last resort and, where possible, the testator and their witnesses should be in the physical presence of each other. It could therefore, be that the validity of a Will is disputed with regard to whether a virtual signing was truly a last resort.

• Virtual witnessing procedure – With limited guidance on the

CHALLENGE

Virtual Wills during the coronavirus pandemic may bring about new disputes

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procedure for carrying out a valid virtual Will signing, arguments that the signing did not comply with the requirements of the Amended Wills Act (for example, if the testator and witnesses did not all have a clear line of sight of the Will on their screen) could be raised.

• Retrospective application – The amended legislation is taking effect from September 2020, but will apply retrospectively to Wills made since 31 January 2020. This will cover a significant period when a virtual Will was deemed invalid, no guidance was provided and as such it is likely that not all required procedural steps will have been taken.

• Problems with video technology – The use of video technology has, inevitably, raised concerns. If the internet connection fails at any point during a virtual signing, the validity of that signature could be challenged.

• Evidence – The guidance recommends that the virtual signings are recorded. In the absence of this, the evidential proof may be minimal.

While the Government’s announcement has been welcomed by many for alleviating the problems of executing valid Wills safely during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are likely to be various adverse consequences to this, including a rise in claims of Wills being invalid.

If you have concerns over the validity of a Will or wish to make a new or updated Will, please contact us on 01622 698000

EMMA SALMON

Solicitor – Contentious Probate and Trusts, Whitehead Monckton T: 01622 698002 E: MelissaMarkham@whitehead-monckton.co.uk www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

19

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OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

> Charlie

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When grower Sean Charlton worked out the timeline that would allow him to pick fruit the following season on a site that was at that point still an arable field, he knew it was going to be a race against time.

He couldn’t plant his strawberries until he’d erected the state-ofthe-art polytunnels he had in mind, and he couldn’t do that until he had completed the road that would allow him to access the site. He also needed an agricultural building where he could store the equipment that would service the whole operation.

The building would clearly play a critical part in the way the rest of the plan came together and so, faced with the need for a reliable and speedy supplier who could be trusted to get the job done, on time and on budget, Sean turned to Charlie Highton.

While Charlie’s business cards say Morley Grain, he tends to refer to his side of the operation as Morley Buildings, but a brief discussion on that point while the pair were outlining the project to South East Farmer quickly highlighted Sean’s priorities. “I don’t care what the company is called, as long as I know the person I’m dealing with will deliver the building I need in the timeframe we agree,” he said. >>

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> Rain

<< In this case that person was Charlie, who designed, supplied and managed the erection of the 70m by 25m steel-framed building that is now at the heart of the operation at Church Farm North, near Maidstone in Kent, as well as dealing with the health and safety issues.

“Working with the right person is critical in these situations,” said Sean, who is the fourth generation to run the family business founded by George Charlton in 1946. “I wanted Charlie to supply the building because I knew I could rely on him to deliver what I needed on time and on budget. It was a demanding timescale but one we couldn’t afford to miss. Charlie didn’t miss it.”

While the building at Church Farm North was the first to be erected by Morley Buildings – or Morley Grain – it was not the last. The company has since supplied another at Charltons’ packhouse and coldstore complex at Rumwood Green Farm, Langley, and has been asked to provide a third on another new site at Chart Sutton.

While the building is essentially an agricultural shed, Charlie pointed out that the Morley approach

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water system harvests fresh water, filters it and uses it to water the strawberry crops

was to design buildings to an industrial specification rather than agricultural. “It makes a difference to the steel and generally makes it sturdier and improves the build quality,” he explained.

“As well as hitting deadlines and sticking to the budget, we pride ourselves on the quality of our buildings and particularly on the finish, where we concentrate on the little things like flashings, door framings and guttering. It all makes a difference to the quality, serviceability and longevity of the building.”

The building, which is fully galvanised, was first discussed in December 2017 and was up and in use by April 2018. “Sean made it clear that missing that deadline wasn’t an option!” Charlie said. He needn’t have worried. “We know how important it is for growers like Sean to be able to get on with the day job while we focus on what we are good at, and when we agree a price and date, we stick to it,” stressed Charlie.

Charltons had been growing apples on part of

the site at Church Farm North, essentially an arable farm, when the opportunity arose to buy the 200 acre site and transform it into a much larger part of the grower’s 11-location enterprise.

“We like to mix apples and strawberries because that allows us to screen the polytunnels from any neighbours, who would much rather look at a nice orchard,” Sean explained as he outlined what has become a blueprint operation for the family business, one that is now being repeated at nearby Chart Sutton.

With apples grown alongside the margins of the site and close to neighbours, the company ordered a Cravo polytunnel system – although to describe it as a polytunnel hardly does it justice.

The Canadian system is a sophisticated plastic ‘glasshouse’ with a roof that opens automatically once the temperature reaches a certain point, allowing more natural light to reach the plants inside. Within one minute of any rain falling, the >>

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

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<< roof closes, again without any human intervention.

The irrigation system is even more impressive. All the rainwater from the glasshouse, which covers an astonishing 12 hectares-plus, is collected from the roof and drains gently downhill, taking advantage of the site’s convenient slope, and into a reservoir that holds around eight million gallons. In total, Charltons has just over 100ha of strawberries under cover.

That water is then pumped back uphill by a pumping system housed in the Morley building – another reason it had to be finished on time – and into four holding tanks. From there the water has its ph adjusted to the right level and has any necessary nutrients added before being delivered to the plants via an irrigation system that supplies the table top strawberries.

“It’s a self-contained, environmentally friendly system that makes us totally self-sufficient for water,” Sean explained. Any run off from the irrigation system is recycled separately as it has been treated with feed.

Charltons was the first grower in Europe to use the Cravo system for strawberries but it has proved its worth. The extra light provided by the fold back plastic roof on bright days has allowed the business to increase planting

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density and is having an impressive effect on both yield and taste.

“We needed the building for the pump house as well as for storing machinery, the packing crates and all the irrigation equipment,” said Sean. “It was a vital part of the plan and we were delighted with the way Morley Buildings helped us meet what was an ambitious target.”

The groundworks for the building were completed by Torran Construction, which also provided the same service for the new building at the company’s Langley Green headquarters and will again be working alongside Charlie and the Morley team on the Chart Sutton project, which is set to follow the same pattern as Sean pioneered at Church Farm North.

Charlie pointed out that as well as offering a full planning and design service, Morley Buildings has its own mechanical and electrical expertise on site thanks to its partnership with Mike Bartter Systems, which has specialised in grain handling and storage solutions for over 30 years and can offer those services as well as the building itself.

“In essence we can offer a complete turnkey package, and as Sean knows, when we give a customer a price and a finishing date, we mean it,” he added.

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

GOING DIGITAL Why the National Fruit Show has embraced a digital format for 2020

It’s not often that an 87 year old ‘Grande dame’ learns a new dance, but this year sees our favourite ‘dame’ learning some new digital moves as the National Fruit Show steps online and into its first ever pair of digital shoes.

Enough of the analogies; suffice it to say the National Fruit Show’s 87th anniversary year will look and feel quite different in its new ‘live’ format. For 2020 it’s now a one day virtual show while remaining a meeting place ‘for growers, by growers’. Its show features remain the same, including the impressive fruit competitions, exhibitor stands, prizegiving and industry networking, but 2020 has given the show the opportunity to reinvent itself and embrace the new reality with open arms.

2020 is only the third time that the fruit show has not been held face to face; during the Second World war one show was cancelled following bombing in Marden and another was unable to proceed because of catastrophic frost damage in all major growing areas.

28

SO, WHAT’S NEW AT THE NATIONAL FRUIT SHOW LIVE?

SARAH CALCUTT Chair, National Fruit Show

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

The first, now former, Chairman of the British Food Standards Agency, Lord Krebs, will deliver the opening address of the show and will be joined by a cross-industry and parliamentary panel of speakers including NFU Vice-President Tom Bradshaw and Teresa Wickham, the newly appointed President of the Marden Fruit Show Society (MFSS), to debate the future of British food and farming.

The show will be hosted in partnership with the Fresh Produce Journal and The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers. As well as being a thriving trade show, the event will include a series of debates and presentations from policy makers, industry representatives, Nuffield Scholars and leading researchers in top and soft fruit plus viticulture.

The FPJ LIVE and NFS forum on 6 October will feature Anthony Youseffian from Bardsley X, Steve Maxwell from WFL, Matt Hancock of Norton Folgate and The Pink Lady marketing team, followed by a panel discussion. The panel will be chaired by MFSS chair Sarah Calcutt and will include Ali Capper, who is chair of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board, executive chair of British Apples and Pears and a retail buyer, plus Michael Barker of the FPJ. They are expected to discuss communications strategies and how to

persuade consumers to buy British produce.

The Fruit Show Live morning session, sponsored

by MHA MacIntyre Hudson and the Rural Policy Group, will start at 10am on 22 October and will feature Lord Krebs, Teresa Wickham and Tom Bradshaw (NFU Deputy President). It will again be chaired by Sarah Calcutt.

Technical forum presentations from agronomy firms and crop research programmes will run from 11.30am, while at 2pm, the FPJ LIVE session will feature Richard Harrison (Nuffield), Peter Thompson (SMA winner), John Giles (Promar – international markets) and one of the Worshipful company of Fruiterers’ Livery-supported PhD students. It will be chaired by Past Master Laurence Olins.

Delivered by global event company CVent, the 2020 National Fruit show will encompass the latest virtual event software, enabling a fully interactive exhibition hall with virtual stands for all attendees.

This service includes live meeting rooms, links to websites, company literature downloads and calendar appointment services housed in a company branded micro site.

The show’s famous fruit competition, arguably the reason it has thrived for the past 86 years and the highly visible link back to the first shows in Marden in the 1930s, will remain a highly important element of the day. Judged just a few

days ahead of the show in, importantly, a new venue in Marden, Kent, winners will be invited to join the prize giving event online during the day.

Britain’s tastiest apple and other popular judging categories will not be forgotten and the competitive classes for walnuts and cobnuts will also be included.

The National Fruit Show’s cider competition will also return in 2020. Again judged in advance, the winners will be announced live. The cider competition is hosted by the show’s social media channel and ciders are nominated by the appleloving public. The winning ciders will also feature in a celebratory drinks post-show reception, hosted by bon viveur Nigel Barden, who will also be judging the cider competition.

The decision to take the show online was made after extensive consultation with sponsors, stakeholders and growers. Thanks to advances in virtual event technology it will be possible to deliver the depth of technical knowledge needed to enable the show to be registered for essential NRoSO and BASIS points, another reason why, despite the change in format, the show retains its ‘must do’ credentials for so many young up and coming recruits.

Visitors and exhibitors should book as they have in the past, by visiting www.nationalfruitshow.org.uk and talking to the team. Show Secretary Catherine Joules will be offering technical support for all company profiles and creating personalised business areas.

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29

ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS

30

The year 2020 will be one that people talk about for long into the future; it is a year that will be memorable for a number of reasons. Most notably it will be Covid-19 and its associated issues, the impact of which will be felt not just this year. 2020 will also be memorable for the extremes of weather that we have experienced; just what those extremes were will depend on your precise geographical location.

I was at the Lleyn Breeders’ Society sale at Exeter at the end of August and inevitably, as is always the way when any group of farmers gets together, conversations quickly turned to the weather. This year, however, there were a number of very different and contrary tales. Breeders from north Wales and the west country were bemoaning the extremely wet weather that they have experienced over the past month and a half and the impact that it has had on hay and silage making, an embarrassment of grass, having to feed hay to stock to stop them scouring on the wet grass, some even having to pull cattle off wet grazing and into yards to avoid too much poaching, etc. Conversely producers from the South East generally are suffering from desert-like conditions, a dearth of grass, poor hay and silage yields and having to feed precious stocks of supposed winter feed simply to keep sheep ticking over. The further south and east, the greater the tales of woe. There is certainly no accounting for the vagaries of the British weather; sadly it is something that we may have to get used to in future years.

We have had our worst grazing season since we started with our sheep more than 30 years ago.

A situation that certainly focuses attention on the weather, in particular rainfall and how acute local variations can be. Our main grazing block is in Hadlow, near Tonbridge, some five miles, as the crow flies, from home, and I have a rain gauge at both locations. Why two rain gauges? Hadlow is in a bit of a rain shadow, normally (whatever that is) reckoned to have about 50mm (2in) less annual rainfall than the surrounding area. This month (August) alone, however, has recorded a difference in excess of the average, with a total of 82mm in one location (significantly more than the August 50mm average) and only 24mm where we really needed it the most. The 14th August was particularly notable when we recorded 24mm (within about 40 minutes) at home (brilliant, I thought, a bit of grass at last), but rainfall at Hadlow was precisely 0mm, nothing; similarly this week, with some more general rain rather than isolated thundery showers, the figures are 20.5mm (home) versus a disappointing 7.5mm.

That said, 7.5mm is better than nothing and paddocks are at least beginning to green over, no significant quantity as yet, but at least moving in the right direction. With a drop more rain we may even manage to get sufficient grass cover for a decent autumn flush before tupping.

Personally the lack of opportunities for showing sheep are yet another noteworthy feature of the current year; some breeders might regard showing

SHOWING SHEEP OR NOT SHOWING SHEEP

as a complete waste of time, others really enjoy it and welcome the opportunity both to show off their breeding and to enjoy the social interaction that goes along with it. I must admit to falling firmly into the latter category.

We have shown our Lleyn sheep (mainly at the South of England and Kent Shows) for more than 30 years with a fair degree of success and, over the years, a reasonable number of breed champions, plus a Reserve Supreme Champion, the latter quite good going for a ewe breed in competitions dominated by terminal sire breeds. This year and Foot and Mouth year (2001), are the only years we have not shown, and certainly many others will be in the same position.

Unfortunately, some who have enjoyed not having the pressure of showing - not just the shows but all the preparation that goes into them - will, I suspect, not return to showing, and that will be a sad loss to the shows and farming community alike. Others will have missed the shows and will be looking forward to next year with an expectation of being able to show off their sheep once again. We certainly, all things being equal, will be back next year. I enjoy shows; winning is not the overriding factor, although a few rosettes are good, particularly if they are the right colour. It is also a great opportunity to show off our breeding. Not every year is a good year, some years you just don’t get it right or the judge just doesn’t favour your style of sheep, but that is life.

As far as I am concerned, showing is also a good social occasion, a chance to catch up with people you may only see once or twice a year and an ideal opportunity for communicating with the general public (who are, after all, our ultimate customers). It never fails to surprise me just how little some of them know or understand about our industry, but many are keen to develop their knowledge and, when provided with the opportunity, will ask all sorts of questions, with their opening gambit often being: “This may seem like a silly question, but… ” My view is that there is no such thing as a silly question (although some come fairly close) and I’m quite happy to help members of the

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

public improve their knowledge and understanding of my (our) industry. I see it as part of the reason for being there; we owe it to the shows and to the public who pay to be there.

Showing does have its critics, and not just from within the animal rights lobby. There are also critics within the livestock sector and, if I am completely honest, it is a point of view that I don’t altogether disagree with. Many would argue that with showing there is a tendency to shift the focus on breeding away from purely commercial attributes. An absolutely classic, albeit non-sheep, example would be the division that has opened up within the Border Collie world; once it was recognised as a breed by the Kennel Club, breed points became the overwhelming consideration amongst some breeders, to the point where we now have two distinct and very different strains of Border Collie, one branch of which would not recognise a sheep if they tripped over one. An extreme example, but I’m sure you get my point.

Frequently heard comments around a show ring might be: “That’s a good breeder’s ram” or “That’s a good commercial sheep.” Shouldn’t the two be the same thing? If they are not, aren’t we doing something wrong? (NB rare breeds excepted; other considerations then become important).

Size is another issue; as a Society judge for many years I know that it is easy to be impressed by size. First impressions do count for a lot, but as the saying goes: “Size isn’t everything.” All too frequently size may be misleading; with some breeds it is earlier lambing, to get ever bigger lambs into the show ring, with others size comes not from breeding but out of a bag and with some a combination of both. My view (others may disagree) is and always has been that showing should be about presenting good examples of a breed, but good commercial sheep. This does not mean that they shouldn’t be well turned-out and presented, but they should be honest sheep. I and, I am sure, many other producers, have purchased big, strong rams in the past, taken them home and seen them simply melt.

Will I buy from the same breeder again? No chance.

I will however, if circumstances permit, be back to showing next year and looking forward to it.

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

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“Farming is first and foremost a business and our role is now as much about data review and about helping to improve the performance of a farmer’s livestock as it is about keeping the animals healthy and eradicating disease,” he said.

“In a number of cases farmers are doing more of the minor, straightforward procedures themselves while making good use of our consultancy skills in areas that can boost their bottom line, such as in fertility and productivity. We want to use our expertise to ensure that farmers see their vet bills not as a cost but as an investment in the successful growth of the business.”

When it comes to business growth, the Westpoint team certainly knows a thing or two, having itself expanded from a single practice to a major player nationwide in just 20 years.

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> Westpoint

Since 2018 it has been part of the VetPartners group, by far the biggest, most diverse production animal veterinary team in the UK and one which cares for 20% of the UK’s farm animals, including more than 30% of dairy herds and more than 45% of the pig population.

That new partnership has given Westpoint’s vets access to an even broader range of expert advice and support than it enjoyed in the past

and has given the business’s clients useful links to specialist services provided by the likes of livestock business consultants Kingshay, another member of VetPartners.

Set up in Horsham in the year 2000 by founder Rob Drysdale, this year marks the vastly expanded Westpoint group’s 20th anniversary, which has come at an interesting time for the veterinary profession.

As well as supporting an increasing focus on productivity, Westpoint has been at the forefront of calls for retailers and the food service sector to support British farming and has established a new Exports By Vets service to support increasing demand for export health certification (EHC).

Westpoint Farm Vets has also been working hard on ensuring the UK is ready to deal with issues arising from Brexit, particularly in the event of a no-deal scenario that would increase the need for checks on products of animal origin destined for EU countries.

“We are adapting to new challenges and to new ways of farming,” said Ian. “The pace of change >>

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Westpoint has also been at the forefront of supporting farmers in their fight against bovine TB and in 2017 established the TB Advisory Service (TBAS), which was funded by DEFRA through the Rural Development Programme for England.

The comprehensive service provides free bespoke advice to cattle farmers across the High Risk and Edge Areas of England on how to reduce the risk of getting TB on farm and how to prepare for a TB breakdown. Although it is now coming to an end, Ian is hopeful that the scheme could be extended or replaced with something similar.

TBAS was particularly useful for Edge Areas such as East Sussex and Hampshire, where Ian said it “helped farmers take control”. He said farmers were frustrated when they felt unable to do anything about a problem like TB and were pleased to be given advice that allowed them to take practical steps to protect their herds.

Westpoint’s commitment to farming and to animal welfare was shown some years back when other vets in the South East pulled out of TB testing when government funding arrangements made it less profitable. Despite the change, Westpoint continued to test, with a spokesman at the time explaining: “We are committed to continuing because we know how important it is to the farming community.”

Ian has witnessed many of the changes at Westpoint over the past 20 years, having joined the practice at Horsham after graduating in August 2007 just

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VETERINARY SERVICES as the second Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak struck. He already knew the practice, having benefited from student placements at Horsham since 2005.

He pointed out that as well as a shift in emphasis in the work now being done, the past two decades had seen a number of social changes, too – including a major rebalancing of the professional team. “When I started there were ten vets – all male – and the support staff were all women,” he recalled.

These days there is a more equitable split between the sexes, with some of the Westpoint Farm Vets practices boasting more female vets than male, the result of a positive move to encourage diversity while ensuring the practice recruits the strongest possible line up of professional staff.

Westpoint’s South East line up encompasses seven vets at its Chelmsford branch, seven in Ashford, four split between the Sevenoaks and Heathfield practices, seven in Winchester and six in Horsham, the group’s original home and still its head office. Together they offer a wide range of specialist veterinary services and shared expertise as well as a business support team.

Ian pointed out that vets could no longer rely purely on their technical skills and qualifications and said they needed instead to share their knowledge in a way that allowed it to be used to benefit the individual farm business.

“It’s not enough for us to learn a lot of stuff and then tell the farmers what we know,” he explained. “We need to understand each business and use our knowledge in partnership with the farmer to help them steer the business in the right direction. It’s increasingly about amassing and understanding data and putting that data to good use.”

He said Westpoint had led the way in working with farmers to help stamp >>

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100% Farm Vets Supporting British Livestock Agriculture Since 2000 Our practices provide the following services in Kent, Sussex, Surrey & Hampshire:

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

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VETERINARY SERVICES

FEATURED COMPANY: << out diseases such as bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD), but said while considerable progress had been made, there was more still to be done.

Ian added that dealing with infectious diseases was another area which highlighted the need to understand farmers and their farms. “In some cases we can work with them to eradicate the disease, but in other cases it’s more important to manage it.

It really depends on the individual farm, and that’s why it’s so important to understand the business, its direction and its challenges so that we can give properly tailored advice.

“Effective communication is an important part of our work in this area, particularly when we are dealing with larger farm businesses, when it is important to ensure buy-in from everyone involved, rather than from a single farmer.”

Westpoint’s clients range from businesses with more than a thousand head of cattle down to smallholders, with each having different needs and facing different challenges.

The practice aims to provide a cost-effective service while also attracting the highest calibre of professionals and ensuring that Westpoint is a great company to work for. “The recruitment market is challenging, and we work hard to employ the best possible people,” Ian said. With tailored advice such an important aspect of the Westpoint philosophy, the business looks to bring in new vets as soon as demand increases to the point where resources would otherwise be stretched.

The team’s ability to tackle infectious diseases is boosted by its close relationship with Biobest, a formerly independent laboratory in Scotland that is now part of VetPartners and specialises in scientific, evidence-based research.

As well as tackling disease, the Westpoint team supports animals with mobility issues, helping to tackle lameness both to improve the welfare of the

Winchester vet Emily Francis at the Findon Sheep Fair 2019

> Westpoint

animal and, again, to increase productivity.

When it comes to productivity, a highly important aspect of Westpoint’s work is in fertility and in using genetics to enhance breeding potential. Again, data review is the critical part of the process.

Increasing numbers of farmers are turning to AI to get the best possible results from their herds and Westpoint will soon be offering an embryo transfer service which will allow the optimum use of the genetic potential of the herd by implanting embryos from the best performing animals in surrogate cows. There is the also the possibility of using frozen embryos.

Westpoint also has vets who take a particular interest in sheep, an area of livestock farming that Ian feels can sometimes be overlooked. As well as parasite control, the practice offers ram testing for fertility in the summer and has recently run a ‘tip top

tupping’ campaign on social media, something that was not part of the scene 20 years ago.

With farmers looking to reduce their costs, Westpoint offers competitively priced prescription and non-prescription livestock medicines via its online Farmacy outlet, which can also be accessed by non-clients. The keen pricing reflects the practice’s commitment to helping farmers keep their animals healthy and taking a preventative approach to animal welfare.

Farmacy has provided an invaluable service during the pandemic, thanks to its fast turnaround, 24/7 availability and farm gate delivery, and is complemented by FarmSupplies, a similar outlet for non-medicinal equipment.

The practice is also keen to help farmers reduce their use of antimicrobials, both to reduce costs and to meet changing processor demands, and is helping to research alternative treatments and new solutions. “The wider expertise we enjoy by being part of VetPartners is allowing us to share knowledge and ideas and take an evidence-based approach to selecting the best alternative in each case,” Ian explained.

Westpoint’s Exports By Vets service was set up last year to help food manufacturers and producers obtain the EHC documents they need when shipping products containing ingredients of animal origin out of the country. While the service is currently helping those exporting to third countries, it could have its workload increased dramatically by a no-deal Brexit. “The take up has been good so far, but could grow significantly at the end of the year,” Ian commented.

“In essence Westpoint strives to help farmers care for their livestock, grow their businesses and meet the demands of the changing market while maintaining the highest standards of animal welfare,” he concluded.

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

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PRACTICAL INNOVATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF HEALTH

ADVICE FROM THE VET

CALF PNEUMONIA –

NOT JUST A WINTER PROBLEM Pneumonia remains the most common reason for death or poor performance in growing calves, and while we do see a spike in the number of cases through the winter, it is important to remember that it can occur at anytime of year and the long-term impacts can be significant. On average, a case of pneumonia will reduce a heifer’s weight at 14 months by 29kg, will increase her age at first calving by 30 days and result in a reduction in her first lactation production of around 150kg, writes Tim Potter BVetMed PhD MRCVS. So how can we minimise the risk of this disease?

At the risk of sounding like a broken record it all starts with colostrum. Many of the disease outbreaks I get involved with are often traced back, at least in part, to issues with colostrum feeding.

Colostrum provides immunoglobulins that provide the immunity the calf requires to fight disease in the first couple of months of life. A calf’s ability to absorb immunoglobulins is greatest immediately after birth. Changes in the cells within the calf’s intestine mean that by 24hrs of age the animal is no longer able to absorb the immunoglobulins from the colostrum; miss this opportunity and you will be fighting an uphill battle with the health of this heifer.

As a rough rule, aim to ensure every calf receives three litres of good quality colostrum within the first two hours of life followed by another similar size feed within 12 hours. Ensure all members of the team know exactly what your colostrum protocol is and make sure it is regularly reviewed.

A simple blood test in the first week of life will be able to tell you whether or not your calves are receiving sufficient colostrum and can be carried out at regular points to monitor your colostrum feeding practices.

Pneumonia is a multifactorial problem and so addressing one area in isolation is unlikely to be the answer. We are lucky to have several very effective pneumonia vaccines at our disposal, but even they will struggle to be effective if the environment is not right.

Ventilation is essential to reduce the transmission of airborne pathogens from calf to calf and prevent damage to the respiratory system by dust or noxious gases. Most calf sheds in the UK rely on natural ventilation as their source of fresh

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

> Smoke used to test ventilation

air, with air movement being driven by pressure differences created by wind movement around the shed. Depending on the shed location and the prevailing winds, this will lead to a huge amount of variability on how a shed ventilates, often including significant periods when the supply of fresh air is compromised.

The stack effect is often discussed as another potential driver of air movement within calf sheds, but the stack effect is reliant on the heating effect of stock, and young calves will not produce sufficient heat to drive the air movement up and out of the shed.

However a shed is ventilated, the aim should be to achieve at least four air changes per hour.

TIM POTTER

BVetMed PhD MRCVS Senior Clinical Director

Smoke bombs (available from your local plumbers’ merchant) are a quick and easy way of visualising air movements within sheds and can be used to identify problem areas.

Over the past few years there has been a resurgence in the use of positive pressure air tube systems (PPATs) which provide a cost-effective way to deliver fresh air into calf sheds.

The PPAT system consists of a wall-mounted fan blowing fresh outside air into the shed. Attached to the fan is a distribution tube with equally spaced holes in it that run the length of the shed. The fan draws fresh air in from the outside, pressurising the tube and blowing the air out of each of the holes to distribute it evenly throughout the shed.

The PPAT requires careful set up and design to ensure that the air is evenly distributed throughout the shed and to avoid creating any artificial draughts by introducing the air too quickly.

Stress is another major risk factor for disease as it suppresses the calf’s immune system. We frequently see pneumonia outbreaks immediately after a stressful event such as transport, weaning or other handling, so design your systems to minimise stress and always ensure you have good handling facilities.

Even in the best systems, the risk of disease can never be 100% eliminated, so it is important to remain ever vigilant and ensure that cases are rapidly identified and treated appropriately. The common signs of pneumonia are well known (coughing, weeping eyes, breathing difficulties) but these are often not the first signs. Look out for reduced feed intake, separation from the other calves and increased lying times. Rectal temperature can be used to check animals that you are concerned about; a temperature of 39.5°C or above is a good indicator of infection and treatment should be administered in line with the protocols agreed with your vet.

If you would to discuss anything covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice.

ANDY RICHMOND KATHY HUME

Westpoint Horsham Westpoint Ashford T: 01306 628086 T: 01306 628208 E: info@westpointfarmvets.co.uk

JOHN MCALOON

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383

www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

39

AT ASHFORD MARKET

AUTUMN SALES

START EARLY

40

An early winter is certainly the last thing required in Farming 2020, but there is no doubt that autumn has arrived early in a meteorological sense as well as from a marketing perspective. Ashford Market in August is not normally the busiest of arenas, but in 2020, with any sign of any grass in the region burnt off by six consecutive days of 30°C heat, farmers had to reduce numbers of both sheep and cattle.

In a normal year this would almost be a panic decision, but with the rest of the country getting more than enough rain and looking to be awash with grass, there has been a very strong attendance of buyers from away. Both August store lamb sales had double their regular entries, with close to 7,000 head sold each time. This, combined with the Tuesday entries, means that well over 20,000 sheep have been sold in August.

Buoyed up by the finished market, where values continue at unprecedented summer levels, store lamb averages are up some £12 per head on the year. The vast majority have moved away from the region, with most heading down to the west country and Welsh borders.

The situation has not been dissimilar in the cattle sales, where the normal scenario is for the harvest to be finished, straw to be gathered in and for farmers to get their cattle heads on as autumn temperatures drop and housing, at last, becomes an option. 2020 has been different. Cattle farmers could see no keep and could see stock at best standing still and at worst going back. The beef trade has moved on and is in a good place that we have not seen for some years. Tight supplies and ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ added to the equation that generates price, and finishers with space in their yards, or in fields feeding out, have been keen to purchase all cattle but particularly the short-term framed types and others that will finish this winter.

Perhaps the glamour highlight of the month of August, besides the great numbers of store lambs and early entries of store cattle, was the dispersal of the herd of 60 Limousin and Simmental cross cows from Hendon Manor Estate, Sevenoaks. With February to April calves at foot and cows scanned back in calf, there was great interest in these quality outfits. With an overall average of £1,900 a unit and a top price of £2,350 it was very pleasing to see that most remained in the region.

Thankfully we have now had a good rain and the South East has, at least, turned green even if there is still not much there. Hopes of all are that we have an open autumn with the opportunity to keep young cattle and followers out for as long as possible. The fate of next winter`s housing for South East farmers has, however, already been sealed. Straw yields have been well down due to waterlogging during the previous season; silage and haymaking have been compromised by the bake off in May, and so much of the variable maize crop is destined for the mouths of bio-digesters rather than cattle that there will in any event be problems. Fortunately the rest of the country has fared much better.

September sales have started in earnest at the time of writing, with 300-plus

WINTER GRAZING FOR EWES AND LAMBS WANTED Grass, forage or cover crops.

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OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

PETER KINGWILL Reporting on the cattle market at Ashford T: 01233 502222

www.hobbsparker.co.uk

store cattle and 80-plus cull cows sold immediately after August Bank Holiday Monday. Strong cattle with frames at 18 months – plus ought to be sold soon, as however good the grass might look it can do no more than hold condition.

Finishers want time to pile kilos of flesh onto frames looking to the minimum 90 days required for farm assurance, the positive impact of Christmas demand and the current strong position of the domestic market as the whole nation reconnects with eating well at home (and long may that continue).

Younger cattle, or at least those not finishing this winter, will be marketed in line with the producers’ own limitations on food and straw, but the trade for them will be positive as food is plentiful in so many areas. The back end grass will be a help but please recognise its limitations. Shorter days and colder nights add to maintenance demands and seeing hard-earned condition lost in mid and late autumn is to be avoided.

Certain aspects of marketing cannot be rushed but nevertheless require attention. Buyers of this year’s beef calves are always mindful of housing, night time temperatures, stress and pneumonia. Late grass might just give a help to a bit of late milk, but most beef cows have now lost their milk and calves are having to do their best. Scanning and weaning times bring decisions as to which cows go through the winter. Never has there been a better autumn in which to take the hard decision over non-performers, the troublesome and the wicked!

Foot and Mouth in 2001 lasted far longer than we all anticipated, and with a far more complicated virus in Covid-19 there seems little likelihood of a quick end to this awful drama. In the meantime, the nation continues to eat and, for that, we are grateful. There are many dark clouds in all directions but we can, at least, in agriculture, still see some welcome shafts of light.

AT COLCHESTER MARKET

CONTINUED BUOYANT TRADE The report is being written at the end of August, another tremendous month for livestock farmers selling stock through the auction system, with a continued buoyant trade for all classes.

The sheep trade continued at levels unheard of for the time of year, with a small dip in prices seen in the middle of the month rectified by a substantial increase later in the month. Lambs with good flesh cover and weight are selling at a premium and generally shorter requirements in all areas. In Colchester we saw lambs regularly trading over £100 per head, with the best heavy lambs up to £130 per head. One week at the beginning of August there was an overall market average of over £100 for every finished lamb sold, showing a remarkable return. Light lambs are also selling well compared with recent years at levels which were not being forecast at the beginning of the year.

Both local wholesalers and quality retailers are regularly attending markets to purchase stock for the buoyant public demand currently being seen. The store lamb trade is also reflecting the finished market, and although the lack of grass due to the extreme dry weather has put some dampeners on the trade, it is still at levels well above 12 months ago. The cull ewe trade

GRAHAM ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA

Stanfords T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk was probably the only section that did not really move forward, although well finished ewes still trade around £100 per head, with the grazing ewes suffering again because of the drought and lack of grass.

The cattle trade is buoyant and many more could be sold to advantage. There is a particular shortage of handy weight cattle and these are at a distinct premium, with buyers competing ferociously. In Colchester, where meat rather than paperwork pays, we do not require finished cattle to be farm assured. Again, plenty of cattle well over 230p/kg, and even the grass fed cattle which are coming forward are selling well.

The store cattle trade is reflecting the finished trade and more are wanted. The cull cow trade is also buoyant at levels not previously seen at this time of year.

Pigs are a difficult trade, with the uncertainty of the European market and the cull sow trade particularly difficult with Covid-19 restrictions causing a real

problem on the continent. Sows are some £60 to £80 per head less than the same time last year.

Also worrying was the prime pig trade which slipped back throughout August, and with feed prices increasing these were not good times for pig finishers.

With little likelihood of feed prices falling, it is hoped that the finished pig price does not fall any further. It is fair to reflect that due to the very small numbers of pigs going through livestock markets there is little possibility of an increase in price, which is distinctly different from the sheep and cattle trade where the markets have led the way for the past few months.

Harvest was almost completed by the end of August and was somewhat messy by the end thanks to the wet weather. Yields are very disappointing on several farms.

Having just returned from a holiday on the continent, I was surprised to see wheat still standing; certainly the weather in England appeared to have been much worse than that on the continent. Let us hope that with the moisture we now have, seed beds will be better prepared this year. Rape will have a good start.

There are serious problems within the potato trade as well, with big quantities of catering potatoes held over.

IN NEED OF SUPPLEMENTARY FEED

At last the grass has started to grow again and hopefully my Texel ewes will gain the required body condition score (BCS) before we inseminate them at the start of October. They are in need of supplementary feed to gain a full condition score to hit target BCS 3.5 in just six weeks. They have had a tough time of it through the drought, despite weaning at 14 weeks, and I know they are not alone, with some of our commercial flocks pushing the nutrition now so they can tail it off prior to tupping.

> Improving ewe nutrition for better returns: Ewe Body Condition Score Cycle.

VET DIARY

We had an excellent (Covid-19 compliant) Cliffe Farm Vets Flock Health Club meeting on farm last week and the main topics of discussion were culling decisions, ram MOT and condition scoring. We had a practical session scoring ewes; it was very interesting and highlighted how subjective it can be. There could be quite a range between farmers as to how they score the same ewe. It was very useful to know how we each scored ewes relative to the other farmers and vets present and if we were generally scoring higher or lower compared to the group. I confirmed what I already thought was the case, which was that I score about a quarter score lower than the average farmer.

Does that make me wrong or right? I don’t know.

Our farmers’ ability to consistently identify the fat, fit or “fin” ones was evident, but when it came to being critical about the half and quarter scores of the fit ones between BCS 2.25 and 3.5 there was greater variability between their scoring. This range is the “normal” condition score range within which our ewes should be scoring throughout the production cycle, so accurately detecting the subtleties of the muscle and fat cover over the transverse processes is very important.

We don’t really want to be tupping ewes less than BCS 2.5 (target 3.5). Thin ewes respond well to flushing, though, and you could easily get multiple lambs. This, however, may be just what they don’t need when faced with winter ahead of them. They may struggle to gain the required condition by lambing, unless there are good fodder crops available throughout the winter months. Low BCS at lambing will result in small, non-viable, or weak lambs that will at best, take an age to finish and at worst, not make it out of the lambing shed at all. Get the ewes correct now and the rest will follow.

If you are struggling to get ewes to gain sufficient condition despite adequate nutrition, then underlying reasons such as dentition, haemonchosis, liver fluke and iceberg diseases such as Johnes, CLA, and MV should be considered.

NICK PILE

BVM&S MRCVS, director of Cliffe Veterinary Group T: 01273 473232 E: nick@cliffevets.co.uk www.cliffefarm.co.uk

Courtesy of Lesley Stubbings, AHDB

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

41

NICK ADAMES WEST SUSSEX DIARY

LOSING RESPECT FOR THE SERVICE

42

Some readers may be interested in a recent experience I had. I was walking around with the gun late one evening to pot a couple of rabbits when, tucked away in a little spinney, hidden by the maize, I saw a small tent.

There was nobody visible, but it was clearly occupied.

I decided caution was needed so on getting home I emailed the police 101 at Lewes. Shortly afterwards an email came back by auto reply, suggesting that if I had any concerns I should ring 999. As I was actually quite concerned, I rang; a lady answered, listened to what I was ringing about, decided it wasn’t important, and to told me to “Ring Lewes’ non-urgent phone line”!

I think I said to her that if nobody came from the police, I would go around with my shotgun, because I had no inclination to approach this unknown on my own. She told me I mustn’t do that – or words to that effect.

Knowing how long the 101 takes to respond, I did ring, waiting 22 minutes, and spoke to an officer, who said he would alert our local station.

The next morning, I waited for a visit or a call.

My concern was over the kind of person who would set up a camp where he could escape attention for many weeks? It could be anyone, from a potential terrorist or a paedophile child molester on one extreme to a youth and his young girlfriend or…. well, you maybe understand my concern? The police ask you to let them know of unusual sightings and this was unusual. I didn’t fancy a knife being thrust at me when I startled the occupant.

No-one appeared from the local station that day, so I again emailed my concern to Lewes and again got the same response so, by the third day, I really did expect to hear something. Yet again, nothing; the tent was still there and there was sign of night-time activity, yet it remained sealed. I looked up the Sussex Police website and found the Chief Constable’s email to explain the story and the lack of interest from his officers.

That email came back as an ‘unused address’ and at the same time it was announced he had stepped down. It did give another address to whom I forwarded my message, but I’ve still had no reply!

> We finally caught up with him in the barn on the fifth day – but still no police

That night I quietly checked the tent was still there, and as I walked home it started to rain, lightly.

Still nothing from the police. The next morning I went out early to find the tent gone and, surprisingly, the site tidy. Just to be sure, I walked round and noticed fresh footprints, so followed them back to the farm buildings. Walking quietly round, I discovered the same tent, re-erected in the middle of a large empty barn. Half an hour later, Wally, my ex Stockman, arrived, so I signalled him to quietly follow me. By now we had sticks.

We approached the tent and I called for whoever was there to come out. Slowly the sides of the tent moved, and a young man half emerged, looking like a stunned rabbit. He said he was visiting friends “over the road” and was “going back to London that evening”. He had what Wally and I took to be a girl in the tiny tent; we didn’t get her to show herself but he promised to move and he seemed a decent lad. The rain had forced them to move.

That evening he was as good as his word. We felt easier, but still nothing from Sussex Police! By the next day things had returned to normal.

The following morning two female police officers appeared and apologised for taking so long (five days!) to respond. They asked to see where this had occurred so I pointed them to the site. As we approached it, I looked in amazement.

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

The tent was back! I had a dental appointment in 20 minutes so left the officers to take over, and by mid-morning the tent and occupants were finally gone, not to return.

‘Fast Forward’ four days and I had a call from a woman in the firearm officers’ department, I think in Lewes, basically to tell me “I had mentioned taking my gun round to some intruders last week”. The lady was not in the least interested in the outcome of the original problem. She was obsessed with the fact I had even mentioned visiting the site with my gun. If the police were too lazy to come, while treating my written and subsequent calls with disinterest, then, I had said, I might take my gun round to visit the tent myself. That seemed worse to her than if I had gone and woken some unknown up, in a hidden tent, trespassing with no permission, and had had a knife stuck in me… Nor was there any concern about the delay in the police response time.

The fact remains that farmers’ problems are generally treated with little interest by Sussex Police; many countrywide will have experienced similar issues. We, as citizens, are told to report anything unusual to the police, but when we do there is frequently zero response.

We often hear, after some serious incident, armchair experts, politicians and the police themselves say: “It must never happen again” or “Lessons must be learned”. But they never are.

Many rural dwellers have lost their respect for the service, but it’s not that we haven’t tried. They appear to have a poorly staffed phone line and seem unable to organise their hard-stretched officers on the beat.

Once the police was a service which had the public’s full respect. Unfortunately that is no longer the case; it is serious and worrying.

NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

FEATURED COMPANY: There can be few businesses that add value, deliver a vital public service and provide farmers with a subsidised source of nutrients for their land all at the same time quite as effectively as Austin Contract Services (ACS).

ACS collects, sells, stockpiles and spreads every last tonne of treated sewage sludge – more properly known as biosolids – produced in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire by Southern Water. That currently means finding a home for around a quarter of a million tonnes a year, no easy feat when production can’t be adjusted to meet demand.

The challenge is heightened by the fact that spreading has to be done at the right time for each individual farmer, depending on his or her own cropping pattern, making for some complicated logistics at busy times of the year.

It takes a dedicated team, a great deal of experience and considerable investment in plant and machinery to ensure the biosolids we all help to produce are put to good use delivering nutrients to the soil.

Because ACS is paid by Southern Water for the environmentally vital job of finding a home for the sludge, farmers pay a subsidised price for a valuable natural fertiliser.

The other good news for farmers is that ACS offers the complete package, an end-to-end tailored service that starts with soil sampling and ends with spreading the sludge on the fields at the requested time and gives farmers one single point of contact for the entire operation.

Managing director Charlie Austin has a good 30

SOIL NUTRIENTS

DELIVERING

NUTRIENTS

TO THE SOIL

years’ experience in recycling waste material as fertiliser, and with cropping patterns and variables such as the weather to consider, he needs every bit of it to match supply with demand.

Although the sludge has been treated, it still needs to be handled with care, and there is a strict compliance regime that has to be followed whenever biosolids are spread onto land.

The vitally important soil sampling aspect carried out at the start of the process is done by ACS’ subsidiary business ACS Farm Image, which has considerable experience and a well-deserved reputation for sampling and scanning.

ACS Farm Image makes absolutely certain the land is suitable for the treated sludge and ensures the legislative criteria are met and the necessary

Environment Agency permits are obtained.

The ACS team, led by Head of Operations Bert Hessink, has to collect the treated material throughout the year, as Southern Water has very little storage on its sites. It then has to be stockpiled carefully on customers’ farms – again after complying with all the legislation – ready for spreading at the required time.

“We pride ourselves on delivering the whole package, from sampling to spreading, so that farmers benefit from better quality soil at low cost and with very little hassle,” said Charlie. “We do everything; all they have to do is tell us where we can stockpile it and when they want it spread.”

While moving, stockpiling and spreading the sludge is the visible part of the operation, the >>

> Lime

spreading in Meopham. A variable rate liming service is provided, with a computer system onboard that shows where lime is required in a field

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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43

SOIL NUTRIENTS

FEATURED COMPANY: > Jake Hamson with the onboard GPS system

> Operative

44

<< paperwork behind the scenes is if anything more complex.

“I have one member of the team, Carly East, whose only job is compliance,” explained Charlie.

“She uses complex software that is designed to manage the safe application of biosolids to land.

It’s something we take very seriously and it keeps Carly busy full time.”

As well as supporting the compliance side of the ACS business, ACS Farm Image also offers a wide range of other sampling and analysis packages that are designed to boost farmers’ productivity.

Alongside standard soil sampling services that measure pH plus the amount of phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) in the soil, Farm Image’s SoilSmart division also offers precision sampling and smart scanning.

Precision sampling uses GPS technology to sample a field systematically, taking 16 cores from

> Lime

Adam Dinsey

every hectare to paint a more accurate picture of the field and allow the creation of a precision map showing levels of pH, P, K and Mg across the area being reviewed.

For an even more detailed picture of the fertility of the soil, Farm Image’s smart scanner service uses Veris Technologies equipment to take 200 readings per hectare and create field maps that give an impressively accurate reading of pH, organic matter, soil texture and topography. The company believes this can save the farmer large amounts of money by allowing them to be more accurate and efficient with both drilling and spraying.

“When growers have invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in high-tech variable rate machinery they need to make the most of it, and that’s only really possible by sampling on an intensive scale and looking carefully at soil

property zones,” explained Head of Farm Image Louise Burley.

Staple, Kent-based Farm Image, which is currently expanding and rebranding and has taken on a new Agri Manager, Steve Hammond, also offers potato cyst nematode analysis to support potato and pea growers, and deep core nitrogen sampling.

Farm Image works closely with contractor T D Boxall to supply and spread agricultural lime after checking the pH of the field and advising the farmer on where lime is needed and the amount needed to correct any imbalance. The company also provides a GPS variable rate spreading service using the fleet of spreaders owned by ACS and Tim Boxall.

“It is impossible to stress how important it is to maintain the appropriate soil pH for the cropping system and soil type, and ACS Farm Image >>

spreading in Meopham

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> Bert

Essink, Head of Operations

> Steve

Hammond, Agri Manager

<< prides itself on providing a fast and efficient liming service that can cost-effectively help to minimise costs and maximise yields,” said Louise.

“We believe farmers should be able to spend a pound to earn ten by making sure their soil contains the right nutrients, but they need expert help to do that efficiently.”

ACS Farm Image is determined to build on its growing reputation and has plans to grow the business substantially over the next few years.

New Agri Manager Steve will play a key part in developing relationships with the farming sector, while biosolids operations are managed by Sam Barnes, who looks after farmers and growers in Kent, Ted Hobden, who is responsible for Sussex and Alan Bate, who covers Hampshire.

Working with Tim Boxall, ACS Farm Image also supplies P-Grow, a phosphate rich fertiliser, and Fibrophos, another product designed to boost the productivity of soil.

ACS itself is also looking to grow the business, and Charlie is keen to talk to other water

> Louise

Burley, Head of Farm Image

> Sam

Barnes, Kent Area Sales Manager

companies that need the by-product of their operation taken away and put to good use, as well as farmers looking for low-cost fertiliser supplied and spread “without hassle”.

Charlie first came across the industry 30 years ago when working as a tractor driver running sludge out of a paper mill. “I became interested in the process and then set up on my own 21 years ago with £200 in the bank while living in a two up, two down,” he recalled.

ACS became a “proper end-to-end contractor” in 2011 when it began taking the treated sludge from Southern Water, and the company has grown considerably since then. Its environmental importance was confirmed when ACS was given key worker status at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

The purchase of Farm Image some years back helped make the process more efficient by bringing compliance and soil sampling in house, as well as giving the company’s clients easy access to ACS Farm Image’s liming and fertiliser supply

> Alan

Bate, Hampshire Area Manager

Hobden, Sussex Area Manager

services. ACS now employs around 40 people and is the biggest end-to-end biosolids operator of its kind in the South East.

The company operates a fleet of 13 lorries, 10 GPS-equipped spreaders and around 25 excavators and loading shovels, along with a fleet of Fendt 939 and 828 tractors.

Head of Operations Bert Hessink makes sure everything runs smoothly as well as supporting the area managers and working alongside ACS Farm Image.

“It’s not always easy because we need to schedule the spreading in with farmers’ requirements and we have to move the sewage cake out of the sites whenever Southern Water needs it moved. And on top of these variables we also have to worry about the unexpected – like traffic jams or the weather.

“There is a lot of plates to keep spinning, but this is a great team and we work hard together to deliver a great service, both to Southern Water and to the farmers we support.”

> Spreading

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

> Ted

biosolids on the Isle of Sheppey

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47

PRESSURE WASHERS

COMPREHENSIVE

RANGE ON DISPLAY

A long-established business with strong links to the farming community is relocating to a more rural location in a more flexible building.

48

Pressure Clean, which will shortly celebrate its 50th anniversary, is moving from the Crawley base that has been its home for the past ten years to a new home in Uckfield, East Sussex.

Manager Gary Fielding explained that the premises in Bell Lane offered Pressure Clean more scope to create the optimum workspace in which to welcome customers, provide flexible workshop space and display its comprehensive range of pressure washers, industrial vacuums, sweepers and other cleaning equipment.

That range has now been expanded with the addition of a choice of sweepers, a ride-on machine from Karcher and a push machine made by Nilfisk. “There are a number of on-farm applications for sweepers, from barns to potato stores, and we have had a number of enquiries since we added them to the range,” Gary commented.

The company has built up an enviable reputation over the past few decades for its commitment to supplying each individual customer with the machine that is exactly right for them.

Gary recalled that he once drove from Crawley to Sevenoaks to demonstrate one particular Nilfisk pressure washer. “He was impressed with the demo, but while I was there I realised that he had a three-phase supply to the farm,” he said.

“I persuaded him to let me show him the extra power he would get from a three-phase model, drove from Sevenoaks to Crawley and back and gave him a

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

side-by-side comparison. He was amazed at the difference and bought the threephase machine on the spot.”

Going the extra mile – or several miles in this case – is what has helped cement Pressure Clean’s reputation amongst farmers as a customer-focused company with one goal; to make sure the farmer or landowner ends up with the right machine, not the one the dealer wants to sell them.

“I talk to the customer to find out what they are planning to use it for and then suggest the right machine for the job, or take it out to show them. If I’m going out to a farm, I usually take two or three machines to give the user a choice, but I don’t sell anyone something they don’t need and I never oversell,” Gary stressed.

The business has long focused on machines from renowned manufacturers Nilfisk, MAC and Karcher and offers the full range of hot and cold fill machines and a choice of electric or diesel motors.

Pressure Clean supplies, services and repairs a range of cleaning equipment and has three engineers, two of them out on the road providing a mobile service and a third based in the workshop. The service is comprehensive and cost effective, while Pressure Clean’s fixed-price maintenance agreements allow customers to avoid unexpected bills.

The company was also kept busy earlier this year when the coronavirus-

FEATURED COMPANY: inspired lockdown saw furloughed domestic customers asking for their pressure washers to be serviced so that they could keep themselves busy cleaning their patios and garden furniture.

“Like most businesses we were hit by the downturn in the economy, but we worked through the crisis, took all the necessary precautions and continued to look after our customers,” Gary said. “The new premises are also designed with clients in mind as they are more adaptable to our needs. East Sussex is also a busy farming area, so we will be close to an important customer base.”

Having recently introduced industrial vacuums from Nilfisk to Pressure Clean’s range, Gary has now added sweepers to the products on offer.

Karcher’s KM 85/50 R Bp is a battery powered ride-on model that is compact but well-specced, combining good ergonomics with an easy to use, twin-tank, waste collection system. Its 1000W motor and dual scraper makes it ideal for effectively cleaning barns, workshops, warehouses and similar areas.

The Nilfisk SW-750 is a walk-behind, rechargeable machine that boasts low operating costs along with impressive build quality and reliability. It is also very quiet, allowing it to be used in areas where people are working without causing disturbance.

“We have seen a lot of interest in our new sweepers since we added them to our range,” explained Gary. “There is a broad range of applications for these machines, from cleaning small business premises created from former farm buildings as part of a diversified business to dusty environments such as potato or grain stores.”

Another new line that will be available from the Uckfield premises is the slightly more affordable but still reliable Viper range of floor cleaning machines, which includes commercial vacuums and scrubber dryers. “This is a competitively priced range that will widen choice for our customers,” said Gary.

While the new products have broadened the company’s offer, pressure washers are still at the heart of Pressure Clean’s business, with dairy farmers in particular queueing up for the Karcher HD 7/12–4M, a cold water static machine that is wall mountable and ideal for parlour use.

Other models that are currently in demand are the Nilfisk MH 4M, a mid-range hot water-fill washer that combines efficiency with manoeuvrability, and the MH 3C model from the same stable, a compact, cold water, high pressure model that is ideal for general use.

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SEED

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

WORST HARVEST

OF ALL TIME 50

Some say we have just had the poorest harvest for 40 years, but I think that if you add the awful growing season from last autumn, it makes it the worst of all time. There is an old saying: “When a thing starts going wrong, it keeps going wrong.”

Well it certainly has this time! Since the inability to plant cereals last autumn, every subsequent ‘dawn’ turned out to be ‘false’, the last being the good weather in the first half of August, when we enjoyed four consecutive 34°C days for the first time since 1961. Ironically, some combines were idle as late-planted crops were not ripe.

We then had ‘weapons grade’ storms for two weeks. It seemed “the Gods were weeping tears of rain” for the devastation of our crops. There is usually some good associated with these disasters, but it’s hard to find any this time. The much-reduced UK wheat crop meant that higher prices had already been factored into the feed wheat market, so end users have made alternative arrangements with cargos of feed wheat from Romania, Bulgaria and

Denmark already being discharged in the UK. As I predicted last month, domestic milling prices have risen, but they will only rise to the imported values, and that has happened. The miller will not be short of milling wheat at current high prices. He can choose either UK or imported and the public has been told that bread prices will be higher. We still don’t know if the UK crop is nine or ten million tonnes, but we know there is now more feed wheat in that mix.

The tipping point comes when too much has been imported and farmers start selling. The Brexit deadline is likely to accelerate this. I have previously highlighted years where at the start you have a deficit with a big price (as we have now) but by the end of that cereal year it turned into surplus, with a big drop in value, often when the next potential big crop has been established.

I can only repeat that if you have ELVED the milling quality and can sell at PHILLIPS the equivalent of a high import Openfield price you should do so. Despite firmer sterling, UK wheat markets

IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR SOIL

are nearly back to recent highs. You can make some premiums for low grade hard and soft milling and these should be taken.

Some things don’t change; like malting barley.

The huge increase in spring planting meant we could stand the loss of malting quality in the last two weeks of August as there was already sufficient safely combined to meet the much reduced demand of the UK maltster. Denmark has produced a very good crop of malting barley to supply our German and Dutch customers and Scotland has enough surplus distilling barley to ship to East Anglia and fill the max 1.65 nitrogen market.

This won’t be a good year for the industry, farmers, grain marketing co-ops and merchants alike. We need to look for the post-Brexit trading opportunities.

First go and plant the biggest wall-to-wall wheat crop we have ever seen. Wheat growers should take consolation in the fact that they only suffer this type of year a few times in a lifetime. Oilseed rape growers, however, are miserable from the day they plant, (when it doesn’t come up) for 11 months – when it yields almost nothing!

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HARVEST REPORT > Weald Granary member Robert Day, Gatehouse Farm, Marden brings his last load in with his 1992 ERF. He retires this year after 30 years with the co-operative

> Tailboard

itions tipping dry barley in sunny dry cond

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!

By 1 September we were 80% complete on harvest intake, the same as 2019 but on a much-reduced tonnage. Members committed amounts were 23% down thanks to poor autumn planting conditions and the hot dry spring. 2019 was a big crop, with intake 9% up, so year on year production is 32% down; a huge swing and a very strange season.

Nationally it will be the lowest volume harvest the UK has seen for near half a century. While some of our members had completed harvesting, including beans, by the end of July, others did not start until the last week of August.

Looking back, the season has been a tale of two halves as far as the weather is concerned, with the early hot and dry conditions making way for a dismal, wet mid-August. All the early barley and wheat, generally on lighter land, was good quality, with low nitrogen and very low proteins causing some early concern over full-spec milling quality.

The early wheat had decent Hagbergs at 300+ and very good specific weights at 80 to 82Kg. As harvest progressed to the later planted crops on heavier land, proteins improved to the usual levels of around 13%. The spring wheats coming in now have very good protein levels at 14%+. Nitrogens also increased to over 1.9%, with a lot at 2%+, rendering it feed standard.

In mid-August the heavens opened and we saw some of the heaviest rainfall and hail we have ever experienced, with over two inches in three hours flooding the yard and halting intake. After experiencing bouts of torrential rain, quality began to drop off and most barley being delivered after that failed to make quality on germination or high nitrogen; even from a visual perspective, it just looked weathered and dull. Wheat Hagbergs also took a tumble in early September to feed grade.

Wheat has been more than 50% of our intake this season, and with the variable quality there is ample opportunity to blend in order to meet a good milling grade. That is one of the benefits of using a central store.

There have been similar, varied results with feed and milling oats. Some have come in looking poor with bushel weights of around 47, but varieties such as Mascani and Elyann had 50 plus bushel weighs and good overall quality.

Oilseed rape was particularly impacted by the weather and yields were very poor, with a lot of admix where weed control had proved difficult. We are now busy drying cereals and beans.

Across the board, yields have been down on expectations, with some of our members experiencing their lowest-ever yields. Going into harvest we had 65,000 tonnes committed; with feedback from farmers we could see that it was going to be a small crop. We were able to mitigate some of the shortfall by

renting space to our marketing agents, Openfield and ADM. We were also able to carry over some 2019 crop, pricing it at favourable rates for post-harvest movement.

In summary this harvest was very much as expected, with around 80% of crops making quality apart from late-cut Planet barley. I think most will look to draw a line under the 2020 harvest and look forward now to 2021. It certainly has been a ‘strange’ harvest for us; no night drying, lorries looking for work and often closing up at 8pm, usually unheard of in August. Covid-19 precautions and keeping a safe distance (which I quite like), Zoom meetings and masks at the ready; who could imagine that? As a consequence, I’ve seen a lot more of my wife Rebecca, normally a harvest widow, and even had time for a pint or two in (outside) the local.

To finish on a positive note, everyone here is in good health, prices remain reasonably strong and members have clear fields for their autumn planting. We can control a lot of things but not the weather; let’s hope the grain gods grant more favourable growing conditions for the 2021 crop.

Weald Granary There’s a better future in store More and more farmers are seeing the real benefits of co-operative centralised storage and marketing.

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51

AGRONOMY

LESSONS LEARNT FROM THE CHALLENGING

SEASON OF 2020 Hutchinsons agronomist James Short takes a brief look at how crops in the region performed generally and what lessons we have learned from 2020 to help make 2021 a better season.

SOILS

52

Driving around farms, the difference between fields where good soil management has been practised and those where it hasn’t is very noticeable. There is no doubt that the key to these better performing crops comes down to the condition of soils at drilling. Where soils were well structured and received regular application of biosolids and manures, crops performed well.

For example, where wheat was drilled into good soil conditions during September 2019 it has yielded well - around 10 to 12t/ha.

However, wheats drilled later in the autumn into poor conditions, where establishment was compromised, have produced very variable yields.

CULTIVATIONS

The type of cultivation also influenced crop performance; plough-based systems tended to do better in the deteriorating late autumn conditions, while many farmers who had adopted direct drilling and min till systems found that soils were not resilient enough when weather conditions deteriorated. Strip till and tine drills performed well and allowed for later autumn drilling into unmoved stubbles. We also learned that heavy trailed drills travelling on previously cultivated soils do not perform at their best when tractors struggle for traction.

COVER CROPS

There continues to be much debate over the value of cover crops in rotations and soil health.

Always openminded, I continue to question the positives and negatives and remain of the opinion that growers need to proceed cautiously and learn to manage cover crops on their own farms.

Growing the right cover crop for the soil and

the intended following harvested crop will reap benefits but requires careful planning, patience and a cultivation and drill system that can manage the residues.

VARIETY PERFORMANCE

Cereal variety performance has remained consistent with previous years. There was little disease due to the dry spring/summer apart from yellow rust which had to be managed accordingly.

Good sunlight levels helped photosynthesis and many wheat crops performed better than expected.

Looking at some of the more popular varieties, Skyfall coped well and has delivered consistently across the region. New wheat variety Extase looks promising with early maturity, good grain quality and excellent Septoria resistance. However, the new Group 3 Firefly has proved more variable and has not tolerated poor soil conditions, suffering from stem-based diseases.

Spring wheat has yielded better than expected on many farms, particularly where soil conditions at drilling were good. Chilham and spring-planted Skyfall or Claire produced comparable yields.

Turning to winter barley, the Syngenta hybrids have generally performed well and have shown amazing powers of recovery from very low autumn plant numbers. Yields of 10t/ha+ were achievable from these hybrid varieties.

On better soils some spring barley crops have yielded exceptionally well at 8 to 10t/ha+. RGT Planet remains consistently high yielding.

OSR and how to minimise the risk of crop failure.

There is no perfect answer, but retaining soil moisture and ensuring adequate crop nutrition to allow rapid establishment is very important, and many farmers are trying a range of establishment techniques that suit their own soil types and farming systems.

Winter linseed could be considered as an alternative to winter OSR; it’s an interesting crop and has yielded 2 to 2.5t/ha, but weed control can be challenging. Spring linseed remains very variable and harvesting is a challenge without an effective desiccant.

It’s not been a good season for pulses, as soil conditions at planting are critical for a good crop.

However, winter and spring beans fared best when planted early, producing yields of up to 5t/ha with good quality and little bruchid damage. Spring peas have struggled, and yields have been very variable. Soya crops are few and far between, with perhaps more grower interest once improved early maturing varieties are available.

Looking ahead, many growers have taken the opportunity of an early harvest, and having felt the consequences of last autumn intend to drill cereals in September this season. With early drilling comes the need to manage crops appropriately, with much greater risk of barley yellow dwarf virus from aphids and the requirement for robust grass weed management. For an early drilled crop to reach its full potential, it is essential to manage the risks. Remember, no season is the same as the last one!

BREAK CROPS

Winter oilseed rape is the crop that everyone has been worried about after the devastating effects of cabbage stem flea beetle last season, especially where rape was planted on light and poorer soils or where seedbeds were dry during the establishment period. The highest yields have come from hybrid varieties or where good, rapid establishment was achieved.

There are many discussions about the future of

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

JAMES SHORT

Hutchinsons T: 07721 567083 E: james.short@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

STEPHEN CARR

BIKING THE SOUTH DOWNS WAY With a very lightweight harvest in the barn I needed something to take my mind off things. So it was that I allowed myself to be persuaded by my youngest daughter to accompany her on a bike ride along the 99-mile South Downs Way. The South Downs Way stretches along the southern chalklands between Winchester and Eastbourne. We started our marathon at the western end and headed ‘home’ towards my farm, which sits at the eastern end where the Way runs directly past my farmhouse.

To find myself on the Downs on a mountain bike, rather than in the seat of a tractor, Land Rover or combine, was disconcerting. It was so unsettling to experience the Downs as a recreational facility rather than to see it as a factory floor that provides me with my living.

Working each side of this busy public right of way, I have always perceived it as more of a potential nuisance to me than a source of huge enjoyment to others in the form of countless walkers, runners, horse riders and cyclists.

But now I was one of those cyclists and on other farmers’ land. As I pedalled desperately, trying to keep up with my daughter’s dust, it was suddenly me who was in danger of becoming the inconsiderate user of this public right of way. As I became ever more tired and thirsty in 32°C of August heat (there are very few drinking water points along the track) I started to grumble to myself: “Why don’t these farmers make their gates open and close a bit more readily?”

As we pedalled further east I even started to feel a little irritated at what I perceived to be distinctly hostile signage. Notices declaring “No Mountain Bikes”, “Private”, “Keep Out”, “Beware of Guard Dogs” and even “You Are Being Watched” started to make me feel distinctly unwelcome.

Things came to a head when we met a car on the South Downs Way that had emerged from a farmhouse drive. To pass it we drew to the left hand side of the wide track, but the car then moved slowly over to our side of the road as it approached us. We had no option but to take

STEPHEN CARR Arable farmer

avoiding action by moving to the right but, as the vehicle passed us, its driver did not even register our presence but instead stared straight ahead.

We got the message.

I’m now back on my farm and back into my farming routine with severe saddle soreness becoming a welcome distant memory. But since my return I’ve made sure that the bridle path gates on my land are as easy to open and close as possible. I’ve also become more tolerant towards users of the South Downs Way and their occasional inconsiderate behaviour.

After all, perhaps all those horse riders, hikers and cyclists feel as hungry, thirsty, over-heated, short-tempered and grumpy as I was when I pedalled those endless, flint-strewn, hellish hills.

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION Ploughing matches may be off the agenda, thanks to the coronavirusinspired lockdown, but property professionals Batcheller Monkhouse refuse to let the season pass without comment.

The regional firm of estate agents, chartered surveyors and chartered town planners, with offices across East and West Sussex, has organised a photographic ploughing competition that it hopes will go some way towards filling the gap in farmers’ and landowners’ lives.

The competition brief explains: “September and October usually finds us packing and unpacking our display stand as we travel from ploughing match to ploughing match across Kent and Sussex, cleaning off the mud as we go.

“In a ‘normal’ year you will find our experts at Weald of Kent, Laughton, East Sussex, Hurstpierpoint and Petworth. We hope that we shall be meeting you all again in 2021.”

In the meantime photographers are invited to “capture the sight of ploughing 2020”, with the best images in three categories – modern, vintage or horse – set to win six bottles of Chapel Down Wine.

Entries, which should be marked ‘modern’, ‘vintage’ or ‘horse’ should be emailed to marketing@batchellermonkhouse.com by the closing date of 23 October. The winning entries will notified by 27 October. Terms and conditions are on the website.

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53

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The Government has pledged to commit to ambitious, legally binding targets under its landmark Environment Bill “to combat the environmental and climate challenges we face”.

Environment Secretary George Eustice has promised: “The targets we set under our landmark Environment Bill will be the driving force behind our bold action to protect and enhance our natural world - guaranteeing real and lasting progress on some of the biggest environmental issues facing us today.”

DEFRA has said it will introduce at least one long-term target in four priority areas – cleaner air, cleaner water, less waste and more biodiversity – with the possibility of introducing further priority areas and targets at a later date. Interim targets will the aim is to increase productivity and reduce “ensure we stay on track”. the amount of residual waste and plastic For farmers and landowners, the relevant areas pollution are: TRACTOR & FA RM INS URA • NCE biodiversity, with a focus on “exploring targets • resource efficiency and waste reduction, where to restore and create wildlife-rich habitats in our

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protected sites on land, in freshwaters and at sea and in the wider countryside” • water, which will include a target to tackle pollution from agriculture and plans to reduce the volume abstracted.

AMENDMENTS TABLED

The Tenant Farmers’ Association has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that the House of Lords considers a number of profarming amendments as it begins to consider the hugely important Agriculture Bill.

The report stage of the Bill will be one of the pieces of new legislation at the top of the Lords’ agenda as it meets after the summer recess, and the TFA has put forward no fewer than 17 amendments.

The association’s amendments will be tabled by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Lord Carrington, Baroness Rock, Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb and Lord Wigley.

They range from widening the scope of financial assistance to include “protecting or improving the management of landscapes and biodiversity through pasture-fed livestock systems” to ensuring that financial assistance is targeted at “active farmers and land manager who are operating units which are predominantly agricultural”.

Another amendment calls on the Government to “set out the budgeted annual expenditure to be used to achieve each of the … strategic priorities for the plan period”, while another would require the Government to produce its report on food security annually rather than every five years as is currently suggested.

One amendment of particular interest to the TFA’s members would require the Government to protect farm tenants by “providing the mechanism for tenants to object to a landlord’s refusal for consent to enter financial assistance schemes”.

The full list of amendments as at 2 September can be seen at https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/58-01/130/5801130-RL.pdf

LEGAL

PLANNING ISSUES FOR FARM DIVERSIFICATION In challenging economic times, businesses need to be adaptable and dynamic if they want to survive. For those running farming and land-based businesses, a move away from traditional agriculture can be one way to respond to changing circumstances.

Farm diversification is challenging and there are many hurdles to overcome if it is to be successful.

The first step is to identify a gap in the market; what products or services do you wish to move into? How will it be funded? You may need to secure financial investment from a bank or through a grant scheme such as the Rural Development Programme.

You may also require planning permission if you are carrying out development, such as changing the use of your land or putting up new buildings.

Knowing what you can and cannot do without the need for planning permission is essential. If your proposal can be achieved without planning permission, then this will make life easier.

Using land and buildings for agriculture is not development, so a change to alternative agricultural use does not in itself require planning permission.

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 grants permission for some changes of use without having to make a full planning application.

Class Q of the order grants permission for change of use of an agricultural building and any land within its curtilage to use as a dwelling-house.

This is subject to certain limitations; for example a maximum of 465 sq m of space may be converted and there can be only up to three large or five small units created. It is also necessary to obtain prior approval from the council, which is a simplified form

of planning process.

Class R of the order allows for change of use to certain commercial uses, such as shops, financial and professional services, restaurants and cafes, business, storage and distribution, hotels, assembly and leisure. A maximum of 500 sq m may be converted and, again, this usually needs prior approval.

Finally, Class S allows for a change of use to a state-funded school or registered nursery.

Again, this is subject to limits on the area which can be converted (500 sq m) and a prior approval application.

It is, however, essential that you check before relying on any of these permitted development rights as they do not apply in all cases. For example, listed buildings are excluded and it may be that the permitted development rights have been removed as a result of a s.106 Agreement or a condition on an earlier planning permission.

If planning permission is needed, you should not be put off entirely. It may be that the local planning authority will be willing to grant permission. There are national policies which support diversification, for example paragraph 83 of the National Planning

Policy Framework seeks to support a prosperous rural economy and includes the statement that: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Planning policies and decisions should enableâ&#x20AC;Ś the development and diversification of agricultural and other land-based rural businesses.â&#x20AC;?

But this will need to be weighed against other policies which may not be favourable, such as the need to protect the countryside from unsustainable development or detrimental visual impact.

The key is to get appropriate advice regarding what you can lawfully achieve without planning permission and, if permission is needed, how it can best be secured.

It is worth the investment, as successful diversification could be the key to ensuring that your business not only survives but also thrives.

LEE MAY

Partner, Brachers LLP T: 01622 690691 E: leemay@brachers.co.uk www.brachers.co.uk

Helping our agricultural community to thrive and grow Legal services which deliver long-term solutions to support the future of farming Call us on 01622 690691 Visit us at brachers.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

55

LAND AND FARMS

AUTUMN PLANNING

BRINGS COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP

BACK INTO FOCUS 56

This autumn will have come none too soon for many South East farmers.

It’s been a harvest to forget; wet weather last autumn left growers struggling to get wheat in the ground, and then the dry spring and wet weather during August took their toll.

The NFU reckons yields could be down by about a third, making 2020 the worst harvest since the 1980s.

There is, of course, no such thing as a ‘normal’ harvest, just as there’s no such thing as perfect weather. Farmers have always dealt with volatility in terms of the weather, yields and prices. That’s part of the job description.

It does seem, however, that there is some kind of extreme weather event most years now, which impacts either on drilling, harvest or crop growth in between.

Drilling season is a time when people reflect, not solely on the harvest that’s just finished, but also the future – and one of the key objectives nowadays is to mitigate volatility and risk.

The disappointment of harvest 2020 is highlighting to many the value of a ‘guaranteed’ income, leading many to reconsider the potential of entering into a Countryside Stewardship (CS) agreement.

The recent removal of the greening rules, meanwhile, will also encourage some in this direction. The requirement to provide 5% of arable land as an Ecological Focus Area (EFA) has gone.

Given that traditionally many growers have reached their EFA obligation by fallowing poorer fields and corners – land which may not be worth cropping anyway – it might now be sensible to consider putting these areas into Countryside Stewardship options. You’d still get the BPS, but

also be paid for doing something else on that ground rather than trying to produce a crop with a questionable profit margin.

It’s important not to view Countryside Stewardship solely as a response to dealing with less productive parcels of land. There are options in it that can help the way you farm – building in rotations that benefit your cropping, soil health and bottom line.

One such option is the two-year sown legume fallow (AB15). Paying £522/ha/year, it’s aimed at reducing blackgrass populations (especially if approached on a part- or whole-field scale) and is similar in some ways to the fertility-building leys utilised by organic growers. This option is a useful addition to crop rotations, providing an alternative break crop which helps to tackle a problem weed and improve the soil.

Next year will also be the first year that BPS support will start to decrease. Current expectations suggest payments in 2024 will be less than half what they were in 2020 and will have disappeared completely by 2028.

There’s clearly a necessity for farm businesses to fill this cashflow hole as soon as possible and the long-awaited Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS) is still a long way off.

Some farmers are taking the view that: “I’m waiting for ELMS so there’s no point signing up for CS now”, but remember ELMS won’t be introduced until late 2024, so the first payments aren’t going to arrive until 2025.

If you were to get a CS application submitted in 2021, you will have at least three years (2022-2024) of that agreement before ELMS begins – which means you’re being paid a fixed income for it while BPS is decreasing. The Government has said that if ELMS

• Farm and Estate Management • Farm Business Consultancy • Viticulture • Countryside Stewardship • Ecological Surveys • Planning Applications

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

ends up being more attractive than your current CS agreement (and let’s hope it does), you’ll be able to transition without any penalty.

Ever more farmers and landowners are prepared – and indeed will be forced – to explore new income streams, alongside or possibly instead of what they traditionally saw as their role growing crops and keeping livestock.

Of course, we certainly need more food on a global scale, but here in the South East the opportunities to develop new incomes, whether through so-called environmental ‘outcomes’ or diversification, are many and varied.

It’s a topic we often talk about at the Mid-Sussex Farm Management Discussion group I’ve chaired for the past two years. Indeed, pre-Covid, the biggest single opportunity was leisure. We use the expression ‘farming the public’.

The good news is there is plenty of time to make a decision on whether or not entering a CS agreement is right for your business, as the earliest you could have a new agreement start is 1 January, 2022, and the next application deadline is likely to be 31 July next year.

This might seem a long way off, but I’m already talking to farmers about applying next year for 2022. In the volatile world in which we live, forward planning becomes harder, but ever more necessary, Farming has always been risky, but it’s becoming more risky and entering CS could just be a bombproof way of mitigating some of that risk.

KEVIN JAY

Director, CLM T: 01892 770339 www.c-l-m.co.uk

Call us on 01892 770339 or email info@c-l-m.co.uk www.c-l-m.co.uk

LAND AND FARMS

300 ACRES OF MIXED AGRICULTURAL LAND The Penhurst Estate offers a rare opportunity to purchase 300 acres of mixed agricultural land, surrounding the beautiful hamlet of Penhurst, two semi-detached farm cottages, the old stable block with granary holiday let, workshop, superb Sussex barn and about 10,000 ft2 of portal-framed farm buildings, all situated in the unspoilt East Sussex countryside in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

1 and 2 Church Farm Cottages form a pair of semi-detached farm cottages.

LOT 1: Number 1 is in need of refurbishment and has no central heating. Guide price – Region £395,000.

LOT 2: Number 2 is an attractively presented property with a good sized garden and adjoining paddock of 0.7 of an acre. Guide price – Region £475,000.

LOT 3: The old stable block comprises a

PENHURST | EAST SUSSEX

WHOLE: £3,720,000

traditional Grade II Listed building, built by John Ashburnham of Ashburnham Place in 1776 with a date stone bearing his initials. It is converted into a workshop on the ground floor and holiday let above. Guide price – Region £400,000.

LOT 4: The Sussex barn and farm buildings form a Grade II Listed Sussex timber-framed barn of 4,356 ft2. To the front of the barn is a farmyard.

There is a collection of more modern portalframed buildings with an overall area of about 10,000 ft2. To the east of the barn is an area of pasture extending to about 2.1 acres. In all about 3.3 acres. Guide price – Region £450,000.

LOT 5: The land extends to 295 acres, with 196 acres laid to permanent pasture and 53 to temporary grassland following its conversion from arable land in 2017. The land is currently used for

300 ACRES

the grazing of sheep and cattle and making forage.

There are a number of ponds and streams passing through the mixed broadleaf traditional woodland and an area of water meadow. The woodland extends to about 46 acres.

Hill Farm has been farmed for many years by the same family. The current tenant has a Farm Business Tenancy over the land which equates to 91 acres. The term of the tenancy expires on 25 March 2022 when vacant possession will be available. Guide price – Region £2,000,000.

LOT 6: In addition to the freehold sale of Penhurst Estate there is the opportunity to purchase a leasehold interest in 98 acres of grassland currently let by Penhurst Estate Company Ltd. On the market with Batcheller Monkhouse it has a guide price for the whole of £3,720,000.

HOW TO FUND AN

AGRICULTURAL DWELLING Many farms are looking to build new homes on their land for succession planning, to allow parents or children to live on-site, because of separation or divorce, or some other reason.

Funding such a build, particularly if the new dwelling has an agricultural tie, comes with challenges which many see as unsurmountable - but they needn’t be if approached correctly.

How you have planned the build, the legal aspects and the finance can often mean success or failure for a funding request. So you must get professional advice from the start, particularly from your accountant, solicitor and a specialist mortgage consultant who knows what banks are looking for in farm building projects.

A lender will ask three key questions: 1) is it a personal or business mortgage 2) whose name will be on the mortgage, and 3) how will the mortgage be repaid?

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Lenders will also want to see: • a clear, logical proposal with detailed, accurate information • sensible budgets to build, complete and furnish the property • evidence the builder has the necessary skills • insurance during the build • proof of affordability - a mix of on-farm and off-farm income is fine, but realism and evidence are essential • when you want the funds - perhaps drawn down in stages to match key stages of the build • a contingency plan if something goes wrong, including the saleability of the dwelling.

Building a house is a large investment.

Professional support from the outset is crucial to ensure funding is obtained, cost-effective and enough to finish the build. It’s often too late to ask for advice after the build starts.

Contact us if you’d like more information on mortgages, or help reviewing or accessing farm finance:

ROB LISTER

Director, Rural & Business Specialists Ltd T: 01474 816500 E: rob@randbs.co.uk

GRAHAM SANDERS

Consultant, Rural & Business Specialists Ltd E: graham@randbs.co.uk www.ruralmortgages.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

57

LAND AND FARMS

HERSTMONCEUX | EAST SUSSEX

GUIDE: £1,100,000 - £1,250,000

ABOUT 23 ACRES

APPEALING AND WELL-PRESENTED brick built self-contained annexe with electric heaters and sealed unit double glazed windows.

The farm buildings comprise a range of four former loose boxes of block construction and an adjacent building with a further loose box, large garden machinery store/workshop and tack room.

In the farmyard are two four-bay concrete portal framed barns.

These buildings have consent to convert into a three-bedroom single storey dwelling with two detached outbuildings, one comprising a gym/ studio with changing room and shower room with WC, and the second providing an integral storage room and

E L A S R O

Benenden, Kent

home office with shower room.

The farmland is divided into three fields, currently planted with a wheat crop, which extend in all to about 20 acres.

Scripp Farm is set up a long drive culminating in a parking/turning area with a double garage. The established garden surrounds the house and has extensive areas of lawn, gravelled paths, herbaceous flower beds, specimen trees and shrubs, and a pond.

The swimming pool is set in a wide paved surround with adjacent vinecovered arbour and forms a wonderful area for entertaining in the summer months.

FARM LOANS 3 months - 25 years

Land & Property Experts

F

58

Scripp Farm is an appealing and well-presented character house in a semi-rural location with long distance views, together with a detached annexe and a range of farm buildings with consent to convert into a separate dwelling. In addition, there are about 20 acres of farmland – in all about 23 acres and on the market with Batcheller Monkhouse.

It is an appealing and well-presented detached character house, updated in recent years, originally built in the 1950s, which has been a wonderful family home for the present owners for the last 38 years.

The detached annexe comprises a single storey

84.19 acres

Two Parcels of High Weald Arable & Pasture Land Lot 1 - 13.13 acres

A single grass enclosure. Roaded on all sides

Lot 2 - 71.06 acres

An attractive parcel of arable & grass ley with woodland areas

It is considered that there are wine growing opportunities on some of the land Details & Guide Price Available on Request

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OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

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NEW OPPORTUNITY

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BTF Partnership is offering for sale a 13.13 acre parcel of pastureland in Benenden, Kent with future possibilities for viticulture and a guide price of £125,000.

Known as The Island on Ninevah Lane, the triangular shaped parcel of land has road frontage on all three sides, two access gateways and is fenced with hedges. The land is gently sloping with a southerly aspect and is considered suitable for vineyard production. The land has previously been cut for hay or silage and has also been grazed by sheep and cattle. There is a water supply to a field trough which will require separate metering.

Richard Thomas at BTF Partnership comments: “This is a very useful sized parcel of land which given its aspect and location it is now considered suitable for viticulture, possibly expansion by an existing grower or for someone looking to establish a new vineyard. The land is situated between Benenden and Cranbrook in a rural location in the Weald of Kent.”

Also available for sale on Ninevah Lane from the same vendor is 71.06 acres of gently undulating arable land. The land is classified as Grade III and is south east facing. It has been in arable production for a number of years and Rye grass has been grown this year under contract on the northern part of the land. The land use is currently divided into grass for seed 34.37 acres, arable 26.19 acres and woodland 9.90 acres.

Bespoke Planning Advice

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www.therpp.co.uk CIRENCESTER 01285 323200

CRANBROOK 01580 201888

office@therpp.co.uk

Chartered Town Planner

WATSONS COUNTRY PROPERTY AGENTS AUCTIONEERS

CHARTERED SURVEYORS VALUERS EST. 1873

Farmhouse with outbuildings or rural dwelling with circa two acres of land in North Kent.

Required ASAP on a long-term lease.

WANTED TO RENT

Please contact Charlotte on 07572 808 308 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

MAYFIELD

GROOMBRIDGE

Early Victorian Farmhouse + Oast House + 8.11 Acres (3.28 Ha).

Farmhouse requiring refurbishment, detached Oast House with conversion potential (subject to P.P). About 8.11 acres. Main road frontage. (epc:F) Guide: £585,000

About 37 Acres (14.97 Ha)

BY ORDER OF THE RECEIVERS An attractive parcel of principally grassland within the High Weald AONB 5 miles from Tunbridge Wells

URGENTLY WANTED FOR BUYERS WITH IMMEDIATE FUNDS AVAILABLE

Offers Over: £275,000

LD

SO

TICEHURST

(Usual commission required)

•

30 – 100 acres of grassland Heathfield and west (special cash buyer)

•

Smallholding with house and 5+ acres – East Sussex/West Kent (buyer with rollover funds) All calls treated in confidence

Tel: 01435 865077

About 9.48 Acres ( 3.84 Ha) Comprising a mixture of pasture and woodland close to the village of Ticehurst and within the High Weald AONB Offers Over: £100,000 The Estate Office - Burwash Road, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 8RA www.watsonsestates.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

59

LAND AND FARMS

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD

60

As many readers may have seen in the news, the Government once again wishes to shake up the planning system in order to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s commitment to ‘Build, Build, Build’. This effort is being led by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, who made two significant announcements last month.

The first was the update to the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) which took effect from the end of August and the second was publication of the Planning for the Future white paper for consultation which outlines the Government’s proposed reforms to the wider planning system. The cumulative effect of these two actions is to present a number of development opportunities to landowners both in the short term through changes to the GDPO and longer term in the white paper proposals (if taken forward).

One of the immediate gains for rural landowners (especially those that have diversified) is the ability to demolish and replace an office or workshop building (Use Class B1) with a residential dwelling or a block of flats through permitted development rights. This change to the GPDO, along with a further update that allows property owners to extend existing buildings upwards by up to two additional storeys, opens the prospect of constructing a new residential dwelling two storeys higher than that which existed previously, without the need to seek full planning permission.

This would apply to all land and buildings outside a formalised development boundary – countryside areas!

Unfortunately for those located in one of our region’s National Parks, Conservation Areas, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), these rights are not extended to you. This also goes for buildings within the curtilage of a Listed Building or Scheduled Monument. Additionally, any

White Paper August 2020

replacement dwelling must fall entirely within the footprint of the original building and not exceed 1000 square meters.

One of the biggest restrictions posed by the update is that this only applies to buildings built before 31 December 1989 which have been vacant for at least six months. Finally, the applicant will still have to make a submission to the local planning authority in the form of standard prior approval application which is required for many forms of permitted development.

The Use Classes Order has been subject to further tinkering also, with changes coming into effect on 1 September 2020 which seek, amongst other things, to amalgamate the former A, B and D classes into a single commercial and business use class. The amalgamation is intended to allow greater flexibility to change use automatically between a wider range of activities. We have yet to see how this will pan out but it certainly proposes to provide more scope for securing alternative uses.

As detailed, the Planning for the Future white paper was also published last month. Unlike the GPDO amendments, this is a consultation document only at this stage and offers a broad range of ideas the Government has for reforming the planning system. Some fundamentally different concepts are discussed, but given the scale and extent of change proposed, primary legislation must be passed to invoke much of the reform.

The most significant idea is the proposed introduction of a rudimentary system of land use zoning. Local Plans will be required to categorise all of the land in the authority’s area into types of growth areas suitable for substantial development, renewal areas suitable for some development and protected areas where development will be restricted.

This zoning will be of particular importance to land designated as growth areas as this will automatically be granted outline planning permission for a range of development types. The hoped-for consequence of this will be reduced risk for housing developers and increased land prices for those areas designated, or with the potential to be designated, as a growth area.

Unfortunately, there is no framework/criteria to indicate how such designations are to be made in the document and there are many questions left unanswered about how the categorisation would work in practice. Not least, perhaps, is the huge question hanging over areas of green belt land.

Green belt areas seem likely to be categorised as protected areas, but the question is whether or not that would bring about an embargo on all development in the green belt? Some may be delighted by the prospect and others may not, but it is certainly one of the many issues that the Government must provide clarity on before any of the changes contained in the paper are taken forward. Nevertheless there are some interesting ideas posed that could certainly bring new development opportunities in the future.

In-depth analysis of the forthcoming changes is on our website and will be updated as soon as more information is available. Landowners who believe they may be able to take advantage of any of the new permitted development rights should get in touch. Our highly experienced team of planners covers the whole of the South East and will be more than happy to advise on the planning process.

www.batchellermonkhouse.com Follow us on social media to find out about our free planning surgeries, which offer expert one-to-one planning insight into a proposed scheme free of charge:

HANNAH MCLAUGHLIN

CLARE BARTLETT

HARRIET RICHARDSON

KIRSTY CASTLE

T: 01798 877555 E: h.mclaughlin@batchellermonkhouse.com

NICK WEBB

T: 01892 509280 E: n.webb@batchellermonkhouse.com

T: 01424 775577 E: harriet.richardson@batchellermonkhouse.com

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

T: 01798 877555 E: c.bartlett@batchellermonkhouse.com

T: 01892 509280 E: k.castle@batchellermonkhouse.com

ww.batchellermonkhouse.com www.batchellermonkhouse.com

esidential Residential ▪ Rural▪

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PENHURST BATTLE EAST SUSSEX REGION £3,720,000

A rare opportunity to purchase some 300 acres of mixed agricultural land surrounding the hamlet of Penhurst, which is recorded in the Domesday Book.

Superb Grade II Listed Sussex Barn. Pair of Semi-Detached Cottages. Old Stable Block with Holiday London Mayfair London Mayfair ttle Battle Haywards Haywards Heath Heath PulboroughTunbridge Tunbridge Let and Workshop.

Range of Pulborough Outbuildings.

Opportunity toWells rent a Wells further 98 acres. mayfair@batchellermonkhouse.com mayfair@batchellermonkhouse.com 424 775577 01424 775577 01444 453181 01444 453181 01798 872081 01798 872081 01892 512020 01892 512020 APPLY BATTLE OFFICE 01424 775577 Battle 01424 775577

Haywards Heath 01444 453181

Pulborough 01798 872081

Tunbridge Wells 01892 509280

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“You tried the others, now try the brothers”

All our panels are marked

All aspects of steel work, cladding & groundwork.

Family run business with 45 years experience.

100% British designed & built

34 Year’s experience

Site visits Call to arrange a site survey

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

All refurbishments & repairs undertaken.

Call for a free quote today.

Gary White 07812 599679 Jason White 07941 274751

CONSTRUCTION

CS982 SE Farmer Advert 60mm x 93.qxd:Layout 1

12/12/12

rn & s he s nt ut er AK ou So rm S isc Fa AM r d R e b em M

A one-stop-shop for all Profiled Roofing Products: BIGG ES T RA NGE IN THE SOUTH EAS T PROMPT AND RELIABLE SERVICE HUGE STOCKS

Call: 01342 337159 www.southernsheeting.co.uk

Hill Place Farm, Turners Hill Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 4LX

CLASSIFIEDS

14:1

CONSTRUCTION STEEL HOUSING Email for prices

TEL: 07813 910975 01233 750123

Ideal for offices, holiday lets, and dwellings. Quick to erect.

IDEAS IN ACTION

E: camilesconstruction@hotmail.co.uk

Bespoke options include:

Side extensions • Steel housing Office blocks • Asbestos removal All groundworks undertaken All frames are

marked

ENWARD Grain stores • Cattle buildings • Dairy units Change of use and refurbishment of existing buildings

FARM BUILDING REPAIRS We will continue to work through coronavirus, and we will be available to attend site and estimate customers projects and/or insurance repair/works.

We have now insisted that our employees wear suitable personal protection equipment on any such works until further notice.

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

Kenward Construction based in Horsham, West Sussex offer a full design and build service for your next steel framed building including composite cladding, concrete panels, roller shutter doors and bespoke designs to meet individual planning conditions.

Kenward Construction also offer a wide range of services offering a truly one stop shop for your next farm building project. Demolition, plant hire, access roads, drainage, sewage treatment plants, rainwater harvesting, biobed wash downs, paving, concrete foundations / slabs, walling and site landscaping.

Arrange a site visit with one of our contracts managers to discuss your project in more detail by emailing enquiries@kenwardgroundworks.co.uk or call 01403 210218

www.kenwardgroundworks.co.uk

REFURBS, BIG 6 ROOF SHEETS, ROOF LIGHTS, RIDGES, VERGES, VALLEY GUTTERS, BOX GUTTERS, BOUNDARY GUTTERS, ASBESTOS, SHEETING Single Sheet To Whole Roof Roller Shutters Accidental or Storm Damage Works Demolition Refurbishments Waste Clearances

We are available to carry out ESSENTIAL REPAIR WORKS to AGRICULTURAL LIVESTOCK/STORAGE BUILDINGS etc

SOUTH EAST CLADDING LTD Professional Services to the Agricultural, Industrial & Equestrian Sectors

CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT!

FREEPHONE: 01233 659129

from BT land-line

MOBILE: 07813 142 145 charlie.woodger@btinternet.com

CONSTRUCTION

Agriculture ~ Cold Storage ~ Equestrian ~ Industrial ~ Waste Recycling • Agricultural Buildings • Cold Store Buildings • Equestrian Buildings • Industrial Buildings • Waste Recycling Buildings TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

01323 890403 www.danddconstruction.co.uk info@danddconstruction.co.uk

• Structural Steel • Drawing Services • Design Services • Mezzanine Floors • Custom Steelwork

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

63

CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION

JPR “ROOFING” & GUTTERING INSTALLATIONS LTD

Supply and erecting of

Steel framed buildingS

Fully insured and licensed. 23 years family run business.

Covering all KENT & SUSSEX

AND

We will continue to work through coronavirus, and we will be available to attend site and estimate customers projects and/or insurance repair/works.

We have now insisted that our employees wear suitable personal protection equipment on any such works until further notice.

Contact Arthur on 07860 193716 Mark on 07771 516716 Tel/Fax: 01227 831658 ardfs@vfast.co.uk

www.ardaviesfarmservices-canterbury.co.uk

GRAINSTORE INSTALLATIONS

A.R. DAVIES FARM SERVICES Est 1986

Family run business with over 45+ years of experience, from concept to completion.

Family business Family runrun business

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

with over 45+45+ years of of with over years

Asbestos Sheet removal Roof & gutter repairs New roofs & cladding Refurbishments Roller shutter doors Demolition & clearance

CONSTRUCTION

experience, concept experience, from concept Steel framefrom buildings, to completion. to completion. cladding and associated works.

Steel frame buildings, Steel frame buildings, cladding andand associated cladding associated Specialists in: works. works.

• Agricultural,

ALL WORK ALL WORK

Specialists in: in: equestrian & light Specialists • Agricultural, industrial buildings • Agricultural, equestrian & light equestrian & light • In house fabrication industrial buildings industrial buildings •• In Planning services house fabrication • In house fabrication available • Planning services • Planning services available available01323 848684 lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesbuildings@btconnect.com lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesbuildings@btconnect.com 01323 848684 lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesbuildings@btconnect.com 01323 848684 APPROVED APPROVED

We are available to carry out ESSENTIAL REPAIR WORKS to AGRICULTURAL LIVESTOCK/STORAGE BUILDINGS etc

64

Contact: Chris, for a no obligation quotation: Tel: 07813 142145 or 01233 659129 (7 days)

SHORTLAND STRUCTURES LTD

www.jprmaintenance-construction.co.uk

Penfold Profiles

• STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS • CLADDING • ERECTING • • EXTENSIONS • ALTERATIONS • CONCRETE PANELS • ROLLER/SLIDING/PERSONNEL DOORS •

Asbestos removal Sheeting Guttering

Tel: 01732 460912 Mobile: 07976 287836 Email: sales@shortlandstructures.com

www.shortlandstructures.com

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

RAMSA K M

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Specialists in agricultural and industrial buildings ASBESTOS Survey Removal Disposal

GUTTERS Aluminium liners PVC liners Accessories

SHEETING Complete buildings New roof system for conversions Repairs – Rooflights

07864 823 476 07889 481618 penfoldprofiles@btinternet.com www.penfoldprofiles.co.uk

Penfold Profiles. Lees Paddock, High Halden, Ashford, Kent OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

CONTRACTORS

G & S BROWN

Drainage Contractors Working with farmers since 1947

● LAND DRAINAGE ● DITCHING ● POND WORK ● WATER SUPPLIES ● SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS ● GROUNDWORKS ● PLANT HIRE 360° EXCAVATORS FOR ESTIMATES & ENQUIRIES

(01622) 890884 Email: info@brownsdrainage.co.uk

www.brownsdrainage.co.uk

®

VEYING

E

   

FIELD MAPPING CONTRACTORS DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN SWA DRAINAGE SW ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS FROM £220 PER ACRE LAND DRAINAGE

ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

ND DRAINAGE

FIELD MAPPING DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

CLASSIFIEDS CONTRACTORS Grubbing, timber & groundwork services • orchard grubbing

• land clearance

• windbreak removal

• excavations

• timber extraction

• cultivations

• fallen tree removal

• pond dredging

• ground contouring

• reservoir construction

W.H.Skinner & Sons

220 PER ACRE

01622 744640 - 07711 264775 www.whskinnerandsons.co.uk

R.POPOVIC & SON Agricultural Contractors

ON SIT OUR

• Round or Big Square baling and wrapping • Forage harvesting • Muck spreading • Cultivations, grass seeding etc • All grassland and forest ride maintenance • Complete or part operations • All other associated work undertaken

Est 1966

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION • FIELD MAPPING • DRAINAGE SURVEYING PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR • DESIGN • DRAINAGE d.com WEBSITE: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Call Nick Popovic on 01323 832002 or 07889 177434

oodfarms.com PHONE: 01795 880441

PLEASE CONTACT JAMES OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE

FENCING

TOM: 01795 880441 or 07884 664035

EMAIL: james@swattwood.com EMAIL: james@swattwood.com GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING

  LANDwww.swjfattwood.com DRAINAGE ER INFORMATION  PLANT HIRE OUR NTACT US OR VISIT Fencing Services 65 Competitive Direct Drilling Service  INERT TIPPING Specialists in Stock, Deer and Equestrian Fencing  GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING Using our proven Simtech Aitchison direct drill we seed into all surfaces 795 880441 CLAY SALES Covering the South East Tel: (01403) 700509 Mobile: 07836 219344 grasses, clovers, brassicas, cereals, pulses, maize and all mixtures.

INTRODUCING

www.attwoodfarms.com PHILIP JUNIPER    

The unique T-slot boot allows a perfect environment for the seeds to

germinate, along its 3m sowing width with 18 rows. es@swattwood.com This method saves time and money compared with more traditional re-seeding methods, but is also capable of stitching and rejuvenating existing crops.

LAND DRAINAGE our new Simtech

www.philipjuniper.co.uk

Aitchison 300 drill with front press!

PLANT HIRE

INERT TIPPINGManufacturers of Chestnut Fencing Products w.attwoodfarms.com CLAY SALES

 GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING  LAND DRAINAGE  Town PLANT HIRE Place Farm, Haywards Heath Tel: 01825 790341 Mob: 07970 621832 Email: Charlie@townplacefarm.co.uk  INERT TIPPING  CLAY SALES

Hardwood gates

Cleft post and rail Stakes and posts Chestnut fencing

CWP fenci f n ng

Tel: 07985298221 www.cwpfencing.co.uk

CROP DRYING

LAND DRAINAGE, EARTHWORKS, GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION FULL LAND DRAINAGE SERVICE sportsfields, amenity and irrigation systems using Mastenbroek trenchers PONDS, LAKES & RESERVOIRS construction and maintenance GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION primary excavations, aggregate sub-base, agricultural construction and concreting

ENVIRONMENTAL HABITATS water course maintenance and improvement works

For all enquiries call 01233 860404 07770 867625 (Harvey) or 07768 115849 (Dave)

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Manufacturers of centrifugal, low volume and portable fans, air tunnels, drive over floors, grain stirrers and gas burners ®

PELLCROFT www.pellcroft.com | sales@pellcroft.com | 01526 342466 WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

CLASSIFIEDS

IRRIGATION EVENTS

HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST

Why dig when we can trench it?

Trencher with operator for installing: • Irrigation and water pipes • Utility cables and ducting

• Toilets & Showers for hire

• Repairs to water pipes

• Large range of Temporary canteens, stores & welfare units

• Impact moling

• Effluent Tank Emptying

Enquiries FieldWaterInstallations@gmail.com

• Events also catered for with marquees & toilets

Est 1993

FOUR JAYS GROUP

01580 891728 or 07768 626131 www.fwi-trenching.co.uk

PRESSURE WASHERS

Tel: 01622 843135 Fax: 01622 844410 enquiries@fourjays.co.uk www.fourjays.co.uk

HAULIERS 07860 728204 Hay & Straw Merchant | Machinery Haulage

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SALES, SERVICE & HIRE OUT of Pressure Washers, Vacuums, Scrubber Dryers, Sweepers & Dry Steamers from the leading manufacturers!

Fully Stocked mobile engineers with full manufacturer training.

Over 45 YEARS in trading!

TEL:01293 554750 TEL:01293 WWW.PRESSURECLEAN.CO.UK WWW.PRESSURECLEAN.CO.UK

STORAGE TANKS

HAY & STRAW IN STOCK | ROUND & BIG SQUARE BALES

Find us on Facebook

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

KING

Horizontal Cylindrical Tanks From 54,500 litres to 27,250 litres (12,000 - 6,000 gallon) Single and twin compartments, with cradles

INDUSTRIAL DOORS DOORS LTD

SUPPLY INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE SERVICE

Bunded Tanks From 27,000 litres to 10,000 litres (6,000 - 2,000 gallon) With cabinet, guage and alarm All suitable for fuel, water and effluent Call today for details

Tel 01638 712328

VINEYARD

Sectional doors • Roller Shutter doors • High speed doors Loading bay equipment • Personnel and Fire doors

The independent monthly publication dedicated to viticulture and wine making in Great Britain

SUBSCRIBE FOR ONLY £40 A YEAR

Culnells Farm, School Lane, Iwade, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8QJ Fax: 01634 360955 Mobile: 07973 299664 Email: sales@yiannisdoors.co.uk

www.yiannisdoors.co.uk

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

www.thekinggroup.co.uk/tanks for viticulturists in Great Britain ™

INDUSTRIAL DOOR SERVICES

Tel: 01634 378523

STORAGE TANKS

®

®

OCTOBER 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

@VineyardMagGB

RECEIVE YOUR COPY FIRST CLASS STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR www.vineyardmagazine.co.uk 01959 543747

CROSSWORD ®

VINEYARDS

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN Six bottles of Monks Delight and two bottles of Red Love

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ACROSS

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A decision made at random (9) Out of the way; stage whisper (5) Shape (9) Hit with fist (5) Girl’s name (4) Run away (7) Game bird (Open season 1 Sept - 1 Feb) (4,9) Companion crop (7) Heckling, mocking (7) Remarkable (7) Seabird (4) School subject (9) A narrow, fast flowing air current (3,6) Melody (4)

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Aviator (6) Meat cut (5) A device to catch rodents (4) Mathematics that uses letters (7) Noise (5) Announce (7) To dispense milk into a glass (4) Stringed instrument (4) Duck breed (9) Thought, concept (4) Vehicle (3) Dessert often served with ice cream (5) Frozen water (3) Fruit (5) Form into bent, curling shape (5) Authenticate (7)

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Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Apple variety (8,6)

To enter, simply unscramble the anagram (8,6) using the green squares.

DOWN

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: 1

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VINEYARDS

To celebrate Halloween we are

two bottles of Red Love. For more

5 October The winner will be announced in the November edition.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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information about the vineyards, please visit www.biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726. *Subject to availability

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address and phone number to

draw which will take place on

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offering readers the chance to win six bottles of Monks Delight and

Correct entries will be entered into a

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Email your replies with your name, sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk

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Correct answer: Middle White LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Mary Laslett from Bridge, Kent

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | OCTOBER 2020

TI M E FO R NEW G ROW T H

The asset finance provider for the Farming & Agricultural community in the South East.

At One Threadneedle we offer more than funds - we unlock possibilities and enable growth. We thrive on building a trusted and open relationship with our customers, ensuring we understand everything from the bigger picture, to the smallest level of detail.

To see how we could support your business contact our Field Based specialist Sean Phelan on 07887 737 549 – email sean@onetnl.com or call the office in Tunbridge Wells

onethreadneedle.com 01892 489 489 LOCAL

•

PERSONAL

21, Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 8AE •

F R I E N D LY

•

EXPERIENCED

•

INDEPENDENT

One Threadneedle is a credit broker, not a lender. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (839978)